What actually is force-free dog training?

Choosing a dog trainer is confusing. Especially when every single trainer seems to use different training methods. It’s hard to trust any professional when you can easily find another who’s saying the exact opposite. Unfortunately dog training is an unregulated profession so anyone can say they’re a dog trainer, even if they’ve got no qualifications, experience or skill. That’s why you’ll see so many different opinions, a lot of them come from trainers who are quite literally making it up as they go along. Other trainers are relying on myths that were debunked over 20 years ago or are using methods that are proven to harm your dog and your relationship with them.

Rewarding dogs with treats is part of training force-free, but that’s not all force-free training is…

I’m a force-free dog trainer. This means that my training methods are based on a scientific understanding of dog behaviour, how dogs learn and how we can improve dogs’ welfare. Force-free training is about being kind to dogs and rewarding them for doing what we want, but it’s so much more than that.

How we teach new behaviours force-free

Force-free training is about rewarding dogs for behaviours we want. The most common reward is food, but we can reward our dogs with anything they like, including play, sniffs or affection. If we reward our dogs for doing things we like, they’ll be more likely to do them in future hoping they’ll get another reward. And they’ll enjoy learning new things because they’ve learnt that training is a fun experience.

To help dogs enjoy training we ‘set them up to succeed’. This means we don’t want dogs to make mistakes and we want to make it as easy as possible for them to get things right. When we teach anything new, we break it down into small steps that your dog can do easily and build up to the final behaviour. And we start training in the least distracting place so your dog can learn more easily and then slowly increase the distractions.

Giving dogs choices is a really important part of force-free training. This can sound scary because if we give our dogs a choice, they might make one we don’t like. Dogs are learning every moment they’re awake - not just during formal training sessions. If we reward the good choices our dogs are making, they’ll keep repeating them without us having to ask. This will make your dog much easier to live with because they’ll naturally make good choices. And you’ll be able to give them much more freedom at home and on walks which will improve their wellbeing.

If you reward your dog for choosing to chill out, you’ll soon have a lovely relaxed dog at home.

Force-free training improves your relationship

Force-free training is about teamwork, you and your dog are working together to live your perfect life. Your dog wants the same things you do: exciting walks, fun play sessions and evenings chilling out together. When you train force-free, training becomes the game you both play together to help you achieve your shared goals. Your dog will think you’re a fun person to be around and they’ll be able to trust you completely because you never do scary things.

You’ll also learn a lot more about your dog and how to improve their wellbeing. You’ll be able to read their body language so you know how they’re feeling and what they’re trying to communicate with you. Your dog will feel safe with you because they know you’ll listen when they’re feeling worried. And they’ll feel less frustrated because they can tell you what they need. You’ll learn about what your dog needs to be happy and easy changes you can make to improve their welfare and their behaviour. You’ll get to help your dog live their best, enriched life and there’s no better joy than that.

Why I don’t use punishment

One massive thing that makes force-free training different from other dog training methods is that we don’t use any form of punishment. This means we don’t hurt, scare or stress dogs when they do things we don’t like. Common ways people punish dogs include shocking them with e-collars, yanking on slip leads or prong collars, kicking or hitting them. Society tells us dogs need punishments like these to learn, but that’s just not true. Dogs can learn just as quickly without any punishments.

Your dog can learn all the important skills they need without you having to hurt or scare them.

The problem with punishment is that it negatively impacts your dog’s welfare and damages your relationship with them. You want your dog to be your best friend and all the best friendships are based on love, trust and fun. But every time you hurt or scare your dog when training they feel less safe with you. You become confusing to your dog because they never know whether you’ll be nice or nasty to them. And every single punishment is stressful for your dog which over time can literally damage their health.

All behaviours have a purpose - even the most annoying ones. Dogs are communicating all the time through their behaviours, we just have to learn how to listen. Your dog’s behaviour could tell you they’re ill or in pain, that they need comfort and support or that they need more chances to play, chew, dig and just be a dog. If you punish any undesirable behaviours you stop listening to all these vital communications. You lose the chance to understand your dog and improve their welfare if you punish unwanted behaviours. And you could even be punishing them for trying to tell you they’re ill or in pain.

Doesn’t my dog need to respect me?

One of the main reasons people punish dogs is because they believe it teaches them ‘respect’ or shows their dog that they’re a ‘strong leader’. This comes from the belief that wolves live in packs with an ‘alpha wolf’ who ‘fought for dominance’. Dominance theory says that dogs are descended from wolves and so dogs must also be pack animals. And that you need to become the ‘alpha’ of the pack or your dog will try to dominate you. There’s a huge list of rules you’re supposed to follow to ‘show your dog you’re the leader’ and ‘teach them to respect you’.

It all seems very logical, except it’s not true. Dominance theory was debunked over 20 years ago. Yes, wolves live in packs - but those packs are similar to human families and the ‘alpha wolves’ are just the parents. There’s no fighting for dominance, when adolescent wolves want to have their own packs they just leave to find a mate. And anyway, dogs are not wolves in cute outfits. They don’t behave like wolves and they don’t live in packs.

Your dog isn’t a wolf - domestication has changed their behaviour, not just their appearance.

Wanting your dog to ‘respect’ you might seem ok, but it’s really harmful. ‘Respect’ is a human concept, dogs just don’t understand it. When we treat problem behaviours as a ‘lack of respect’ we fail to understand the real reason why these behaviours are happening. And that huge list of rules that is supposed to show your dog that you’re the ‘leader’? The only thing it’s going to do is harm your relationship with your dog.

But what happens when my dog does something wrong…?

One of the things people find most confusing about force-free training is how they deal with undesirable behaviours. If you’re looking for a dog trainer it’s probably because your dog is doing at least one thing that annoys you. Your dog might be pulling on the lead, jumping up at visitors or not recalling. Or your puppy might be toileting in the house, biting you during play or crying when you leave the room. Whatever it is, you just need it to STOP.

You’re probably thinking ‘this force-free training sounds great, but doesn’t my dog need to be punished to know they’ve done something wrong?’. Unlike traditional punishment-based training, force-free training doesn’t wait until dogs do something wrong so we can punish them. ‘Setting dogs up to succeed’ is not just for teaching new behaviours. We want to prevent your dog practising problem behaviours too. To do this we use management which can be as simple as keeping shoes out of your dog’s reach so they don’t chew them or putting your dog on a long line so they do run off while you’re training their recall. Management is so much easier and less stressful than waiting for your dog to misbehave so you can punish them. And doesn’t risk harming your relationship either.

Written by Juniper Indigo, dog trainer in Tiverton and Exeter