Val, I think you and I are totally eye-to-eye on this.
Overall, my goals with positive training is to keep my dog happy and out of trouble, focused on appropriate things, doing behaviors that are good for him and his well being, and that don't harm him or jeopardize our relationship/bond. Above all, I strive to be compassionate, humane, kind, and truly CARING for all the beings within my family.
My ongoing list of resources that support this philosophy are:
* Dr. Sophia Yin's website, especially her sections on Leadership without Force and A Better Way. She also has a blog and section of fantastic resources.
* Pat Miller, especially
The Power of Positive Dog Training book. She also has a website, blog, and list of articles.
* The Whole Dog Journal - I am a subscriber and LOVE LOVE LOVE it. They have a weekly "tip of the week" email you can sign up for for free. They also have a shop called Dogwise that has a lots of books, e-books and articles. Most everything there is good, with a few exceptions, Ceaser Millan and The Monks of New Skete. See
the other thread on this forum for my reasons.
* Dr. Patricia McConnell has numerous books, audio books, and a website.
* Jean Donaldson is another really great positive reinforcement trainer with a couple of books , including
Mine!: A Practical Guide to Resource Guarding,
Fight: A Practical Guide to the Treatment of Dog-dog Aggression, and
Culture Clash.
* The Denver Dumb Friends League has an excellent list of resources for helping to solve canine misbehavior, too.
* Victoria Stilwell's television show
It's Me or the Dog is very good. She also has a website, Positively.com, which has great forums, a few podcasts, a blog (with some posts by really good guests) as well as a newsletter. You can catch past episodes on Animal Planet, and occasionally on Hulu.com.
* I am a proponent of
Nothing in Life is Free, too. I'm still sorting through a bajillion links to good explanations of this method, but Google is your friend, and it really works wonders in terms of building confidence, manners, and trust with your dog.
From a WDJ Email:
Why We're Positive About Positive Training MethodsWe've come so far since those dark days just over a decade ago when virtually all dog training was accomplished through the use of force and compulsion. We know those days well; we were quite skilled at giving collar corrections with choke chains and attained several high-scoring obedience titles with our dogs using those methods.
Trainers, behaviorists, and dog owners are realizing that this is more than just a philosophical difference, or a conflict between an ethic that says we should be nice to animals versus a more utilitarian approach to training. While both methods can produce well-trained dogs, the end result is also significantly different. With positive training, the goal is to develop a dog who thinks and works cooperatively with his human as part of a team, rather than a dog who simply obeys commands.
One criticism of positive training is that the dogs are spoiled and out of control because, while the dogs are highly reinforced for doing good stuff, no one ever tells them what not to do. "Dogs," the critics say, "must know there are consequences for inappropriate behaviors."
We don't disagree with this statement. Positive does not mean permissive. We just have different ideas about the necessary nature of the negative consequence. When one is needed, positive trainers are most likely to use "negative punishment" (taking away a good thing), rather than "positive punishment" (the application of a bad thing). As an adjunct to that, we counsel the generous use of management to prevent the dog from practicing (and getting rewarded for) undesirable behaviors.
The result? Since all living things repeat behaviors that are rewarding, and those behaviors that aren't rewarded extinguish (go away), the combination of negative punishment and management creates a well-trained dog at least as easily as harsh or painful corrections and without the very real potential for relationship damage that is created by the use of physical punishment.
One of the most significant reasons for not using physical punishment or force with dogs is the potential for eliciting or exacerbating aggressive behaviors from them.
The most rewarding and exciting part of training for us is watching the dawning awareness on a dog's face that he controls the consequences of his behavior, and that he can elicit good stuff from his trainer by offering certain behaviors. We never, ever, experienced that in the "old days." We used to take "sit" for granted, because if the dog didn't sit when we asked, we made him do it.
Today, we never get over the thrill of that moment when the dog understands, for the first time, that he can make the clicker "Click!" (and receive a treat) simply by choosing to sit. It keeps training eternally fresh and exciting."