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In human terms -- let’s say you completed a project early and under budget. Your boss comes to you and praises you for a job well done, and, by the way, you’re getting a $100 bonus for it in your next paycheck, too. You want to repeat that wonderful consequence, don’t you? So, you’ll keep working to finish projects quickly and under budget.
It’s the same thing for our dogs. Each time you reward your dog for sitting on cue, dropping a toy when you ask or jumping over that hurdle when you cue “Over,” it’s a bonus for him. He’s going to repeat the behavior that got him that bonus.
This is what we practice at Camp Canine USA ( www.campcanineusa.com). We provide effective, reward-based training and behavior counseling for family dogs. Our programs are designed to provide fun, stress-free, positive experiences and results for both dogs and their people. We use more than one method grounded in positive reinforcement – most notably clicker training and lure-reward training. Dogs and their people work as a team rather than engage in a war of wills.
Why choose positive training? There are endless reasons. Here are a few:
- First and foremost, no one gets hurt.
- If you make a mistake and reward at the wrong moment, you dog may get a free treat and be a little confused about what you want, but that’s all. (If you inflict pain or discomfort at the wrong moment, your dog has just made a negative association with the wrong thing AND runs the risk of carrying that aversion forever).
- Positive training is fun and rewarding for both the dog and trainer.
- Positive training encourages dogs to think and figure things out for themselves.
- Positive training builds trust and cooperation and deepens the dog-human bond.
Your dog is a thinking, reasoning (yes, reasoning) being who feels emotion and who feels pain. Science tells us domestic dogs have evolved to prefer the company of humans, often over the company of their own species. The goal of positive training is to enhance that relationship – not damage it.
Whether it’s a prong collar, choke collar, shock (aka remote) collar or even a rolled up newspaper, you don’t have to hurt your dog to teach him what it is you want. Learning should feel good. Camp Canine USA can show you how.
Camp Canine USA trainer & behavior counselor Jenny Schneider offers private instruction in the owner’s home or will meet you and your dog in the environment where instruction is most needed. We offer behavior counseling for a variety of issues, ranging from housetraining to serious reactivity. Classes include Puppy Play & Learn, Basic Manners, Manners & More, Canine Good Citizen training and evaluation, Reactive Rover (for dog-dog reactivity) and all-new K9 Nose Work! Call 404.642.4419 or e-mail
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Jenny West Schneider is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA), Pat Miller Certified Trainer (PMCT), Associate Canine Nose Work Instructor (ANWI), AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator & Professional Member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. She is the founder of Camp Canine USA, LLC and has provided dog training services, behavior counseling & behavior modification programs to dog lovers in Forsyth County and the surrounding north metro Atlanta area since 2002. Jenny volunteers with the Humane Society of Forsyth County, Georgia. She lives with her husband Bill and their 6 dogs and 2 cats.
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