The Dominance Debate

Dominance training is not en vogue. Twenty years ago it was, and positive reinforcement was a foreign concept in some circles. I'm not a fan of fads. My view is that it's best to err on the positive side, but an occasional dominance maneuver is not a terrible thing. There is no reason that you cannot mix and match positive reinforcement with dominance maneuvers - just be sure to use great care as you turn to dominating your dog - as a last resort, and only when you understand his/her character extremely well.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that dogs are profoundly sensitive creatures that pick up on the slightest gestures, cues, vibrations. Being alert and sensitive to their cues in turn is vital to becoming leaders they respect and adore and want to follow.

This pic by one of my favorite clients is entitled "mean-lookin softies". She uses positive reinforcement all the way, and she's definitely boss with her once-aggressive pit-lab mix.

First and foremost, being sensitive means paying attention to subtle body language. Theirs, ours, and that of the person passing by on the street. When we want to train a dog to follow specific commands, we tend to use sounds such as words and clicks. But when we want to communicate our general relationship to our dog, we use physical communication.

Dog Kills Ball

There are dogs that don't like to play fetch.

They prefer to chase and kill the bright red bouncy ball of a cute little tole-haired boy under the care of his nanny, as the case may be in Park Slope. Ah, what satisfaction to pounce on someone's else's ball, bite and puncture it, shake the air out of it,  watch it deflate completely under paw, a little pathetic wheeze emanating from its plastic wounds. 

Starting Over With the "Come" Command

My regular clients know that every week or so, their dog is going to get some kind of special treat - perhaps some off-leash time, perhaps an extra-long walk, perhaps a swim, or bike-ride (if that's what the owner wants).

Yesterday it was: "Iris!..... Iris!!!!....?.....IRIS!" Lesson learned: Make sure the owners know all they need to know about training their dog to return, before offering off-leash services!

So, here's some background on the issue, a mix of my own approach and some straight-up plagiarism from some good websites. Underlined is the essence of what I would advise you to focus on. If you skim down to the numbered section, then you'll see in what order this process will go.