If you’ve ever had someone twist your training philosophy into something it’s not, you’ve likely run into a Straw Man argument. In this episode, I’m breaking down ten of the most common ones aimed at positive reinforcement-based dog training, why they're not valid, and what you can do to create genuine conversations with people who hold a different view of dog training than you, all while staying centered and calm.
🐾Key Episode Moments: 00:00 Common Straw Man Arguments in Dog Training 01:02 What is a Straw Man Argument? 02:38 Straw Man #1 - “Reinforcement trainers are just cookie pushers” 03:19 Straw Man #2 - “Positive training won’t work with high-drive dogs” 04:37 Straw Man #3 - “Reinforcement takes too long, punishment is faster” 05:37 Straw Man #4 - “Dogs need leaders, not more cookies” 06:16 Straw Man #5 - “Dogs need punishment to learn what’s wrong” 07:13 Straw Man #6 - “Training only works if the dog can see the cookie” 08:31 Straw Man #7 - “Positive trainers care more about the dog’s emotion than outcomes” 08:55 Straw Man #8 - “Your dog will never recall reliably without correction” 09:46 Straw Man #9 - “A head halter is just another punishment tool” 10:30 Straw Man #10 - “Positive trainers avoid punishment because they don’t understand it” 11:37 How to stay centered and respond constructively.
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Dogs That is brought to you by Susan Garrett and the Say Yes Dog Training Team.
Susan Garrett’s interest in animal behaviour started at the University of Guelph where she earned a Bachelor of Science majoring in Animal Science. Since then she has developed into a preeminent dog trainer and canine sports instructor and competitor. Susan is one of the most successful agility competitors of the last three decades. She has won multiple Gold Medals at National or World Championship events with every dog she has ever owned over the past 30 years.
A natural teacher and an entertaining speaker, Susan is world renowned as a leading educator of dog trainers. Her understanding of how to apply science-based learning principles to both competitive and family pet dog training has been pivotal in changing how dogs are trained.
Susan is now helping many thousands of dog owners in 132 countries have the best relationship possible with their dogs. The real joy for her comes from bringing confidence to dogs and their owner through playful interactions and relationship building games that are grounded firmly in the science of how animals learn. - - - - - - -
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