This is one the biggest lies in the dog training world today. That, and “our training methods save lives”. I don’t use treats to train dogs, and I don’t believe in this type of reward system.
I believe that helping a dog achieve “what it wants” is a reward all its own – self gratification. This is a much better reward than a piece of food, and it allow the owner to become the highest value treat in the dogs life through understanding, communication and cooperation – versus being a treat dispenser. It’s a relationship that needs to be developed – do you really want a food relationship with your dog?
Positive reinforcement as a training methodology is heavily fractured. There are a thousand ways to train a dog now, everyone is claiming that their method is the only way to train – and they bash each other in trying to determine who can be more positive. Positive Reinforcement are at war with each other, then at war with balanced training. Cripes, put more effort into the dog than fighting with other trainers, it’s the dog that is getting lost in all this ego tripping, the dog is paying the price. Ego doesn’t belong in the dog training world – but trainers are tripping over their own egos.
I don’t use treats to train dogs, never have. And for some reason, Positive Reinforcement trainers want to consider me aversive cause I don’t use their methods. Why don’t I need treats? Because “Positive Reinforcement” is part of the quadrants and these quadrants need to be thrown in the garbage where they belong. This one quadrant (PR) is based on bad interpretation of B.F Skinner. They claim new science, but Skinner has been dead for 30 years now. Lots has changed since then – so someone please explain the science of the quadrants to me and how it relates to current science?
I agree in so many ways with Positive Reinforcement. You don’t need to be aversive or use aversive tools to work with a dog. But you also don’t need treats once you understand what a dog is telling you – open your mind, understand what the dog wants – and find a way to get them there. It doesn’t take long for a dog to realize that overall calm makes the world its oyster.
Robert Hynes Dog Training
Serving Edmonton, Alberta and surrounding areas.
admin@roberthynesdogtraining.com