“A dog needs iron discipline, authoritarian upbringing, and severe punishment for misbehavior” – fortunately, these antiquated dog training beliefs are now largely a thing of the past. Behavioral research has shown how intelligent, willing to learn, and sensitive our dogs are. Modern dog training takes this into account and makes use of these qualities of the four-legged friends in training. Dog schools and dog trainers nowadays rely on non-violent and behavior-oriented dog training. With patience, loving attention, and, above all, absolute consistency, any dog can become a well-behaved and pleasant companion. In this article, we give you some tips for positive non-violent dog training.
Why non-violent dog training is so important
First of all it must be clear: non-violent dog training does not mean without rules or limits! Dogs are social creatures that feel safe within a pack with a fixed hierarchy and clear rules. The higher-ranking members of the pack ensure that everyone follows the rules without resorting to violence. Constant bloody clashes would weaken the pack against enemies and make it vulnerable.
For a relaxed and trusting relationship between dog and human, it is very important to build up a close emotional bond between the two. Only if the dog is sure of his human, trusts him, and feels safe with him, he can calmly recognize his leadership role in the “pack” and has no reason to oppose him or even to strive for the leadership role himself. However, such a bond can only develop if the four-legged friend is not brought up through violence, punishment and fear.
How to non-violently train a dog
By consistently rewarding desired behavior while ignoring or, at best, avoiding undesirable dog behavior.
A basic requirement for being a good “boss” is to know exactly how our dogs express themselves. Even if they can’t speak, the fur noses have many different ways to clearly announce their current mood. Posture, facial expressions, gestures, acoustic and tactile elements of expression tell a well-informed dog owner just as much about the moods and intentions of their four-legged friend as a detailed conversation between good friends. And the dog also knows very well from the posture and tone of voice of its owner whether its master or mistress is happy with it or would like to behave differently.
With a confident appearance and clear announcements, a dog owner can steer his dog, which has been raised free of violence, with just a few words and gestures. However, if the relationship is only based on fear of punishment and violence, this fine understanding of the moods and needs of the other person is missing. A dog trained in this way will perhaps “work” – but it can never become a reliable partner in every situation because it cannot trust its human.
What makes a good dog trainer?
Modern dog schools and trainers who really know dog behavior will only use and recommend non-violent training methods. As a dog owner, it is worth taking a very close look here and changing the dog school if necessary.
Non-violent dog training – this is how it works
Dogs learn primarily through experience – both positive and negative. So if the dog is to show a certain behavior, it must first find out that its human wants to see exactly this behavior in a certain situation. The more positive the experience is for the dog when it finally performs the desired behavior, the more likely it will behave in the future again. In dog training we speak of “positive reinforcement” – the dog does what it is supposed to and is rewarded for it. Undesirable behavior, on the other hand, is simply ignored or, at best, avoided.
The rewards should be really special, especially at the beginning of the training, such as extra tasty snacks, a short game with your favorite toy, or a very enthusiastic word of praise with joyful pats. Depending on the dog, the preferences can be very different, so as a dog owner you have to find out.
Why should you train a dog non-violently?
A dog that only obeys out of fear of punishment or physical violence has no trust in its human. In unexpected situations, he will react insecurely and, in the worst case, even aggressively, since he feels no emotional attachment to his owner.
Non-violent dog training is characterized in particular by the fact that the dog owner thinks about the behavior he wants from his dog beforehand and then always and consistently demands it. Vague announcements, changing commands or a daily changing “Forbidden – Not forbidden” game are counterproductive in dog training and extremely confuse the dog. For common behaviors such as sitting, approaching when called, lying down or walking properly on a leash, you should think of appropriate signal words in advance to tell your dog what to do.
For example, so that the dog learns to come when called, it is best to first practice in a closed room or a fenced-in area where there are as few distractions as possible. The human squats down and attracts the dog’s attention, for example with exciting noises such as tongue-clicking. If the dog is now interested and runs curiously towards the human, a reward is held inconspicuously in the hand, and exactly at the moment when the dog reaches its human, it is given it at the same time as the clearly spoken command, for example, “Here”. , and given joyful praise. After only a few successful attempts at this exercise, the dog associates its approach with the praise and the reward and will soon happily and voluntarily obey the command “Here”.
It is important for lasting success to slowly increase the individual exercise steps. The approach in your own living room or in the garden, which the dog knows, is of course much easier to follow than in an unfamiliar area. And if there are other distractions such as other people or even dogs willing to play, then it takes a lot of discipline and, above all, very special rewards to successfully retrieve the desired behavior. If it doesn’t work, scolding doesn’t help – it’s better for the human to step back and practice with less distraction until the dog really comes reliably.
