We do not use shock or prong collars because while they may seem initially effective, the risk of behavioral fallout and deteriorating results are too high to justify their use. Physical punishment may be convenient for some, but at what cost? The AVSAB, ASPCA, and many other veterinary and academic organizations recommend against the use of physical punishment when attempting behavior modification. While painful collars may work for quick results, positive reinforcement trainers know that recommending physical punishment for behavior modification would be like a doctor recommending smoking cigarettes for weight loss. Shock and prong collars just have too many side effects, and it’s not the fifties anymore.

We do not currently offer board and trains. Aside from being a huge investment, board and trains can be ineffective for enacting long-lasting behavior modification. Often, board and trains have two to four weeks to change a dog’s behavior, and to get quick results they use physical punishment to suppress behavior. At the end of the two to four weeks, your dog may not be performing the problem behavior anymore, but over time these new habits can begin to deteriorate. Your dog has not been taught how to behave politely with you, or in your home, or without the use of physical punishment. With in-home training, you address the underlying emotions that motivate a behavior and learn how to teach your dog the benefits of being polite. Why waste your money on a board and train when you could see long-lasting results for a fraction of the cost?

How long will you need to buy groceries to feed yourself? Food functions as a paycheck for everyone who eats. Whether or not you choose to use treats to reinforce your dog’s behavior, your dog will always need to eat. Your vet will probably recommend that 10% of your dog’s daily diet come from treats and other goodies. These higher value treats are used when learning new behaviors to get fast and easy cooperation from your dog. Treats are used in abundance at first during acquisition so that we may use them sparsely to reinforce tried and true behaviors in the future. A great way to fade out treats and begin working with kibble is to crumble up your dog’s treats into tiny pieces and mix them in with their daily allotment of kibble.

Better Way Dogs uses a variety of methods to achieve behavior modification and happy cohabitation between humans and dogs. We follow the humane hierarchy of dog training, always starting by making sure your dog is healthy enough for training and your environment is set up for success. Next, we identify behavior goals and use positive reinforcement techniques such as free shaping, targeting, and the lure and reward method to achieve new behaviors. We never use physical punishment to discourage a behavior, as per the advisory of numerous veterinary and academic organizations, because we know that physical punishment merely suppresses behavior and does not enact long-lasting change. Whatever methods we choose to train your dog, you can rest assured that you will have a voice in what behavior modification methods are used for your dog.