Balance Training or Reward-First-Training is using a combination of the following:
Positive Motivation and Feedback
Use positive motivation and feedback will encourage your dog to do things you want them to do. Especially behaviours that they are NOT naturally inclined to do. This will strengthen a behaviour, whether it is the quality or frequency of the behaviour to occur in the future. This type of motivation and feedback is essential to build positive associations (significant in the socialization period) and trust in fearful- and anxiety-prone dogs.
This includes but is not limited to food, markers, praise, touch, exploring and personal play!
Strengths
- Positive methods that are easy and fun for all,
- Positive methods encourage the behaviour by rewarding the dog’s effort with something they currently desire.
Weaknesses
- Positive based methods do not help create humility in the dog that needs it.
- Positive ways cannot make a dog comply with commands.
- Positive methods are unreliable when the dog chooses to pursue environmental distractions.
- Most clients prefer not to have to carry food/toys with them all the time.
I get to know you and your dog; together, we will accurately determine how much will be required to achieve the desired results.
Most clients have tried positive methods but found them ineffective outside of the natural world, and they want to be better. However, with a little bit of practice, my training is easy to do and won’t require hours of exercise every day. It not only works in the real world but will change your life and improve your relationship with your pup.
I will teach you how and when to use negative motivation and feedback to discourage and eliminate unwanted behaviours that dogs naturally DO. This is where we want to weaken a behaviour in terms of quality or frequency, incredibly unsafe.
Includes but is not limited to spatial, verbal, physical pressure to communicate with a dog what undesirable.
Strengths
- It is essential to use to keep your dog’s safe – “come” means “come” and “leave it” tells “leave it”,
- We will use corrections to reliably stop unwanted behaviour, regardless of the puppy’s desire,
- In the end, it is essential for off-lead training.
Weaknesses
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- Ignorance in the “how to use” the tool can do more damage physically and emotionally,
- If misapplied, it may affect the dog’s emotional attitude towards the owner, tool or training process. This is why you need a qualified trainer to help implement these methods.
- We will use many different types of tools and strategies to utilize this type of motivation and feedback; it is essential to make sure your dog stays safe and will become a law-abiding citizen. We will assess their sensitivity to negative motivation to adhere to the owner’s commands and be trained humanely but effectively.
As I get to know you and your dog, together we will accurately determine how much will be required to achieve the desired results.
