There are no educational, age, or legal regulations for someone to be able to call themselves a “dog trainer.” There are no requirements for basic education and no licensing exams to test a trainer’s knowledge of dog training skills and methodology. Anyone can call themselves a “trainer” and take money for their services.
A true professional with your animal’s best interests at heart, however, will take the time, energy, and money to work toward getting certified in their craft. Knowing the best and safest way to teach your pet reduces their liability and yours as well.
Positive rewards based training rewards the behavior you want while training in a safe learning atmosphere. By using food, toys, and life rewards you can reinforce the behaviors you want. This training style builds the bond you have with your pet and creates an understanding relationship between you and your pet that dominance (or “corrections”) based training won’t ever be able to do.
Fear Free® positive rewards techniques reduce your pets fear, anxiety, and stress and create a happier, more relaxed environment for interactions. Rather than just putting food into a bowl each day and walking away your pet could actually work for his food (the same way you do when you go to work to get rewarded with a paycheck). And playing together will actually strengthen your connection with your pet as a family member!
With Positive Rewards (R+) based training you can go from this emotional pup:
To this less fearful and now much happier pup:
The best way to teach anything is by asking for what you want… not punishing everything else until the animal guesses the right answer. Set your pet up for success by rewarding good behavior and ignoring or setting up boundaries to lessen the chances the pet will offer a behavior you don’t want.
Fear Free® Animal training and care works with the animal to monitor its fear, anxiety, and stress in any interaction. Less stress means your family, the pet’s caregivers, and me as the trainer interacting with your pet.
Don’t risk your pet’s mental health and safety. With a training method that uses force, fear or intimidation you may be forcing your pet to offer additional behaviors you don’t want because he doesn’t feel safe.
Building positive relationships is why I got certified in Fear Free® and Low Stress Handling® techniques. Let me show you how training your pet with positive rewards will be less stressful and how it can actually make your relationship stronger.