I completely agree. Even though I've never had a puppy before- when it came to doing the "homework" my trainer assigned to me...I just CANNOT do it. I tried and felt terrible (even though it was just a "tap" under the chin). I cried yesterday because I felt as if I was not being the pet owner I wanted to be. I knew that training a puppy would require a lot of work and I am MORE than OKAY with putting in work...however feeling as if I'm doing something wrong made me feel absolutely terrible, and I refuse to ever put my furbaby or myself in that situation again.
I contacted another trainer and she said ...
" We offer private behavioral instruction and small group classes for dogs of all types and ages. Our training methods are humane and dog-friendly, and based in scientific learning theory. We do NOT use physical force, intimidation, or threats in our training. This should be an enjoyable activity for you and your dog -- not a power struggle or war of wills. "
I think she sounds like a winner to me. She also has links to Dr. Sophia and a bunch of articles about positive reinforcement on her website. She even sent me a couple of things to read in her response e-mail. |