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Lately I’ve been trying not to depend on training collars while walking my mutt Ace. I walked him on a flat collar all week, focusing on my energy, my voice and treats to get him to do what I want. And even though we’ve walked every day for the past year and a half, I noticed a difference in the last five days (must be the treats!).

I’ve picked up some ideas from dog trainer Paul Owens, who calls himself the original dog whisperer. In his book, “The Dog Whisperer: A Compassionate, Nonviolent Approach to Dog Training, 2nd Edition” (co-authored by Norma Eckroate), he says positive reinforcement training allows a partnership based on kindness, respect and compassion. Owens uses nothing but nonviolent, positive reinforcement training methods.

Basically, the key is proper communication.

Owens says nonviolence means no jerking, shocking, pulling or pinning (wait, what about when my mutt pulls me?). He instead uses treats, vocal praise, petting, clickers and life rewards such as playing, food or a walk to motivate the dog. He says substituting an unwanted behavior with a good behavior and using repetitions will condition a dog to do what you want him to do.

“The bottom line is that it is not necessary to use any jerking at all to get your dog to do what you want,” Owens said in his book.

He has a point.

I know I’ve pulled my dog’s leash too hard - training collar or not- out of frustration or impatience. That’s a terrible way to teach a dog anything. And honestly, Ace has learned to ignore my tugs and “leash corrections” anyway, so it’s time to try something new.

Owens answered the following questions for my blog:

What is the most common misunderstanding when it comes to dog training?

Many people think dogs are in competition with them and that as the dog’s “master,” they have “to win” and force their dogs to “submit.”

There is no competition. We own everything our dogs want so it’s simply a matter of teaching them that they get whatever they want if they do something for us first. After a while, habits are formed and the behaviors become automatic. Until that happens, it’s our responsibility to keep our dogs, ourselves and the environment safe.

Many people also have a misunderstanding that they have to use physical punishment with their dogs in order to get off-lead, reliable behavior. Shaping reliable behavior is easy when you follow the rules.

When I began training 35 years ago, I never used treats although I did use generous praise and petting as well as life rewards such as freedom to jump in the pool, chase a ball, go for a walk, get on the bed, etc. Enforcement of “commands” (I no longer use that word) was primarily leash corrections, poking with my fingers and pinning a dog to the ground. I became very skilled in getting dogs to do what I wanted using these methods.

When I switched to positive training in 1988, I learned the difference between getting dogs to cooperate rather than forcing them to submit, how the scientific protocols of weaning a dog off of treats was essentially the same as weaning a dog off of aversives, and most importantly, how the methods used for training were as important as the results.

Regarding this last point, over time I learned of the link between how humans treat animals and how we treat each other, so I chose to stop using physical punishment or the threat of physical punishment. I often quote Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when he was asked why he didn’t use violent methods in his fight for equality. He said,  “If peace is our goal, then our means must be peaceful.”

What are the most common mistakes people make?

They don’t learn how to “speak dog,” especially in regards to consistency, timing and precision.

They don’t provide the necessary quantity and quality of the “9 Ingredients” necessary for a happy, healthy, relationship: Food (diet), Play, Socialization, Quiet Time, Exercise, Employment, Rest, Training (discipline through nonviolent means), and Health Care.

Of course we make these same mistakes of not providing these ingredients with ourselves : 0)

You have several books and DVDs to aid people with dog training. Are you working on any new material?

My goals have always been to make scientific learning principles accessible and easy to understand, to promote positive training, and to help people learn to treat dogs as they would their friends, themselves and their family members rather than as possessions.

My new book, “Good Habits, Great Behaviors, A Self-Help Book for Dogs and Humans” will be out in January and hopefully will help continue to foster these goals.

Check out Paul Owens’ web site Raise with Praise. His books include “The Dog Whisperer” and “The Puppy Whisperer.” He also has DVDs on dog training.

It is possible to get your dog to have good behavior by using kindness, compassion and respect, according to Paul Owens. Owens is a dog trainer and best-selling author who teaches step-by-step methods to train a dog or puppy through positive reinforcement. He never uses choke, prong or shock collars.

I watched the DVD, The Dog Whisperer: Beginning and Intermediate Dog Training, which is presented by Owens. I did not disagree with anything in the video and want to share a few ideas I learned. Thank you Tawna for sending me this DVD for my birthday last month.

What do you want your dog to do?
When there is a behavior you want your dog to change, Owens said many dog owners get caught up in what they don’t want their dogs to do. Instead, he said dog owners should ask themselves what they want their dogs to do. For example, I want Ace to sit when someone comes to the door. I want him to go to his bed while I’m eating. I want him to chew on his bones. I want him to run at my side as I ride a bike. Once I pinpoint what I want my dog to do, it is easier to begin training him to do the wanted behavior.

Dogs are contextual.
Dogs see things in context, according to Owens. For example, if I teach a dog to sit in my living room, that doesn’t mean he will understand the command “sit” when he’s in the grass, on the pavement or on the kitchen floor. He has to learn the command under all these circumstances. Once the dog learns the behavior in several locations, then he will start to automatically respond to the command in all situations. It just takes time. This is one reason why so many dogs behave perfectly in obedience class or at home, but then seem to forget everything as soon as they are in a different environment. It’s not that the dog is stubborn, she is just contextual.

Reward a dog the second she does something right.
It is important to encourage good behavior while the dog is actually doing it, Owens said. Vocal praise or treats work, and he also recommended using a clicker.

Owens also suggested owners should reward their dogs throughout the day for the good things they do without being asked. If Ace goes to his bed without me asking, I should reward him. If he is rewarded throughout the day for doing little things unasked for, he will learn to do them more often on his own.

Life rewards can work in place of a food treat, Owens said. Anything your dog wants can be a reward. He suggests always making your dog do something before she gets what she wants. Make her sit or stay before she gets a ball, rides in the car or comes in the house. I always make Ace sit before he gets fed or before he goes for a walk.

Teach your dog to be calm by using the magnet game.
The point of Owens’ magnet game is to encourage a dog to sit in order to get a treat. The magnet game works by tethering a dog and then backing away from it. As soon as the dog begins to sit, walk towards her again and give her a treat if she remains sitting. If she pops up again, then start to back away. The idea is to reward calm behavior. The dog will learn that if she sits and waits quietly, she will get the treat and your attention. If she stands, barks or wiggles around, then she gets no treat and no attention. I am going to try this outside with Ace, because he has a barking issue when he is tethered outside.

Remember to look at training from your dog’s point of view.
Owens reminds dog owners to consider the dog’s environment. Maybe if your dog won’t sit, it’s because she is standing on hot pavement. Or maybe there are too many distractions for her. It’s also possible she could be sore from a long run. It’s easy for owners to forget these factors because dogs aren’t able to tell us.

For those who are interested in learning basic training ideas, Owens goes over all the commands every dog should know, such as heel, sit, stay, leave it, come and down. The DVD shows how to teach your dog to do these things step by step. This would be perfect for a first-time dog owner, or for someone who is new to dog training.

For those of you who have read my blog before, you know I use a pinch collar for my dog almost every day, and he also wears a shock collar for an invisible fence. These are tools Owens never uses on his dogs, and he claims he is successful without them. Although I would like to get to the point where my dog doesn’t need a pinch collar, I see nothing wrong with using them for training purposes.

The DVD was short and to the point. Owens got his messages across very clear. He is able to reach out to first-time dog owners and also able to teach longtime dog owners some new ideas. Check out his web site at www.dogwhispererdvd.com.

What are some ways you use positive reinforcement with your dog?

(Photo from hypnosiscontrol.com)