Positive Reinforcement is a Strong Idea with Weak Results
Excessive Barking, Bad Behavior, And How to Avoid Alpha Dominance or Actual Control of The Dog
[Disclaimer: This article will be shocking to most people because it expects them to be dominant over their dog.]
If you find yourself saying “Oh no, he would bite me if I tried trimming his nails” –
You are NOT alpha to your dog.
Don’t take crap off your dog. Find an Alpha trainer (usually ex-military or extremely experienced) and use one.
One night I got up at 3 in the morning and before I knew it, Isabelle was across the floor to have-a-gnaw on my feet and my foot went under her as I stepped forward and scooped her across the floor and into the bedroom door. Bonk.
I wasn’t running. But, let’s face it: I might-as-well have kicked her. At least in her mind, I kicked her.
She instantly became the most obedient dog we ever had, and never gnawed a foot again.
NO she was not traumatized, fearful, punishment-trained or any of the PTSD that the trainers promise your dog will have from what happened. ## Furthermore I’ll reiterate it was an accident ##. But the trainers will assure you that the “punished” dogs will have lower self esteem, appreciate fine music less, become sociopaths and Narcissists, try to run away, fail in dog classes, badmouth you in therapy, and end up less creative than “Good” owner’s dogs.
Bull shit.
The rednecks had it right. Rednecks don’t take shit off their dogs. And it works.