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The Problem with All-Positive Dog Training
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I own Leerburg video and kennel.

I will talk about the controversial topic of “the need for corrections in dog training.” I will tell you a little about my experience in dog training and why I feel the need to talk about this subject.

There are three types of all-positive trainers:

Those who emulate Pet-Smart, which runs 100% all-positive training courses and won’t mention corrections in training. These kinds of people know better but chose to cash in on the image of all-positive training.

There are all-positive trainers who love animals and push the all-positive concept but simply lack experience to know better.

There are all-positive trainers who compete and win in various dog sports. These competitors do an excellent job of desensitizing their competition dog's to ignore the distractions their dog will face in their respective dog sport.
I have issues with the people in the first two categories and I will explain why in a minute.

I respect and admire most of those trainers in the third category because they know that 99.999% of every pet dog out there will require a "distraction / correction phase" at the end of a training program.

I know all positive sport trainers making headway with their appropriate puppy that they’ve raised in a strict system and they're managing every aspect of their dog’s life. This doesn't mean the dogs listen for crap outside the 'sport work' though. And these same trainers don’t do pet training because they can’t be as successful. They just avoid it.

The only people from this third category I don’t respect are those trainers who tell others they can train any pet dog using their all-positive methods and never have to correct the dog.

The bottom line is adopting a dog at 4 years old with a history of chasing critters, ignoring commands, pulling on leashes, barking at external stimuli, is going to be hard to impossible to reprogram with food rewards alone.

For the past 20 years I have used the following auto text when I respond to new trainers who have been influenced by "old wives tales – like all-100% positive training." It goes like this:

You are always going get other people’s opinions on how to train your dog. You only need to ask your neighbor, your friends or even your vet (Vets are not dog trainers they are health care providers).

99.99% of these people are well intended but lack the experience that is needed to offer sound training advice. The fact is they are more likely to offer "OLD WIVES TALES" on dog training rather than sound training advice.

In many circles today, correcting a dog during training has become politically incorrect. Frankly those are circles I don’t care to be part of.


Personally I want my dogs to learn to mind me all the time – not some of the time. Education is what is needed – not propaganda about all-positive training.

:thumbup::thumbup: totally agree. And I would go further a great trainer sees the team and how you and your dog interact and will give small training tasks to help you both cope.

I have told this story before - we were on a hike in a leash free park with my trainer and some Yorkies and some Blackies. Magic was young maybe 18mths old and about 50 yards ahead of us. All of a sudden into the open area comes about 3-4 folks on horseback! OMG Magic had never seen horses before and typical of him he starts forward to investigate. I YELLED STOP. And starting running myself to catch up to him. He froze in place and waited for me to come to him. Thank God. I was not sure I had proven the stop command but that one day paid off in spades. We continue to prove his commands daily on walks. We don't compete anymore but training really never stops!