A ZEN DOG IS A RELAXED DOG
Traditional dog training has often fallen into two, very disparate, camps; the all-positive bribery (food treats & clickers) method at one extreme, and the alpha-dog approach that relies solely upon dominance, submission and creating fear, at the other.
Both are counter productive, and potentially damaging, in their own ways!
bonus content: why these extremes are inadvisable
THE DANGERS OF POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT
Positive reinforcement training is often applied incorrectly, with many well-intentioned owners, and even inexperienced dog trainers, using treats as a 'bribe'. This significantly limits the effectiveness of treat based training and completely misses the point of positive reinforcement.
The greatest problem with a 'positive-only' approach, however, is that it leaves dog owners (and trainers) with no effective means of addressing unwanted behaviour and, in the worst case scenario could ultimately exacerbate, rather than solve, the issues that need addressing.
THE PROBLEM WITH NEGATIVE TECHNIQUES
Even though shock collars, prongs and choke chains may APPEAR to work in the short term, they can cause so much emotional damage that the punishment method is not used by good dog trainers or, indeed, advocated by the Royal College of Veterinarian Surgeons.
Zen dogs do not employ any technique that scares, startles, causes pain, discomfort, or otherwise triggers the 'fight or flight' response in order to train your dog. It is counterproductive. . . and can irreparably damage your dog's relationship with all humans, including their owners.
THE ZEN METHOD
The aim of Zen training is to encourage your dog to make better choices (therefore your preferred 'good' behaviour) by applying a combination of positive reinforcement through science and game-based techniques. Most importantly, the training completely avoids using fear or aversive based consequences for even the most stubborn 'difficult' behaviours.
Zen training will return huge benefits when in these target situations but you, as the owner, need to put the time in!
The key is communication - not domination.
You and your dog are a team. Both of you are sentient beings with feelings and emotions. . . so the first Zen step is to discover why negative behavious occurs, then work together to reinforce what you do like, rather than what you don't.
Please take a moment to read the bonus content below and you will better understand why Zen's fun approach is so effective.
bonus content: read how the domestic dog evolved
As long as 40,000 years ago, humans first began selectively breeding from the wild grey wolf (Canis lupus) that shadowed tribes of our hunter-gatherer ancestors.
Characteristics that benefitted early man (such as the herding and retrieval instincts) were artificially selected for. . . whilst unwanted traits including aggression toward humans, were not.
After several thousand breeding cycles, this resulted in the emergence of a distinct sub-species; Canis lupus familiaris. Although presenting in many different forms (breeds), all domestic dogs, from the giant Irish Wolfhound to the diminutive Yorkie, really are the same species. . . as is witnessed by the fact that they are able to cross breed at will.
As a result of this character manipulation, domestic dogs are genetically predisposed to defer to humans. They instinctively WANT to please us!
It is this need for praise and acceptance that forms the basis of Zen dogs training ethos.
DOGS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN!
If you've read the bonus content above, you will understand why the Zen dog training method depends upon correctly applied positive reinforcement in the form of fun games. . . and never relies on pain or fear avoidance.
It really is disarmingly simple; Zen training solutions apply just two basic principles that can be customised to solve any problem behaviour and train any dog:
- Saying yes; (applying Positive reinforcement)
- Positive reinforcement is always in the form of praise and 'fun' games
- Saying no; (interrupting and distracting from unwanted behaviours)
- Punishment is only ever limited to 'ignore & reject'
TAILORED TRAINING PLANS!
Zen apply a completely bespoke approach to training each dog, based upon their character, breed and temperament. . . and is why the initial Evaluation visit, or 'meet & greet', is so important!
Following this intensive Evaluation session, Natalie will prepare an individual training plan designed around how your dog responds, learns, and is motivated.
TRAINING LOCATION
All new training will start in the calm of your home, where your dog feels more comfortable, less anxious and has the fewest distractions. Once this initial phase has reached the necessary standard, training will be moved outside of the home. . . increasing the level of distraction you can reasonably expect your dog to deal with on a daily basis.
Please note that, with the possible exception of planned 'encounters' (a potential part of any Socialisation that may be deemed necessary), all training is carried out on a one-to-one basis.