Ginbail © asked: I remember a time when the “rolled up newspaper” method of dog training was the accepted norm. Back then, many trainers taught their dogs to do amazing things (and do them quite well) using methods that most folks today would consider “cruel”. I’m not advocating any particular school of training here, but I was wondering: What happened that most people changed their training habits? How did positive reinforcement start, and do you think it will continue to be the preferred method of dog training?
Does anybody here really believe that folks who trained their dogs using harsh methods actually loved their dogs any less?
Is it really so bad to learn out of fear? Once again, I’m not advocating a particular training method, but if it works is it such a bad thing?
St. Lady raises a good point … I too learned many things out of fear of my parents’ reactions to things I did when I was younger. I learned right from wrong because I knew that wrong behaviors had negative consequences. I think I turned out OK. Couldn’t a dog?
Anybody who wants to read a good article about how Ian Dinbar started positive reinforcement and how he compares to Caesar Milan’s methods should definately click DogJudge’s link.
