"We do not hit, kick, shock, shake, jerk, pin a dog to the ground, hang, drown, or ear pinch," says Owens. "We do not use choke, prong or shock collars. We tell people to treat dogs with the same consideration and respect that they treat children, grandparents and themselves." Positive reinforcement is the key to success. Training your dog out of fear is wrong.
Nonviolent animal training is also more effective than earlier techniques. You can change behaviors such as destructiveness and excessive barking by finding what your dog is doing right and praising him for it. When he engages in negative behavior, you can choose to ignore him and hold back praise. Dogs usually pick up on it really fast. Owen estimates that about 20 percent of trainers use non-aversive methods, while the rest adhere to a mix of reward-based and aversive methods. "Nonviolent dog training allows you to create a partnership with your dog using gentle persuasion based in kindness, respect, and compassion." says Owen.