Choosing a trainer

What is aversive training? It is the belief that the dog should be punished when it displays inappropriate behaviours. Punishment can be physical, such as through equipment that causes pain or emotional, such as loud verbal intimidation or putting the dog in isolated time-out situations.

Aversive trainers use correction collars (check chains, prong collars or shock collars) or equipment (water bottles, stone-filled cans or rolled-up paper) that frightens or hurts the dog into obeying the handler in all situations. These trainers want instant results, or the dog is punished.

Aversive trainers will train IN the situation. For example, they will take a dog that may bark at other dogs close to a dog park and punish the dog for reacting until the dog stops barking. Yes, the dog will eventually stop barking, not because it no longer wants to respond to the other dogs but because it is frightened or intimidated by the handler.

You may have heard of dominance, pack or alpha leader. These are outdated terms debunked by science that aversive trainers use because dogs must be subservient to them – this is a master-slave relationship.

Aversive dog training does not change how the dog sees the environment or its potential triggers. The punishment masks the dog’s emotions, and dogs trained this way are often stressed and nervous.

Obedience through force and fear is survival compliance and doesn’t lead to a strong bond and good dog-owner relationships.

What is balanced training? It’s the belief that dogs learn best when reward-based and aversive training are combined.

A balanced trainer might use food to reward a dog when teaching loose-leash walking (positive reinforcement), but they will also use a choke chain and resort to correcting when the dog pulls by quickly jerking the chain around the dog’s neck.

Balanced trainers will use various tools while training a dog, from those in the rewards-based sector, like clickers and body harnesses, to aversive devices like choke, prong or shock collars, water spray bottles, or shaker cans.

Balanced trainers are well-meaning. However, they do not monitor the dog’s emotional responses to the environment or the training techniques. They, too, often guarantee instant training results without understanding why the dog behaves in the way it does.

Balanced trainers will often work IN the situation and either punish or reward the dog if the dog reacts to the environment.

The main issue is that reactive dogs do not learn when highly stressed. You may have seen this with your dog: they will not take food, or if they do, it does not change their reaction to the trigger causing the reaction.

Balanced training can confuse your dog and strain your bond and relationship. The dog thinks, sometimes you reward me, and sometimes you punish me. Where is the trust in that relationship?

What is reward-based training? This type of training rewards a dog for desired and appropriate behaviours. Rewards can be food, but can also include toys, play, touch and physical and verbal praise. However, reward-based training is misleading since it suggests this method doesn’t use any form of correction or punishment.

A more descriptive label is LIMA training, or Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive. According to the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT), LIMA training uses “the least intrusive, minimally aversive technique likely to succeed in achieving a training (or behaviour change) objective with minimal risk of producing aversive side effects.”

In short, the trainer will always try to use techniques that don’t cause pain, startled responses, or undue stress. This training uses an ethical and humane learning approach backed by scientific research. This technique never uses tools or strategies that would scare or hurt a dog or cause them to feel like they are being punished.

Reward-based trainers monitor a dog’s distress signals during training sessions and change the training plan if the dog is uncomfortable or not learning.

The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) endorse this dog training method.

Dogs trained using reward-based methods enjoy training and are willing to learn new skills and tricks. They have excellent bonds and relationships with their human families.