At True Instincts Dog Training, teachers accentuate the positive.
Positive reinforcement that is, an approach that teaches the behaviours you want your pet to learn rather than trying to teach the dog “not” to do something. Desired actions are immediately rewarded because it makes them more likely to repeat the thing you want them to do.
“We want training to be fun,” says Holly Forrest, dog trainer and owner of the Mill Street North business in Waterdown. “We’re always adding something that they like in the form of play, praise, or food. They always have a positive connection to associate with the action you want them to do, kind of the opposite of aversive training, which is based on fear.”
Aversive training methods are still sometimes believed to work faster or more effectively. However, these tactics, which can include the use of shock and prong collars, jerking the lead, physical force if the dog fails to give the correct response, and other forms of punishment, don’t address the root cause of the unwanted behaviour or teach the dog anything, explains Forrest.
“When people did corrections on dogs for training, somebody would say, 'Sit.' The dog clearly doesn’t understand English, so therefore, they would yank on the leash until the dog offered something, and sitting tends to be a pretty common behaviour to offer. If you were to teach a sit like that, over time, the dog learns not to trust as much,” she said.
Forrest has been working with canines since 2012, treating a range of canine issues, from aggression and guarding issues to separation anxiety and interactions with other pets and child safety. In addition to accumulating numerous credentials, she has also delved deeply into canine psychology.
“One thing that I’ve learned is that what we do as humans really does impact how animals learn. Working with pet dog owners, we’ve found that a lot of people try to communicate with the dogs as if they are children and, therefore, they make some errors and end up reinforcing behaviours that they don’t want,” she says.
Forrest also stresses the importance of choosing the right breed for your lifestyle. For example, certain breeds need to be around people, making them more susceptible to separation anxiety, while others are bred to work independently from humans. Puppies are also predisposed to the behaviour of their parents, which is why she recommends meeting the parents of the puppy if possible.
True Instincts offers both private training and group classes. Forrest suggests private training for changing unwanted behaviours such as anxieties, fears, aggression and guarding issues. Private training is also great for getting puppies off to a good start.
“Training doesn’t have to be boring. We do a lot of games with people, so they can play little games with their dogs in order to achieve leash walking or recall because that way it’s fun,” says Forrest. “Some people do private training and group classes. It gets you the best of both worlds. Group classes are great for all
puppies and dogs to work around distractions. To really teach the dog to ignore everything else in the room and focus on me.
"We’re doing this together as a team.”
For more information, visit the True Instincts website.
