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Balanced Training Vs. Force Free Dog Training (unbiased)

4/5/2017

8 Comments

 
Picture
This is a short, no-bull and unbiased comparison of each approach. I hate close minded thinking, in part because I have to guard myself from that way of thinking since it's so easy to fall into.

Both "balanced trainers" and "force free" trainers are very guilty of name calling, finger pointing and shaming. I myself have been guilty of this on my page when I felt strongly about a certain trainer. 

I honestly don't think people intentionally go in the dog training field just so they can engage in constant arguments. The close mindedness comes from a good place, at least in the beginning. Later, people just argue to win, not to see the other person's point of view. 

Dog training is an interesting field to be in because the differences in temperament and personalities of each dog, combined with the different specialties in the dog training field, demand a wide array of approaches from dog trainers. This easily leads to the mentality of "I've found that this is the best way to do x,y and z..." which can lead to "This is the only way it should be done..."

Here I will lay out a short comparison of each dog training approach:

FORCE-FREE DOG TRAINING
This approach on dog training is very positive reinforcement based. There are truly knowledgeable people on this side but unfortunately the majority of trainers on this side just slap the label on them without fully understanding the principles of this side of the quadrant. 
Force-free training or Purely positive training, operates under two quadrants. Positive Reinforcement and Negative Punishment. That's right, I said negative punishment. This means the dog loses a privilege, or the opportunity for a reward is lost as a direct consequence of a behavior you want to stop or reduce the rate of.

Force-free/Purely-positive training is not wrong! Positive reinforcement works great! So does Negative punishment. The intentions come from a good place. Most trainers start here because it has a great emotional appeal to us as dog owners.

Here is a list of situations in which Purely-positive training is a great approach:
-Puppy imprinting
-Teaching new behaviors on dogs of all ages
-Enhancing old behaviors on dogs of all ages
-Working with dogs that have physical ailments or handicaps overcome certain obstacles
-Teaching fast and accurate responses while maintaining a good attitude

Trainers on this side of the spectrum are unfortunately constantly chastising owners and dog trainers who don't agree with their way of training dogs. They are quick to call anyone who doesn't agree with them, ignorant and abusive. That's not to say every Force-free trainer conducts themselves this way, but a lot of them do.

BALANCED TRAINING:
This approach of dog training can be more hands on. Unfortunately, there really aren't a lot of knowledgeable dog trainers on this side of the spectrum. A lot of people who consider themselves balanced dog trainers aren't really balanced, they're just a bunch of crank-and-yankers who use praise as positive reinforcement because for some odd reason, they believe using food is bad.  

Ideally, a balanced trainer operates with all 4 parts of the quadrants. Positive and Negative reinforcement as well as Positive and Negative punishment. They are all different and yes, they are scientific approaches since these terms were not coined by dog trainers but by scientists.  As stated earlier, unfortunately many so called balanced trainers don't know their rears from their treat pouches. These people are the ignorant ones Purely-positive trainers refer to when they point the finger at the Balanced approach. These uneducated Balanced trainers give the rest of us bad names and soil our reputation.

The list of things a Balanced approach is good for are the following:
-Teaching new behaviors and enhancing known behaviors (Through the use of Positive Reinforcement)
-When using gentle leaders and no-pull harness (Contrary to popular belief, these tools operate under Negative reinforcement, which as we know, doesn't have to be scary or painful)
-When poison proofing or doing snake avoidance training (Which can ONLY be done through the use of Positive, unconditioned punishment. Whoever says otherwise is either lying or completely ignorant to this type of training)
-When crittering, or "cat proofing" a dog with high predatory aggression towards small animals (Counter conditioning and desensitization here is futile since the dog doesn't want to create space, but rather the opposite)
-When teaching boundaries (Through the use of all 4 quadrants)
-When helping dogs with disabilities or handicaps overcome obstacles (Through the use of Positive and Negative reinforcement [no-pull harnesses or gentle leaders])
-When teaching fast and accurate responses (Through the use of all four quadrants)

Overall, I would like to remind everyone that dog training should NEVER be about winning arguments or picking sides. It should always be about the dog and the family who owns the dog in need of help. 
Don't be arrogant and please realize that there are things you don't know. You'll be better off listening to someone else's side of the story and making your judgement on that rather than quickly assuming the other person is just WRONG. Yes, sometimes the other person is just wrong, I know. 
​


8 Comments
Wayne Fiskum
4/6/2017 12:33:18 am

Looks like you are just a little bit biased. It looks as if you believe that PP/FF Trainers are highly educated, and Balanced Trainers are a bunch of knuckle draggers. Perhaps it would surprise you to know that there are many Balanced Trainers that hold degrees as well, and there are many PP/FF Trainers that have a high school diploma or less. There are many PP/FF Trainers that are quick to point out their successes, but will not admit to their failures (and a look at kill shelter statistics show that PP/FF has a great deal of failures). Likewise, there are a good deal of Balanced Trainers that will show you their successes and where they have failed (case in point, Ceasar Millan and the recent case of animal abuse against him - he has creative rights over the show and could have had that part edited out, but left it in). My point is that there are good and bad Trainers regardless of the methodology, and some methodologies are more effective with some dogs than other dogs. PP/FF Trainers often recommend starving a dog to make them more responsive to food and will often refuse a problem dog for training, Balanced Trainers often use prong collars and e-collars, and will also incorporate the use of food in their behavior modification repertoire, most good Balanced Trainers will educate their clientele about how a prong and e-collar work and their proper use (which is not jerking them and dragging the dog around with it or shocking the crap out of a dog). The are some unscrupulous PP/FF Trainers that have no problem taking money for months and sometimes years of training that could be corrected using a combination of FF and Balanced treatment modalities much faster, but wouldn't allow them to receive as much money. Good Trainers assess the dog and use the treatment modality that the dog needs. One inescapable, irrefutable fact is that nearly all Police dogs and Military dogs wear prong and e-collars. Next time you would like to disparage a treatment modality or imply that the practitioners of one modality are more educated than another, get your facts straight. By the way, there is a new school of thought that believes that dogs shouldn't be trained at all and that the use of a leash, collar, or harness is harming the dog and abusive. After all, the use of a leash and collar is a corrective tool, designed to keep a dog under control and provide guidance.

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Jason Sigler link
4/6/2017 09:16:11 am

You do realize that the writer of the article is a balanced trainer, right?

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Jamie Robinson link
2/16/2020 07:33:55 pm

The shelter statistics DO NOT show that R+ training is the reason for dogs ending in shelters. What they DO show is the 85% of dogs that end up in the shelter have NEVER even met a trainer. Those same statistics also show that 70% of the dogs never meet a vet. Which is why all shelters require that dogs are de-sexed before leaving the shelter - even dogs that just got out of their yard for some reason.

Please get your facts straight.

The reason some groups of dogs still wear corrective tools is not because they are the most effective, but because the force free movement is still evolving and still moving into new areas. It has nothing to do with what works best.

I am a cross over trainer. I've been training dogs for 46 years. I've used all those corrective tools and I chose not to 15 years ago.

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Alice MacKenzie link
4/6/2017 01:05:44 am

Unbiased? " A lot of people who consider themselves balanced dog trainers aren't really balanced, they're just a bunch of crank-and-yankers who use praise as positive reinforcement because for some odd reason, they believe using food is bad. "

Tell me how that is unbiased?

Unbiased means showing two sides of the same coin without having an opinion or having your opinion showing through on either side of that coin. I am very sorry but your article is as biased as they come. Poorly written article, one sided view colored by pure biased in every word written....

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Jason Sigler link
4/6/2017 09:24:12 am

Knowing the author personally and having read the comments I can say with conviction that his goal of remaining unbiased was successful based off of some of the comments. For those that believe he was biased toward the PP/FF training, allow me to shed some light. He's a balanced trainer. He's also formally educated on canine psychology, behavior and communication. Additionally, he's the lead instructor at a world renowned school that credentials, and certifies aspiring trainers in the industry.

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Dev sukhija
8/14/2019 11:18:53 am

Thanks for sharing information . I am sure many people were not aware of this. I have adopted a lab. dog a few months ago and now I have successfully trained my dog professionally without spending fees of professional dogs trainer that usually takes $500. I have done it all simply sitting from home and watching videos by professional trainer around the globe, by spending only $47. Now my dog behave professionally and is a better dog than he would be ever in his life. I have participated in many dogs show too in which he compete well with other dogs who took several years of training. I am sure he will definitely be the best dog ever soon (in my whole city at least).

I have purchased the professional dog course from here :

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Reply
Jamie Robinson link
2/16/2020 07:28:53 pm

Just so you know, Snake Avoidance does not have to be taught with a shock collar. Back in 2012 I created Snake Avoidance Without Shock. It works, it doesn't need a yearly refresher and it doesn't "scare" the dog into leaving a snake alone.

Just like R+ training took a few decades to overcome the "think" about corrective based training, Snake Avoidance Without Shock hasn't taken hold yet. However there are groups that are using what I created all over the world with great success.

Reply
James Rivers
8/15/2020 07:42:54 am

Hi Jamie,
I'm a dog behaviourist in training (doing my degree along with becoming a dog trainer), and being from the UK I've never heard of snake avoidance training. Clearly its much more important in other areas of the planet, but I'm interested in learning about your method in comparison to the common methods used at the moment, let me know if there is somewhere else you'd rather have a conversation on than this website.
Thanks in advance,
James

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