Originally posted by aly
I'll be the first to admit that the methods I teach take a little longer than using a prong. But if you think about it, using a choke/prong isn't really *training*. It is a physical correction, but does it really teach the dog what the desired behavior is? I guess that is an arguable point, because with a prong, you will get a dog walking by your side. However, I just can't fathom how "popping" the dog and telling them "no" constantly helps your relationship and causes no harm to their mental well-being.
There is so much I want to respond to in this thread but lack of time will limit me. I would like to say that what Aly said hits the nail on the head! Using chokes and prongs is nothing more than a physical correction. Your dog may learn what not to do in order to avoid a pop again but it is not learning the desired behavior for doing it right from the start. Let me use an analagy. I keep drawing a circle but the teacher wants me to draw a square. When I draw a circle I get a pop (physical correction that is meant to hurt or jar my attention). Do I know yet that the teacher wants me to draw a square? No... so I draw another circle and the same thing keeps happening. Before long, I'm either going to do one of two things... not draw anything or try a different shape. Only a fool would keep doing something that causes pain.

Now lets try the same analagy a little different. The trainer wants me to draw a square and shows me that I'm suppose to draw a square. I draw a circle.... no reward and no physical correction. She shows me again how to draw a circle. This time I draw a square. She makes a instant noise and immediately something good happens to me (usually a treat but some other kind of reward could be used). WoW! I THINK that was great... let's try it again. OK.. I draw another circle... nothing happens BUT when I do the square that is what gets me the reward and makes the teacher happy... I'll think I'll continue to draw squares when she shows me that's what she wants.

Clicker training is the best way to shape a dogs behavior because the sound the clicker makes is constant and the dog learns to listen for it. No matter if you use the same "verbal" praise everytime the dog does something, it will be different because of your pitch in your voice. Having that constant tone is what makes clicker training so wonderful!

You can learn a lot by going to clickertraining.com. That website gives you the basics of training and how to shape a desired behavior. I feel some trainers do not like clicker training because it forces the dog to think and it forces the trainer to be creative.

The bottom line is that the dog determines it's rewards for doing desired behaviors instead of trying to figure out how to stop the next painful correction. I've done both and can testify that once you do clicker training and see the difference it makes in the dogs attitude, you will never use another training method. Do they all get results.... YES.... but at a price I am not willing to put on my dogs ever again. Each person has to figure out what works for them though. Clicker training and positive training methods in general just work for me!