Soulful Style
Our approach is designed to clarify the training experience for both you and your dog while also offering real solutions that fit into your routine and lifestyle.
The Scientific Approach
to Training Behaviors
-
Core Principles
Calm Energy & Confident Leadership: produces a relaxed, motivated and cooperative dog
Operant Conditioning: dogs learn that their behavior has a consequence by adding or removing a stimulus in order to increase or decrease the likelihood of a behavior occurring.
No Aversive Punishment: Avoiding punishment-based methods such as yelling, physical correction, or intimidation, which can intensify any fear, anxiety, and aggression tendencies.
Consistency: Ensuring that all family members and trainers use the same commands and reward system to avoid confusion and reinforce learning.
-
Techniques
Clicker Training: Using a clicker to mark the exact moment a dog performs a desired behavior, followed by reinforcement.
Positive Reinforcement (+R): Properly rewarding dogs with treats, praise, or play immediately after they perform a desired behavior, to increase the likelihood of that behavior being repeated.
Shaping: Gradually teaching a new behavior by breaking it into smaller parts.
Capturing: Waiting for the dog to naturally perform a desired behavior and then immediately rewarding it.
-
Benefits
Promotes Trust and Confidence: Defining roles clearly helps to build a trusting relationship between the dog and its owner, making the dog more confident and secure with reliable behaviors.
Encourages Quick Learning: Dogs are more likely to learn and remember behaviors that are consistently reinforced.
Target Unwanted Behaviors: focusing on maintaining a clear, trusting relationship along with a positive training history is crucial for effectively changing undesired or problematic behaviors.
“Once you know how to build bridges, you can get across lots of different rivers.”
― Karen Pryor, Reaching the Animal Mind
Science-based positive reinforcement training is effective and also makes training an enjoyable experience for both the dog and the owner. By focusing on building skills and positive experiences, this approach lays the foundation for a lifelong cooperative relationship with your soulful sidekick.