[payporanymn]

Hey All

Basically i wanted to ask... which do you think works best when trying to change a dogs behaviour.... i have read alot about different methods... and basically ill enturpret them into positive approaches being... praise, food rewards etc and negitive being... force, using special resources such as collars, sounds, physical force etc...

Im am curious as to what has worked for people in the past or at present!!!

[Fvmfrctt]

I actually like a combo and it really depends on the thing your trying to change. I mean if its people getting jumped on when petted, then you start trying to proof the sit so the dog wont jump, that is a ton of positive, if its the dog trying to not respond to the come, then you have a long line and tug the dog when its not paying attention and get its focus back. I also use negative if they do not listen, I say sit, they don't respond but look at me, I use the hand signal, they still don't respond they get a tab on the side/but/poke to the neck (NEVER EVER EVER EVER the face) and they sit. I see it as with most anything one method works great in some things the other in others and a combo just works best for me.

but all that being said, I always use positive to TRAIN a behavior, either a cookie, or just verbal and physical praise because it seems best if you let the dog follow something and do it themselves than to force them into a position.

[Annewsded]

I've found using positive methods has worked great with Jake. Believe it or not marker training has been the best. (Clicker Training) Now I don't use a clicker, but I have no problem getting a "Yes" out exactly as I need it. But, it's been perfect for him.

The only special collar that I used for a very short period of time was a pinch collar, but the goal was to get off of it and it only took a couple weeks of working. He used to be a very pully boy, but now he's just great.

I have to believe it's because we have worked only positive methods with Jake, but, we are able to stop any unwanted behaviour with just a loud voice command. "Uhhhh, or Hey".

I agree with Elliehanna, the concept of forcing these dogs into a position, doesn't work at all for my boy. You can force but he's gonna fight it all the way. For me with Jake it's a matter of making him believe it's his idea when first teaching him anything. After that, it's a breeze.

[MyOwnStyle]

A little of both. Depends on the situation, and how the dog is reacting to one or the other.

[Nptxsews]

A little of both. It also depends on the dog. There are some dogs who I would never dream of giving a firm smack to the butt, because they'd fall apart.

[VIAGRA-VIAGRA]

Agreed, both are useful. The behavior being corrected, the severity of it, and how the dog is responding are all factors in determining which approach to take.

[soSldI4i]

I think it depends on the dog and the issue you're trying to solve for. I tried positive-only methods first to stop Molly's counter surfing: had my clicker, bag of treats and stuff on the counter and used the "leave it" command. After a couple of weeks of getting her to "leave it" without having to praise, I thought the problem was solved.

About 4 months later, she started counter surfing again. When I caught her (and a couple times I would put stuff on the counter to deliberately set her up to fail), I just calmly walked over to her and took her by the collar and walked her into another room and shut the door to give her a 1-2 minute time out. No commands or fussing and no verbal of any kind. I think we did 4 or 5 "time out" sessions and she hasn't counter surfed again in over 2.5 years.

There are certain negative reinforcers I never want to use on her though she is naturally aversive to them like coins in a can or a spray bottle. She does have some sound sensitivity (chopping wood with axe bothers her but fireworks/thunder don't - she's weird) and she doesn't like water. Those things are harmless in and of themselves and can work for a lot of dogs but I don't want to make her more sound sensitive or hate water more than she already does. Bath time is a production and she has to be carried into the tub and I have to get in with her. I would love to be able to hose her off in the backyard but I doubt that's ever going to happen.

[WaydayFep]

I use both with Mater. BUT he was given an education before I started using corrections. It also depends on the dog's temperament. Some dogs simply cannot handle corrections.

[whimpykid]

Positive methods or correction based methods: Yes.

[payporanymn]

well at present my trainer is i would say using the 'negitive approach' this includes harsh corrections, no treats, use of water spray and training bells...(no physical use tho) these have worked but i cant help wonder if all it's doing is stoping the present behaviour and not changing it for good... if u no what i mean.. i need some sort of behaviour modification training such as socialisation etc

Senario- my dog dont like strangers if they get to close he barks etc... so the trainer suggests i use a command to frighten him into distraction (see distraction only lasts for the present time)...!!! i felt maybe a better approach would be to get him to build a positive view of strangers using food rewards distancing thus in effect getting him to chnage the way he views strangers ??? what do you think...

My dog already does the whole sit, stay, leave thing etc now i think he really needs to be socialized with the thing he fears the most although there is alot of contraversy over weither its best to remove him from these situations or help him face them...

after all the more he gets to see strangers the more he's gonna be able to practise the bad behaviour!! or it could be the more he see them and encounters positive experiences with them the more he will start to change the way he views them

[objennasweene]

J gets both... It depends on the individual dog. My little Sparkles is very sensitive, and just doesn't react well to corrections. Jaeger however gets a prong collar or verbal correction, and then a reward for when he refocusses on me or does what I ask, such a as a toy, treat, or praise. It has to be timed right though, so you don't confused the dog...

[soSldI4i]

@ Selina - for your description of your dog, I definitely would NOT use fear/distraction for being people shy. IMO, you should get a bag of treats and reward him when he looks at someone and looks back at you without barking. As he gets more comfortable, you can graduate to having people give him treats but don't force him to interact with people just yet. It's definitely important that he gets no stress or fear inducing treatment when meeting new people.