At The Toronto Centre for Canine Education we use humane, science-based training methods to work with dogs. Our focus is primarily on positive reinforcement: offering dogs something that they like (food, play, human attention, environmental rewards, anything that your dog finds fun) in exchange for behaviours that we would like to see repeated.
We also use negative punishment (reward removal) in order to discourage behaviour, however we must always teach the dog what we want them to do instead.
Our approach must always start with the least invasive, minimally aversive. When addressing behavioural concerns it is advised that we start with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as a way of working through each layer of challenges to resolution.
We do not use or condone the use of positive punishment (adding an aversive to decrease a behaviour) as the fallout from using such techniques is far too great. While we recognize that such consequences can be very effective in the moment, we also understand the effects that suppression can have on a learner and are not interested in taking that risk.
Our aim is to change behaviour in the most stress-free way possible for the learner and to help create and nurture the bond between our students and their dogs.