Training Methods

At Happy Dogs we are able to use many different methods, we work together to find which method works best for you.

There is very little to gain from attempting to train a dog to ‘sit’ if  they are hyper or worried. It makes much more sense for us the human to learn how to teach a dog calmly (the 3-C’s: Calm, Comfortable & Confident). Therefore, most commonly I will teach canine psychology in a new group, then move on to;  Ask…Tell…Place.

We will help the owner learn when and how to use a negative sound/action, this will be done in a calm non confrontational manner (3-C’s), with plenty of time and space for the individual dog to learn. We should only need to use just one negative command “No” (or a substitute sound) means “no”.

Positive reinforcement is very commonly used with our training, however this does not necessarily mean ‘over excited reward’ when the dog does as we wish/desire/require we calmly give them our attention and affection, or a food/toy reward.

I often get asked about ‘clicker training’ or ‘training discs’ and other methods using an object that utilises a sound, to put it simply these methods are more or less the same, i.e. ‘Action – Reaction’ that is to say a sound from the owner (the action) get a response (the reaction) from the animal, or in reverse. If I teach the clicker/training discs/whistle etc., this is always in conjunction with your own sound (in case of back-up, if clicker/whistle/training discs etc., is not on you when you need them).

Advantages are:   Particularly good for people who might find it difficult to make the same sound consistently, or tense up in certain situations.

Disadvantages are:  Could be used by someone else nearby causing confusion to your dog (2 clicks to your dog could mean sit, but the other person’s dog has been taught it means ‘come’).
You would need to have the item at hand all the times.

All lessons end with a very easy task, and rewards/praise given at the correct level for your dogs needs.