Most people will tell you using balanced (positive reinforcement/punishment and negative reinforcement/punishment) dog training methods are cruel, abusive, and inhumane. That’s because most people don’t believe in correcting a dog or even in the pack system (notice I don’t call it a ‘theory’). It’s almost like the observers effect; you see what you’re looking for. These people are looking for the answer they want (to be right) and therefore, that’s the only answer they find. This is where they go wrong because there are many ways to get an obedient dog, and ignoring one of those paths will only keep you restricted. Balanced dog training is one of the best paths to getting an obedient dog as it will help you not only get an obedient dog, but an obedient, balanced dog. This method of training is a highly discussed one in the dog world. At the end of this article I hope many will find the need to include this type of training in their lives.

“…like human issues, dog issues are caused by imbalance.” (Millan 144) When using balanced dog training we give our dogs an equal balance of praise and discipline. This way our dogs realize what we humans think is right and wrong. You see, dogs have a very different view of what’s right and what’s wrong because they are a different species and do things extremely differently.

What do you call a group of dogs? They’re called a pack; they have been this way for thousands of years. The pack way of life is deeply engraved into their DNA and will stay that way forever. This is because in a large group of feral dogs, they needed a leader(s) to keep things controlled so they would have food, and water. They needed these things to live and they had to work together to get it. They didn’t know any other way of life and as result, is the only way they can live happily in coexistence with other living creatures.

Have you ever noticed that in a pack of sled dogs that there is a vertical line of dogs with lead dog(s) and the others following. This is because there needs to be a leader(s) of that pack in order for it to be successful and controlled. Otherwise the dogs would all be trying to lead and end up flipping the sled. “Dogs are animals, not human beings. They are pack animals by nature.” (Jansen). That is why we must be our dog’s pack leaders and must use balanced (positive reinforcement/punishment and negative reinforcement/punishment) training with them in order to have an obedient, balanced dog.

Most people will also tell you a correction is “cruel” because they don’t know the true meaning of “correction.” A correction does not have to be a slap, kick, yell, or any other type of abuse. It is a small action like a leash pop (quickly pulling up on the leash and quickly releasing it), or a firm “No!” Just something that tells the dog when it is in the wrong. How else would a dog know what is wrong and what isn’t in the human world? Proper corrections do not “break a dog’s spirit,” “cause physical/mental damage,” or cause any kind of pain. When using corrections you can use multiple types, including:

• • Verbal corrections: A word that quickly gets attention, or is associated with a physical, or tool correction.
• • Physical Corrections: An action that corrects the dog using the body. For example, pushing down on the dogs rear when they failed to sit when asked.
• • Tool Corrections: Using a pinch collar, slip chain (also known as choke chain), martingale, vibration collar, e-collar, etc…

When using any of these types of corrections you need a system that gives you a consistent plan on when, how, and why to use them. Otherwise you will be giving the dog mixed signals and might end up hurting the dog or making the problems worse. This is when intentions come into play. A stick is just a stick until someone’s intentions are to use it as a bat, and then it becomes a weapon. That is another reason why people will tell you corrections are bad, because they have experienced bad intentions. You must have clear intentions of what you are doing when correcting a dog.

When giving your dog a correction when he or she is in the wrong you also need to remember to praise your dog when he or she is in the right. This way we keep a balance of good and bad creating a happy, balanced environment for your dog. If a dog doesn’t have a balanced environment then it is likely to become unbalanced himself and develop issues such as aggression, reactivity, or fear.

The reason your dog could develop these problems is because when there is no balance (no pack leader) in their lives they must become the pack leader. That is because you are being unbalanced and dogs do not follow instability, but a dog is a pack animal and they need to follow or be followed; your dog will then take the alpha position when it opens.

When using only positive reinforcement your dog will never know what is wrong and what is right. Your dog will then do bad behavior because they don’t know it is not allowed. “I always say, if love is all it took to change unwanted behavior into good behavior then there would be no unbalanced people in the world!” (Millan 70).

Using only punishment methods could cause fear, insecurity, and even aggression because the dog never experiences praise and is always worried about doing good so as to not be corrected again; this is a case of over correcting.

When training a dog you also need to take into account the breed and personality of that dog. This way we can customize our balanced training to fit that dog. For example, if we have a soft dog we can use softer corrections and more praise, but if we have a persistent dog we can use stronger corrections. This will help the dogs learn easier, faster, and not make them fearful or hold them back from learning. Balanced dog training is one of the only methods of training that can be customized to fit your dog. With strictly positive reinforcement you are restricted to only praising causing the persistent dog to learn slower. With punishment only methods you are limited to only discipline, making the soft dog fearful.

Another reason that strict positive reinforcement training can cause problems is because when a dog only experiences happy and good, then happy and good becomes the norm and is expected by the dog. It has now lost it’s original meaning. Then, when the dog never experiences discomfort and the natural environment presents a stressful or uncomfortable situation, the dog won’t know how to cope and possibly shut down and become fear aggressive.

When training dogs we need to keep in mind that we cannot use human Psychology to train/help them. When we treat our dogs as humans they become unbalanced and unhappy, because a dog is a dog and we cannot change that. If you were to treat a cat as a fish things would go wrong wouldn’t they? The same goes for treating dogs as humans and we mustn’t forget it.