The Importance Of Dog Coaching

praise, and consistent nurturing—builds trust and makes the emotional bond stronger. Inconsistent or negative reinforcement, like criticism, angry threats, phys- ical punishment—pain—might scare kids into behaving a certain way, but ulti- mately weakens the attachment between child and adult, as well as the child’s self- esteem. This isn’t to say that parents shouldn’t set rules or boundaries, which are a must to make kids (and dogs) feel safe and secure. (Remember that security is a basic need!) It’s the reason I sometimes hear people say that you have to be your child’s parent, not her friend, only I’ve never understood why there has to be a contra- diction between the two! A good coach, like the Lakers’ Phil Jackson, can play the
The same ideas apply to dog coaching. According to the old methods, or what I call the Dark Ages of training, dogs need a tough leader. Give a dog power and he’ll just use it against you. Better to keep him in line with a tough approach, choke chains and prong collars, or techniques like “alpha rollovers” to show him that you’re the real leader of the pack. God forbid that a dog shows some sign of independent thinking!
But what kind of dog will these methods produce? A dog who “behaves” not be- cause he wants to, but out of fear. A dog who is anxious, is not resourceful, and is afraid to make any mistakes, and therefore not eager to learn new things. A dog who is distrustful, maybe even aggressive toward its owner and the rest of the world. Follow this protocol with your dog—or your child or the other people you love—and you’ll find that you’re a world-class “frog farmer.”
When dogs (and most people) encounter a new situation in life, they always try to assess whether it’s going to cause them pain or pleasure. The Loved Dog
Method is built around teaching a dog that the behaviors we ask of him—as well as the process of learning itself—will bring immense pleasure. At times, we’ll