POSITIVE vs. NEGATIVE TRAINING
There are two methods of dog training. One is negative training, where the dog is taught to respond because of a negative stimuli. For example in some areas dogs are taught to track by placing the tracking lead between their legs and forcing their nose to the ground, thus teaching them that that is how they are to work. In positive training we teach the dog to track by making it fun for the dog, such as giving him/her a pleasant reward at the end of the track (a ball, lavish praise, play, etc.). In negative training the dog learns to perform an act because he/she is forced into it, or is sternly corrected for not doing it. In positive training the dog learns to perform an act because of the positive reward at the end of the act.
All dog training should be team related, that is, teaching the dog to respond to commands of his handler, who is working as a teammate, rather than a boss. If your dog comes to the understanding that his/her acts, when done correctly, please you, he/she will continue to learn from you much more easily than he/she would if you made him/her do an act, then merely give him/her a pat on the head.
In negative obedience training a dog may be trained to heel, and might receive a sharp collar correction coupled with a harsh verbal correction. This does work, but it may have a tendency to break the dog's spirit, especially if he/she is somewhat shy. A better method, in my opinion, is positive training. In positive training, where a dog is trained to heel, he focuses on his handler because the handler continues verbal communication with the dog throughout the exercise. You may have seen, or possibly used, a negative method to get a dog to do an about turn (where the handler and dog do a 180 degree turn and continue in the direction opposite to the direction they were first going). In negative training the handler would give the dog a sharp jerk on the training collar to get him/her to respond and make that 180 degree turn with the handler. I use a positive method to do this. As I am walking along I speak to the dog almost continuously. As I am about to make the about turn, I coax the dog to focus on me and perhaps give him two or three little tugs on the leash. I usually say something to the effect of "Here we go, pay attention, watch me, here we go", then go into my about turn. Should the dog lag as I go into the turn, I will again coax him by verbal stimulation as well as be patting my leg, snapping my fingers, etc. As the about turn is completed I let the dog have some high-pitched verbal praise ("What a gooooood boy (girl)!") as we continue the heeling exercise. After only about two or three exercises in this manner I no longer tug on the leash, but continue the verbalization and high-pitched praise.
Now, someone might ask, "What about my dog, he/she is a hard, tough, strong-willed dog. Does positive training work in this instance?" Let's put it this way. In negative training a "hard" dog might be yanked off of his/her feet to get him/her to make that about turn. That would probably work after a few times, but it might also get the handler bit as well. In positive training I would give the dog two or three stronger tugs on the leash, while still giving him/her some encouraging verbalization ("Come on, that's it") or something of that nature. You are mainly trying to give the dog a little bit of a leash correction, while at the same time making the exercise pleasant for the dog by giving him/her that encouraging verbalization.
Again, if you want to make training pleasant for your dog, make your training positive. Let him/her enjoy it. You'll find that you will enjoy it much more as well.
