How Do You Correct Your Dog And What Are Correct Discipline Methods?
Filed under Care & Training Q&As
*asked again for more answers*
I’ve heard a few people say all physical discipline to animals should be avoided, and on the other side of the spectrum I hear some physical discipline is ok.
I would really like to know a correct method, or at least what other’s do.
I’ve always trained my dogs myself with basic commands and some “etiquette”. To correct any unwanted behavior, I would give them a sharp verbal correction or roll them on their backs. I’ve done this with my yorkie, husky, lab/pit mix, and papillon and have never had behavioral problems with them.
Is this an acceptable method?
Related Papillon Training & Care posts:
That depends entirely on the dog being trained. There are dogs that will completely shut down and literally piss all over the place even with a slight tug on the leash. I do not and cannot deal with dogs like that.
There are dogs that are what I call hard dogs that can and will take a good prong correction and keep going. If the dog is really good, the correction will motivate him and make him work harder. These are the dogs I like to train.
I have used prongs and toys and Electric collars in the past 28 years and I have always achieved my goal, a trained dog in the end that can function in the real world.
Hope I helped!
I don’t like the alpha roll method. Particularly with sensitive breeds like the papillon.
Papillons do not take well to physical corrections or even a raised voice. Our first obedience instructor was a big leash correction type guy and he could NOT get him to do anything- said he was the hardest dog to train he’s ever had. Well, our boy is brilliant he just will not work that way. I have had great success training most things with clickers and positive reinforcement. I use a simple ‘Ah!’ for an undesirable behavior. I think positive methods should be the first thing you try, particularly with a pet dog. However, I will recognize that harder dogs and problem dogs might need more than a ‘no’. Particularly if you are training a dog in a certain discipline. This is when you need to know the individual dog and decide what is best for him.
You should not have to have physical contact with the dog for them to enter a submissive state. Flipping the dog over should be reserved for situations where safety is an issue due to aggressive or dominating behavior. You want to get the most response to the least amount of correction.
I snap my fingers and Tssht! at my dog and she usually smartens up. Occasionally I have to take her by the collar/scruff but never forcefully.
I look at animal behavior in the dogs. A superior dog will growl, or even snap….not to bite, but to startle and warn the offending dog to “knock it off!!”.
So, I use a similar method to great effect. I make a, “SSssstttt” sort of startling snake sound and quickly (lightly) pinch or poke….not to hurt, but to startle. This simulates the same dog v dog correction. It’s something the dog understands. Typically the dog stops what it’s doing pronto, and gets praised for doing so.
I also keep my energy in check. I don’t get unnecessarily wired up. In fact, I just don’t get wired up at all. Dogs don’t understand that energy and tent to warp out about it.
Rolling a dog on its back makes him behave through fear. Often times this fear turns into aggression. This is why I do not endorse that kind of training. Operant conditioning using positive reinforcement and negative punishment works very well for me and my students. If the handler is trained then getting the dogs behavior changed is a peice of cake.
I’ve never rolled my dogs on their backs. Find whatever motivates your dog, whether it be food, treats or attention. Reward for good behavior, correct bad behavior with a “No” or a slight tug of the leash if applicable.
I’ve never been “physical” with my training methods.
Depends on the dog. My dog needs a physical correction. If she does not perform a command, she gets a prong collar/leash correction. One correction is all she needs, when it is done that way.
it all depends on the situation
there are many ways to do it depending what you are corecting for
and you should know them all to use corectly, and not overuse just one.
saying ‘no’ ina low stern voice is an acceptable method
also avoiding the dog to punishment works.
I train using operant conditioning methods, the link below explains http://www.apdt.co.uk/dog_training_tips.…