The Truth About Positive Reinforcement Training How can a method be standardize that is fundamentally flawed to begin with.
It's sad and shameful that treat trainers are allowed to ruin so many dogs.
The only thing "Positive" about Positive Reinforcement training is the word "Positive" in the title.
Treat / clicker training takes the human out of the equation.
A verbal command is given. A treat is used to maneuver the dog. When the dog responds, a clicker is clicked. The owner has no direct contact with the dog during the training process. That, to me, is reprehensible.
A very wise person once said: "Positive reinforcement is great if you are teaching zoo animals or circus animals, where they have to perform a certain task in a limited space. However, if you are training a dog, who is going to be out and about in all situations, it is not the best suited method."
This is a direct quote from the Treat Training Handbook: "Unlike other methods, positive dog training does not require physical punishments for bad behavior. Instead, by refusing to reward (treat) or acknowledge negative actions, your pet learns not to repeat them.Dogs are taught using the way they naturally learn and understand. Our programs are backed up by decades of Scientific Proof.
So my question is... If a dog is chewing on a table leg, and I don't give him a treat, and ignore the behavior, he will stop that behavior? Did they ever stop to Think, the table leg IS the reward? Then they have the nerve to say they train dogs in the exact way dogs think.
What living thing on this earth doesn't learn through "cause & effect," & "repetition?" These treat trainers are deluded, and passing this off as a legitimate training service. They clearly take advantage of people, ruin dogs, and take no responsibility for their actions.
Dogs are not always aware of the dangers in their environment and daily life. The purpose of obedience training is to have the dog respond to commands given in an unquestioned and immediate manner. This saves lives and provides harmony and enjoyment in the home. Using treats for trick training is fine. Using treats to obedience train is inappropriate.
The fact of the matter is:
Treat training will motivate a dog to initially obey simple obedience commands in a controlled environment with little to no distractions. The kitchen, living room, yard, etc. are good examples. The dog will usually respond in these areas, provided it is quite and he is hungry.
However, it is unlikely that the dog will respond favorably outside, with distractions, or when the treat is not available. There is no way to reinforce commands with a distracted or disinterested dog. Especially if he is not hungry. This is why Positive Reinforcement trainers strongly recommend withholding the dog's food until he is ravenously hungry before starting training. (They know as soon as the dog is full and satisfied, that he won't obey any commands).
Even though some people may initially get some results with obedience commands, it is the behavioral aspect of the training that suffers. This is due to *"counter productive"* instructions given by their trainer.
*"Counter productive"* instructions refers to the instructions owners are repeatedly given to present submissive body language to their dogs in regard to behavioral issues. Theyeven go as far as instructing the owner to "ignore"unwanted behavior, then reward after the bad behavior stops. Example: Housebreaking: I have been told by several owners that they have been instructed to ignore the dog when they see him having an accident in the house, and give a treat when he does his business outside. How does this teach the dog that inside is "off limits?" The right way to train is to catch the dog as he is getting ready to go, and bring him where he needs to go. That, to me, makes more sense.
Another good example is if the dog jumps. Owners are told to turn their back to the dog. However, this is submissive behavior, which empowers the dog. If a dog jumps on another dog, and that dog turns away, he is submissive. If the dog growls around food or toys, the owner is instructed to leave the dog alone, and walk away. Again, submissive behavior. If the dog rushes to the door when the owner tries to leave, they are instructed to throw a treat into the other room, then hurry out of the door before the dog returns. ...and then there's the "OUCH." You are instructed to squeal "ouch" and pull your hand away when the puppy is biting your fingers / arm, etc. Apparently, this is to let the dog know you are upset, and that he shouldn't do this. Again, only a submissive dog does this behavior in response to a dog asserting dominance. This behavior actually makes the dog more determined and aggressive. The Mother dog wouldn't squeal and pull away. She would correct him. In fact, every solution offered through Positive reinforcement training is a direct contradiction to the way dogs think and learn.
As a result these dogs are arrogant, pushy, disobedient, obstinate, disrespectful, dominate, and can be a aggressiveto other animals and to the owner.
Dog owners who come to us for training, don't go elsewhere after completing our program. However, 90% of dog owners participating in our program have tried Positive Reinforcement training first. Almost 100% of the private in-home Behavioral sessions we conduct are in response to unwanted dog behaviors that were either acquired, or intensified, as a direct result of Positive reinforcement training.
Positive Reinforcement trainers boast of their many Certificates as validation of their ability. Unfortunately, their beliefs are based on a misinterpretation of dog behavior. They will twist the facts to justify their training method. They speak of "dominance-theory" instead of "dominance fact," because they disregard the fact that dogs are pack animals with a social structure. They claim there is no such thing as dominate / submissive behavior among dogs. Anyone who has two or more dogs in their household will debunk that theory immediately.
Positive Reinforcement trainers claim science has well-documented information of behavioral fall-out (a build up of fear and increased aggression waiting to erupt from the dog unexpectedly at some future time) as the inevitable result of non-treat based training techniques. This is pure, made up hogwash.
Humans build up and retain fear and anger, which cancan erupt in the form of revenge, becausehumans have the ability to plan.A dog does not. Dogs cannot and do not plan or calculate. Therefore, this is a human emotion, not a dog behavior.
One of the main fundamental differences between dogs and humans is that, humans can reason, and plan events that happen in the future. They understand the past in the form of History. A dog lives "in the present" and learns through "cause and effect." They don't have a sense of past or future. Therefore, it is total non-sense that dogs could have a "build up of fear and increased aggression waiting to erupt" as a result of being corrected for an unwanted behavior.
Positive Reinforcement trainers are adamant about not correcting a dog for any reason, yet they make you starve your dog to the point that he will do anything for the treat. Some even suggest that the treats make up the dog's regular meal. Positive Reinforcement trainers use deception to take your money. They paint a rosy picture of being able to train your dog with an all positive method. When confronted with the fact that their method isn't working, they blame the owner and won't help from that point on.
I know. I see it everyday.
The whole purpose of getting your dog professionally trained is to have a companion that you can take anywhere and everywhere without worrying about misbehavior. If you feel that, after training, your dog is not reliable in all situations, than you have defeated your purpose.
Before enrolling in a training program, find out what degree of success you can realistically expect at the end of the course.
The goal of our result-based program is to have your dog 100% reliable & trustworthy in all situations.
There are many different dog training methods available to the public.
JCM's training program focuses on the long term end results. JCM's keeps training in perspective by working with the dog's natural instincts. We do not use Positive Reinforcement in its pure form, because it is not natural for the dog. Achieving long term goals is difficult, if not impossible by ignoring unwanted behavior, and only rewarding the desired behavior when the dog chooses to do it. The dog's mind doesn't work that way. Nature, shaped by evolution, doesn't work that way. Training dogs with treats is also extremely limiting on many levels. One example is if a dog becomes frightened. No animal will take food in a fearful or stressed state of mind. If the dog hears a loud noise, goes to the Vet, thunderstorms erupt, or if he panics for any reason, and he doesn't have a good basic training foundation, the end result could be disastrous.
To the Positive Reinforcement / Treat trainers words like abuse, fear, cruel, and corporal punishment mean the same as a correction. These terms are taken completely out of context so as to validate their own method. This is blatant fraudulent propaganda.
Correcting a behavior, either by natural means (person touching a thorn on a rose stem), or by training one's dog (stopping the dog from leash pulling), is not abuse, cruel, or corporal punishment. It is simply "Cause and Effect." Cause and effect is a natural part of the learning process in all animals.
JCM’s Will Never: • reject any dog based on behavior or temperament, or tell the owner the dog is untrainable because he's not motivated by treats. No dog, no matter how unruly, disruptive, aggressive, or otherwise out of control will ever be turned away. A large part of our service is working with dogs other trainers won't take. If JCM's followed their same training protocol and regimen, we would also be limited to taking only passive pets.
JCM’s Will Never: • advocate the use of Prozac, or any other mentally impairing drugs based on the difficulty level of the dog. JCM’s Will Never: • recommend withholding the dog's regular meal hours prior to training class or a lesson, and even lighten his overall feeding schedule. Because we don’t work on a "treat training" system, JCM's does not require the owner to starve down their dog and deny him regular meals to make him more receptive to training. Starving down the dog is the only way a food based reward program can insure that the dog will do whatever it takes to get that tiny morsel into his empty belly. After all, a dog with a full stomach and a satisfied appetite is not going to obey even the simplest of commands.
JCM’s Will Never: • use or recommend Remote Electric Collars, Harnesses, Gentle Leaders, and Halti’s. These training devices are intended for long term use. Even after months of training, the dog will still not reliably obey without wearing these types of training devices. This makes them a permanent part of the dog's life. JCM's training aids are intended to be used as temporary training tools. Our recommended training aids are only used until the dog is reliable. In general, this time span is usually less than 2 months. This means owners can start enjoying their dogs that much sooner.
This Website Updated: 7-29-2024 All information contained in this website is current, and up to date
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