So I have this addiction that I don’t talk about often.
I’ve wrestled with it for years and recently my wife has become concerned with this addiction.
She’s known about it since we got together and has learned to live with it but lately it has been causing some problems between us and I think it’s time I got some help.
Especially since she now thinks it is starting to affect our daughter Scarlett.
The addiction……?
………Seinfeld.
I never, ever get tired of watching the show and if you were to pull up a chair and watch a few episodes with me, you’d think I was watching it for the first time. Scarlett loves to sit on my lap and laugh along with me.
Now that Seinfeld is on demand, we watch our favorite episodes again and again. And Scarlett’s favorite one is the Soup Nazi.
If you’ve never seen it I won’t spoil it for you but it is about a chef that makes the best soup in New York City. So good that your knees will buckle just tasting it.
Anyway, he is very fast to toss out and deny soup to anyone that does not conform to his extremely rigid rules and beliefs.
Which got me thinking about my profession last night. The dog training world is filled with a lot of little nazis. Dog trainers are very passionate about the methods that you use to train your dog.
And the subject of punishment is very touchy. If you are a dog trainer and use or recommend some kind of punishment (even something as harmless as a squirt bottle), you run the risk of being vilified.
Which causes problems. Big problems for you my dog loving friend.
It causes problems for you because it can be difficult to find accurate information to help you deal with behavior problems that can easily be fixed with a little dose of punishment.
You see, I’ve been in the dog training game for a lot of years now and it has been my experience that dog owners don’t necessary hire a dog trainer to teach their dog to DO behaviors.
Sure, sit, down, come, stay are all good commands to teach but what I mostly get contacted for is how to STOP behaviors.
Now, before I go any further I need you to lean in a little and pay very close attention because I want to share the real secret of dog training.
Ready?
Listening closely?
Good, all you need to understand is this:
If you want your dog to DO a behavior (sit, down, come, stay) you reward and apply a positive consequence.
If you want your dog to STOP doing a behavior (jumping, chewing, aggression) you punish and apply a negative consequence.
That’s it!
I know. This is a touchy subject for the legions of dog trainers that tune in everyday for their daily dose of Amazing Dog Training Man logic and adventures.
But I am writing to you. The new or experienced dog owner that needs their dog to stop stealing food off the counter, to stop jumping on ancient Aunt Marge who is coming for Thanksgiving, to stop chewing on the electrical cords that could seriously injure your young puppy.
Let me say this with a little emphasis:
YOU CANNOT USE POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT TO STOP A BEHAVIOR.
Sorry for raising my voice but I felt it was important to make my point. Let me just finish with this. Using a negative consequence does NOT have to harm the dog. I use all types of negative consequences that would NEVER harm the dog.
The negative consequence is used to stop the behavior so the dog learns it was making the wrong choice.
So if you need your dog ready and well behaved this holiday season, you should head over to the Good K9 Manners Program and start today.
You’ll discover how to STOP jumping, begging, barking, chewing and more. You can check it out HERE:
All the best,
Eric
Yeah..you cannot use positive reinforcement to stop a behavior..