There is a big push to eliminate tools prong collars, ecollars, whatever else they feel is bad and punishment from dog training. The Pure Positive movement is forcing people to just live with their misbehaved dog, give it up or euthanize it. Their real goal is to eliminate all ownership of any animal.
Along with Humane Society of America, ASPCA, Local Humane societies, so called Force free trainers, and big box pet stores they all want you to believe that rewarding and redirecting your dog from bad behaviors is what works and that correcting your dog or using tools that help you and your dog are very detrimental not only to your dog but to your relationship. When in fact it is only detrimental to their emotions. It’s very beneficial for the dog and your life together.
I have never seen anyone redirect a dog away from trying to get another dog or doing something the owner doesn’t want their dog doing by offering a treat. We get a lot of calls and see a lot of folks that have gone down that path and found it just doesn’t work. They are frustrated and at their wits end.
These groups say dogs can be trained without the use of punishment or force or any negativity towards the dog. Well, I agree you can, and we do it all the time. We train dogs to perform commands using positive reinforcement, but positive reinforcement won’t stop bad behaviors.
The only way to stop bad behavior is to punish the dog for doing the behavior. If there was another way, we would be doing it in a heartbeat. But so far no one from any of these groups or pure positive trainers or force free trainers (whatever that is) can show or do what they say can be done. So, until I see how they stop bad behaviors by rewarding or redirecting, I will continue to help the folks that want it, use tools that work along with teaching them how to communicate and have a well-behaved dog not just one that preforms tricks with bad behaviors.
