I believe that you need to use the method that works for each dog while keeping within the scope of training that doesn’t cause fear or pain. Sometimes a lure is a quick way to gain behaviour if used correctly, shaping with a clicker is great but sometimes tricky for a novice owner, and when working with cases of anxiety and aggression there are many science based methods available that don’t require force or intimidation. I like to give the dog choices and let them think they are doing the training. Why wouldn’t they want to do things if it was their idea in the first place! Motivate them with what they want (food, toys, cuddles, car rides, running outside, whatever!), and you will have a well behaved and happy companion. I use triggers in the environment to cue the dogs behaviour so you don’t have to rant at them all the time. Touch the door, your dog sits and waits. Sit down on the couch and your dog settles in their bed. Doorbell goes off and your dog goes to their mat. Easy as that!

I don’t condone confrontational and punishment based training methods (aggression breeds aggression), a good trainer should be able to stay away from punishment with good timing, mechanical skills and problem solving. There is no place in the training world for outdated dominance and pack theory, which was disproven by science over 20 years ago. Trainers who still talk about these things hide the pain and fear they use in training, by not teaching their students how to correctly read body language. My job is to improve the lives of dogs and their owners, so I use a range of positive training methods to reach that goal. I use methods championed by world leading trainers/behaviourists/vets such as Denise Fenzi, Patricia McConnell, Susan Garrett, Nicole Wilde, Emily Larlham, Jean Donaldson, Ken Ramirez, Karen Pryor, Dr. Susan Friedman, Bob Bailey and the late Sophia Yin just to name a few. Dog training should be fun for everyone as the overall purpose is to form a bond with your dog. You can’t do that when you are yelling, yanking at, pinning your dog down, flooding them with the very thing they are scared of and throwing things at them. These methods may appear to have instant results, but they dont last and have dangerous side-effects. I believe that head halters, front attach harnesses etc. can useful management tools, but not long term solutions in most cases. They are great to start a dog on who is just un-manageable, but I believe training is truly complete when the dog behaves the same way when not using these tools.