"I feel it is my job to teach you how to have control over your dog at all times." |
Soozy Pooch
Techniques & Methods
Every dog is unique, as is the dog's human. That's why the learning process is not black and white. Once understanding where your dog is coming from and the relationship you share, I feel it is important to mix and match the methods and techniques to fit you and your dogs needs.
> Corrections
Just like praise, timing and the intensity level in correcting are crucial and differ from dog to dog. There are many methods and tools used to correct unwanted behavior. Before using any of these it is important to be educated on how to use them properly. Using them improperly and at the wrong time will not give you the results you are looking for, can harm your dog and break his/her trust in you.
> Discipline
Think of Helen Keller…if her teacher Annie Sullivan did not step in and discipline Helen and teach her how to communicate, she would have never accomplished the many wonderful things she had done and lived the amazing life that she did. Everyone needs discipline to be taught the ways of the world and to live acceptably in society. Yet here we are bringing dogs into our homes and being shocked at the fact that they do not somehow already know and follow the rules of being in a human household. Dogs are dogs; they jump, dig, chew, run, bark, bite and roll around on smelly carcasses. This is who they are and what they do naturally. They need to be shown the rules of our human households through discipline, corrections and praise. They must also be given the freedom to be a dog in the appropriate places at the appropriate times; this makes everyone happy. |