What is a "correction"?
There are those dogs that go through life without a disobedient thought or action.
Angelic dogs, those!
Most of us however live with and train dogs that at some point will choose to test the
waters with willful disobedience. Some of these dogs respond well to a crisply vocalized "Eh!" reminder to
circumvent disobedience;
another dog may only need a softly-voiced "Noooo" reminder; one dog may respond to a
well-timed leash correction, while the other needs no more than the effectively silent "hairy eyeball" to check an
unwanted behavior and resume otherwise stellar obedience. If you elect to include corrections in your overall training strategy,
remember that any correction, from a simple "Tsk!" to an e-collar correction, must be
appropriately matched to each unique dog and the training scenario immediately at hand.
As used here, an appropriate correction is the handler's proactive maneuver, whether verbal or with a leash correction, to avert wilful disobedience at the moment it occurs. Understand what a correction is not -- barring extreme cases of imminent danger to animal or
human, it is never acceptable to yell at or physically strike, grab, or otherwise force a dog into a desired position.
The novice dog handler should use great caution before applying a physical correction if their dog is
exhibiting aggressive behaviors,
especially in the case of dominance aggression. Most dangerous would be an attempt to perform an "alpha roll," an archaic maneuver that is
ill-advised in any situation. If your dog is displaying bona fide aggression toward you, other people or other animals, it is imperative that you first consult with a qualified professional to accurately evaluate your dog's behaviors and temperament and design a specialized behavioral modification and training plan for fear- or dominance-based aggressive behaviors.
Employ the motivational strategies of positive behavioral modification to first teach and refine specific
obedience skills. Teach your dog first, and ensure full understanding of each command, before considering using a correction to reinforce a command. This is especially critical for the puppy and the novice dog. Reward-based
foundation teaching and learning creates the enthusiastic, energetic dog that craves learning and skills development
while training with you, and most importantly, this positive, success-oriented approach to teaching and training builds a lifetime relationship that is based on mutual trust and respect. Before considering introducing any corrections into your overall training, be sure to first learn how to make an appropriate correction and how to recognize if a correction is warranted. You'll find detailed information on these topics in the advanced training articles, "How and When to Make Corrections" found in the Online Training curriculum.
The reasonable and caring dog owner first ensures that the dog is effectively taught and trained prior to considering introducing a correction for willful misbehavior. If you would like to learn how to teach, train, and incrementally advance your dog to obedience competency, consider enrolling for Online Dog Training with a supplemental telephone consultation.
