The debate amongst trainers and dog owners is never ending. If you follow any dog trainers on social media or have been researching what dog trainers you might like to hire, you have probably seen some nasty comments and memes stereotyping people from both sides of the fence.

Fear not, this blog post is not to attack anyone or put people in a box. This is simply for people interested in my work to see where I stand and if Pack-9 is the right fit for them. If not, that’s okay. 

Why Would You Chose Positive Only?

A Story of My Late Dog- Juno

Positive only and force free training feels like the best way to go. I love dogs, I want them to be as happy as possible and its hard to mess up with food, toys and a comfy harness. My dog will love it and be the best behaved for sausages and a tennis ball. 

This is what I thought a few years back. I had adopted an American Bulldog, Juno, and it was clear she had been neglected and abused. She was underweight, covered in sores and bald patches and had not left her previous home in nearly 3 years except the small patio yard where she both toileted and ate only frozen chicken wings with her 6 siblings and parents.

How could I bring this dog into my family only to punish them for not getting things right? I couldn’t and didn’t. I walked her on a no pull harness and 1.5m lead and gradually built our walks from 10 minutes to 1.5 hours per day. We trained with dried sausages following along with my favourite dog trainer on YouTube, Zak George.

Everything was going well; she wasn’t perfect but I didn’t care. 

Until one day, after about 10 weeks of consistent training, she pinned a Miniature Schnauzer by its neck. I blamed the other owner and he blamed me, but in reality, it was a combination of both. The other owner had his dog on a flexi lead, his dog was uncomfortable with Juno being there. She was off lead playing fetch when the other owner picked up her squeaky ball and started squeezing it to taunt her. I asked him to give it back, my recall had failed. He didn’t listen. The small, nervous dog had wrapped its lead around Juno’s legs and cause Juno to trip and stand on them. When the dog squealed (like a squeaky ball) Juno grabbed the dogs throat and pinned them. Luckily, she did not bite down. The dog did have a small puncture from thrashing in her mouth. Of course, I gave my details to the owner and was tutted to the car with my very naughty dog.

From there on, Juno’s training only ever seemed to go backwards. She had been to parks filled with dogs and played with some and ignoring others before the incident. 

She seemed to lunge and pull only at small dogs first. Before long, it was most dogs. At this point, I decided to slap a cheap slip lead on her and see how we went. Walks got shorter and shorter, duller and duller. She walked okay on the lead but would choke herself when we saw another dog. We would sometimes hire secure fields but it wasn’t sustainable. She at least got on well with my sister’s Sprocker Spaniel, Lola (now my dog). She mostly ignored her other dog, Charlie the Cockerpoo.

One day, I got a call while I was working. My sister, distraught. My partner had visited her with Juno and before the night had ended, things took a turn for the worse. 

We’d d had Juno for 3 years at this point and we thought we had given her an amazing life despite the reactivity. Certainly, a lot better than before. She got cuddles whenever she wanted, slept on our bed with us, I made her homemade toppers of meat, veg and broth for her dinner. She played tug every day, got to travel in the car for my delivery shifts (the car was her favourite), she was muscular and lean, sore and bald spot free and never ever flinched when we moved near her. Not like when we first picked her up.

After doing everything right, hiding her away from all the bad in the world, the worst happened. She attacked Charlie. 

No one will ever be sure of what caused the fight, but Juno certainly tried her best to end it. 

My sister locked herself in her en-suite bathroom with my 2-year-old niece, Lola and Charlie, bleeding out then called me. When I got there, I walked into a hall covered in blood, urine and faeces. My partner was in the kitchen crying, scratched and bruised. Juno was locked in the downstairs toilet and my sister still up the stairs. 

She had a puncture in her hand where Charlie had redirected in his panic. He had several puncture wounds around his neck where Juno had refused to let go.

Luckily, they had managed to separate them and my partner used all her might to throw Juno into the downstairs toilet, pushing the door closed as she threw her body against it.

To bring this story to a close, an A&E visit for my sister, after an animal A&E visit for Charlie and then Juno’s final vet visit the next afternoon.

I used to think about that night every day, wondering what could have been done, could we have seen it coming? Could it have been prevented? Soon I realised, the answer was yes… but not on that night. On all the days leading up to it.

I had made it my own personal mission to give Juno the best life possible to make up for all that came before me. In doing so, I’d created a ticking time bomb. 

Now, I think of what could have been, knowing all I know now. I miss her every day, and she might have had more years with me if I hadn’t been so driven by my misplaced emotions. I failed her.

What Do I Know Now?

Here’s the short version:

• Dogs are resilient animals; they can move on from previous experiences pretty quickly if you let them.
• Dog’s that don’t know how to cope with stress will not learn if never put into stressful situations.
• You can ask and ask a dog to do something, but until they understand that it is required and better than the alternative, they won’t choose it.
• Dogs follow the same rules as every other animal on the planet when it comes to learning. Do things that lead to good stuff, avoid doing things that lead to bad stuff.
• Harnesses create frustration and drive. They are designed for pulling. Pulling against something and getting nowhere is frustrating and can lead to aggression. 
• Tools such as slip leads, grot collars and prong collars when used correctly, reduce frustration. The dog understands where they can and can’t go and what is expected of them… far less confusing.
• Love does not always mean extra sausage and a cuddle. Sometimes it means teaching our dogs what is acceptable behaviour and what isn’t.
• A good relationship with your dog means that you are fair, fun, calm, predictable, valuable. It means having boundaries and expectations. 
• Having rules and boundaries means we can start to give our dog more trust, freedom, a more fulfilled life. 
• There is nothing crueller than confining a dog, condemning them to your home or a 1m lead because it doesn’t respond well enough to sausages and cheese.
• Play is super important, but it will never replace real world obedience.
• High drive dogs will always choose prey or a fight over steak. They may however, choose to avoid sheep when associated with something they don’t like.

Let’s Take a Better Look

Harnesses 

Harnesses were invented centuries ago for working dogs. They were originally made from leather, rope and bone. They were designed to distribute the weight across the dog’s chest, helping them comfortably pull sleds or loads. In the modern day, they are still used for this purpose, as well as carrying supplies, on guide dogs, search dogs and military or police dogs.

For guide dogs, it helps them gently pull and guide their owner. For search dogs, they can guide the handler towards contraband or a person trapped after an avalanche, often carrying medical supplies. Police and military dogs where them to guide their handler to a perpetrator, but also so that the handler can agitate them. 

You may have seen videos of personal protection dogs being held back by their handler, only to be released and bite a decoy or their arm or leg.

This works because the dog wants to bite. They’ve been taught to enjoy it. Holding them back builds frustration and determination, which would not work if it was too uncomfortable to pull on. The determination pays off and they are rewarded with their bite.

When I work with pet gun dogs, I often use a harness when building drive for an article. If they are slow when sent out or seem uninterested after a few repetitions, then it’s a good idea to add value to the dummy. To do this, I might hold them back with their harness and tease them with the dummy before throwing it only to hold them back for another few seconds. When I release them, they shoot off. If I repeat this process over a few short training sessions, then I will get the same speed and drive when running out even without holding them back.

The determination and drive that dog feels to get away from the pressure and toward the dummy is so powerful they continue to feel it even when I’m no longer holding them back. This is a great use of Opposition reflex.

Opposition Reflex: When pushed or pulled, a dog (or a human) will usually push or pull away from the pressure. Therefore, increasing the pressure.

Example: You are ordering a drink at a bar. I want passed you so I grab the back of your jacket and pull back. Your instinct is to pull away from me, if you have any survival instincts that is.

Not So Great Use of Opposition Reflex

If a dog is determined to get to something, whether it be other dogs, cyclists, you name it and they are on a harness, the emotion towards that trigger can change.

For example, a young dog is excited to see another dog across the road. It pulls with all it’s might to get over to it but of course, the owner doesn’t let them run into the road. No big deal, puppies get excited.

Over a few months, the dog’s determination has not been paying off. Frustration starts to build and they start to bark and lunge, nearly pulling you into the road as they are growing larger.

When this dog bumps into another dog now, their behaviour will not be the natural behaviour of a friendly and curious dog. This dog now associates other dogs with frustration and is much more likely to act aggressively, at the least, inappropriately. The chances of a dog fight happening now are much greater as their behaviour toward the other dog will be intense. 

I want my gun dog to be a little bit intense about their dummy, but they always win their dummy and so the intensity is managed and positive.

Aversive tools

Slip/Prog Collar Over Harness

Example:  Again, you are at the bar. I place my hands on your shoulders and lightly press with my left hand. You’re now more likely (so long as you’ve not drank too much) to take a step to your right. Maybe, you even apologise for being in my way.

This is one of the ways a slip collar is used. When we teach a dog how to turn off light pressure, they tend to be happier to oblige. When we repeat this exercise over however many sessions, the dog responds quickly to the lead pressure to turn it off. When we use this in conjunction with proper socialisation, turning lead pressure off becomes a fast and unbreakable habit with the goal of avoiding lead pressure entirely in some circumstances.

The dog that is trained to avoid pressure is much less likely to develop excitement or frustration-based reactivity as laid out in this example. A dog that is already reactive can see great improvement with this training along with other exercises and proper socialisation.

Communication, Clarity and Confidence

Traffic Lights

When we train a dog with only food and toys, we only ever give them a green light.

Let me explain.

Anecdote: 

When I drive my van and see a traffic light, I look to see what colour light is on. If it’s green, I know I can keep driving. When its amber, I slow down and prepare to stop. When it’s red, I stop. 

Of course you know this. 

This traffic light is consistent and communicates with drivers clearly, meaning we follow its instructions with confidence. We know if we ignore its instructions, there will be a consequence, whether is be a fine or an accident. Others often pay the price for ignoring its instruction too.

If I saw a traffic light and it went: green, red, red, amber, green, green, red, amber, off, in the space of 30 seconds, I’d be quite confused. I wouldn’t know what I was supposed to do and probably feel pretty frustrated.

Similarly, if I drove to a traffic light and it was green while cars came out of junctions from all directions, I would not have a lot of trust in that traffic light. 

The ever-changing traffic light is like most dog owners struggling to train their dog. Their communication is unclear and their dog is frustrated and lacking confidence in themselves and the owner. 

Positive only training is like the green or off light. You drive through the green light and maybe it’s good information. When the light is completely off, you have to decide what to do. It might be wrong but there is no consequence from the traffic light or a sudden change to red to stop you making a mistake. You just drive head on into a traffic. 

Let’s think about this logically in terms of our dog. If I have a dog that tries to chase cars or run towards dogs on the other side of a busy road, I can approach their training in a few ways.

A positive only approach: I use food to show the dog where I would like them to be when we walk on the pavement. I then reward them with food for making this choice in the future. I should hopefully see an improvement so long as I’ve built some food drive up first and the dog sees more value in the treats than in the traffic or dog at the other side.

A Balanced approach: In balanced training, we see the limitations of the above. Its focus has been to build and increase a behaviour (+R/positive reinforcement). Of course, the new behaviour has replaced a lot of the old one, simply because more time next to roads has been spent practicing this new behaviour. It has not reduced the behaviour or the want to do it itself, only increased the want for another behaviour. 

If you are not 100% focussed on the dog at all times next to the road, the dog escapes the garden or your dog is being walked by someone else, you may well find your dog dead in the road. It’s all well and good to say you’ll be extra vigilant but it isn’t sustainable and it isn’t reliable.

Personally, I would prefer to both create a new behaviour and punish the dangerous one. The natural consequence for walking into a busy road is getting hit by a car. I would prefer to use a consequence that is clear, avoidable and does not kill my dog. Now I have shown my dog what I’d like them to do and what they cannot do without consequence. My dog will avoid the behaviour attached to the consequence and choose the behaviour attached to the reward. When the correction is applied in a clear and impersonal way, the dog will relate it to lunging toward traffic, not me the handler. When someone else walks them in the future, the dog will still avoid the road.

Green light: We are not next to a road and I have given you release command (you can do mostly as you please)

Amber light: Focus on walking with me on the path at the road side to avoid correction and possibly earn a reward

Red light: A pop on the lead. Stop. You cannot lunge towards traffic or break the heel position next to a road.

My expectations are clear, the requirements in different environments are clear and it is well within the dog’s ability to avoid future corrections or being hit by oncoming traffic.

Extremist Force Free “Trainers”

The other alternative that the more extreme force free trainers will use is complete avoidance of roads.   Complete avoidance of dogs. Complete avoidance of (blank).

I can’t quite fathom the idea of calling myself a dog trainer and charging large sums of money while not training dogs at all and giving desperate and vulnerable owners this advice. Teaching people hyper vigilance and paranoia is not dog training at all. It certainly is not sustainable. Does anyone truly believe they can avoid roads, people, dogs on walks for the rest of their life? Your pipes burst and you need an emergency plumber, your dog is injured and needs to go to the vet, your car breaks down on the way to the enclosed field and someone has to fetch you.

There are trainers out there that believe because your dog did not ask to be bred or brought to your home, then we simply should not be telling them what to do. We should be adjusting our lives completely to the wants and needs of the dog. With this logic, you would think that they simply would not bring a dog home. I could go on, but it pains me to even write this section.

Thankfully, this is a smaller population of trainers, though it does seem to be growing in popularity.

The Application of Stress

A key difference between balanced training and force free training is the application of pressure or stress.

For example: A dog that reacts inappropriately to the sight of a dog by barking and lunging is clearly experiencing stress in one way or another. While we don’t start at the finish line by putting the dog around other dogs and expecting it to somehow behave differently, we will expose them to dogs. First, in a quiet or familiar open space, we teach the dog what we expect of them e.g. how to behave when on a lead, marker words, rules that apply when playing tug etc. When they have leaned the behaviours well, we start to apply them in the vicinity of other dogs. At a distance where they can see the other dogs and feel slightly stressed by their presence.

Why? Well let’s look at this logically. 

I’ve decided that my goal is to become a famous public speaker but I’m barely brave enough to introduce myself to a stranger. With this goal in mind, should I:

1. Get up on stage in front of 100,000 people first thing tomorrow
2. Avoid public speaking entirely and hope that somehow, I’ll get better
3. Learn the skills to create a great presentation and practice on friend and family, building up to 20 strangers, 100, 500 and so on

If you answered c), we’re on the same page. 

When I reach the goal of presenting to 500 people, presenting to 5 again likely won’t cause me any stress. Similarly, if I prepare my dog for the inevitability of stressful events by increasing their ability to cope with it, my dog’s day to day experiences will cause them much less stress. Bigger events will be much more manageable with the skills they have learned.

If my goal is to prepare my “dog reactive” dog for life and give them more freedom and trust, do I:

1. Take them to a busy dog park tomorrow
2. Take the quietest route for their 5am walk and hope that one day they will no longer bark at other dogs
3. Teach my dog the skills and behaviours they need for a successful walk and work on these skills in gradually busier environments

I choose option c) every day of the week.

Think of it like doing driving lessons at quiet times of day so you can really focus on what the traffic lights are telling you. Gradually learning at busier and busier times until you can confidently drive at peak times with little to no stress, even listening to your favourite playlist or chatting to your friend in the passenger seat.

The extreme force free will teach you how to do option b), and old school aversive only trainers will do something closer to option a), simply punishing your dog until they give up.

Good balanced training is about looking at all four quadrants of operant conditioning and understanding that they all have their purpose.

You can read more on that here: