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Positive Reinforcement
Dogs retain training longer and learn better when taught with Non-Aversive Positive Reinforcement training. One of the more popular methods we like to use is Clicker Training. Clickers are extremely effective at bridging the gap between behavior and reinforcement, allowing us to communicate what behavior we are rewarding. When dogs associate positively with stimuli it is more likely to alter their behavior intrinsically rather than relying on an extrinsic negative association. One of the best ways to help build a relationship and keep a dog interested in training is through the use of games. Training games help extend useful periods of conditioning for the dog by keeping them entertained, with the added bonus of bringing them closer to their handler.
Positive doesn't mean pushover!
Dogs require structure and discipline just like children. While the 'Alpha dog' mentality is largely incorrect and can be damaging, it is important to recognize your place as the leader or parent of the household. If bad behavior is reinforced and allowed without correction or without providing a viable alternative it can continue indefinitely. A lack of consistency in rules can be very confusing for dogs, who are not capable of generalizing in the same way as humans can.
Training philosophy
Background: Debunking Dominance
Domesticated dogs diverged from wolves 32,000 years ago and since that time have co-evolved with their human counterparts to serve a variety of purposes and "dogupations": hunting, herding, protecting livestock, pulling carts and more recently as service and companion animals. The divergence is important because dog's domestication had led to the permanent genetic and behavioral modification of the species. Even without recognizing the importance of the over thirty thousand years of evolution there is an enduring misconception about the alpha wolf and the need for dominance in training.
The term "alpha wolf" began based on Swedish zoologist Rudolph Schenkels research in the 1940's after studying non-related captive wolves. Twenty years later it was spread further by a graduate student named David Mech, who spent the later half of his life recanting and attempting to cleanse the term from popular culture. Further research showed Shenkel and his "alpha wolf" theory to be extremely flawed. In the wild there is a strict social hierarchy not based on dominance and aggression, but based on parentage. In the wild there is no struggle for dominance, "alpha wolves" are with very few exceptions the mother and father. When people misunderstand dominance, they attribute certain dog behaviors to "trying to be dominant" when in reality it is a dog that is excited and has not been trained on proper human social etiquette or is responding in fear to stimuli or conduct it does not fully grasp.
