Silvio Meofre, a canine ethologist, explains why gentle correction works better than punishment-based training. Dominance methods damage the dog's trust and behavior. Positive reinforcement and a secure bond are what actually change how dogs act.
Hi, I'm Silvio Meofre, a canine ethologist, and for years I've been supporting and advising families who live with a dog through respectful and kind training. Today we're going to talk about how to train a dog correctly. I'm sure you've seen different techniques on television or online to make a dog stop barking, to to stop it from pulling on the leash, or to make it listen to you when you call it right. But be careful because not all techniques are valid. Today I'll talk about the types of training we can find. But in a nutshell and schematically, there are two types of traditional and kind training. Traditional training is based on the idea that we have to be the leader, the alpha, right? We have to impose and be above our dog because if not, if the dog jumps on the sofa, puts its paw on us, leaves the house before us or eats before us, be careful because it could make fun of us or perhaps we'll end up with a dominant and aggressive dog. Well, I have to tell you that the dominance theory is obsolete. So. So don't worry, you don't have to be your dog's leader or alpha. But unfortunately, this theory has led to very violent techniques and handling of dogs, such as putting on punishment collars, electric collars, pulling, having to restrain them face down, yelling at them, spraying citronella in their faces, and many other techniques that are all based on fear and pain so that the dog stops pursuing, forming a behavior. We know from studies that all of these techniques have harmful long term effects. Look, a dog that receives this type of handling is a stressed dog because it is worried all day long about not knowing when it will get hit, right? The pulling on the leash, the shocking, the yelling, it also breaks the bond with us because we continue to be a threat to also increases its fears or increases its aggressiveness. We can also cause injuries, right? When we use shock or pull in the long run, the dog can suffer an injury. Then we have gentle education. Gentle education is education that is done through affection, through a foundation of kindness and respect. Families that educate their dog with gentle education are families that understand and want to understand their dog. They seek to create a secure attachment and also meet their dog's basic needs, both physical and mental and in terms of affection. In addition, when they seek to create behaviors, they, that is, reinforce behaviors that interest them. They do so through things that are pleasant for the dog, so that we reinforce that, that is so that the dog wants to do it again. And how can we reinforce it? Well, through play, through affection through not only a social reward of saying very good, but also with rewards, and also, of course, through a good bond. Because in the end, dogs, being social animals, want to collaborate with us and like and enjoy doing activities with us. Studies show us that by educating our dog in a kind way, we can make our dog a balanced dog with less fear, who is eager to learn, more motivated, and creates a healthy bond with us and a secure attachment. So if you want to educate your dog correctly, you have to apply kind and respectful education. Understand your dog, provide it with its basic needs, and always offer it something that is pleasurable, something enjoyable that motivates it. This way you will have a balanced dog who wants to learn with you every day. If you think you need help, you can find me@sylviaiofrey.com or on Instagram sylviameofre Sam.
