Compulsion-based dog training revolves primarily around using corrections to get the dog to comply. It is very common to hear compulsion-based trainers tell their students that their dogs must learn that obedience is not an option, that is, their dogs must learn to obey at all times. To achieve this, the dogs are constantly corrected for every wrong behavior until they finally comply. The use of choke chains, pinch collars, etc. are common with such dog training methods. Others may even resort to using the electronic collar. Food or treats, on the other hand, are used less frequently because some compulsion-based trainers believe that dogs trained on food or treats tend to be unreliable, i.e., they will obey only if food or treats are available. hand. Take away the food or treat and everything they learn starts to fall apart.

Does food or treats have a place in dog training?

In our opinion, absolutely yes! But they must be administered in the right way. If you show a dog a treat, ask him to come to you and then reward him with the treat, you have just effectively turned the treat into a bribe. Without the treat, there’s a good chance your dog will ignore you and do whatever he wants, especially if there are distractions around.

Therefore, reward-based trainers are very careful about using food and treats as rewards for correct behaviors rather than bribes. As a general rule (except when trying to attract), food is never presented as a means to get the dog’s attention before requesting a behavior. Instead, the food is often out of sight initially and presented only after the requested behavior is performed, as a reward. In this way, the dog is not linked in the fragment to perform. Instead, over time, he learns that even if food is out of sight, it could be rewarded if he consistently performs as asked.

Can reward-based training produce reliable results?

Definitely. In fact, many of today’s top obedience dogs around the world are clicker trained. And clicker training in its purest form uses 100% reward-based methods. The use of force or corrections have no place in clicker training. The fact that these excellent obedience dogs can reliably perform in obedience rings around the world is proof that clicker training works and that the use of force in dog training is not absolutely necessary.

Is clicker training superior to compulsion-based training?

It is our opinion that in the hands of the right trainer, both methods are effective and can produce excellent obedience dogs. However, when it comes to administering corrections, some trainers may overdo it and use higher and higher levels of corrections to train their dogs. For example, they can go from a buckle collar to a choke chain, a pinch collar, and eventually even an e-collar. Some may even resort to using launch chains to speed up their dog’s performance. While these methods work, they tend to produce dogs that act not because they like to, but because they have to. Reliable as they are, these dogs tend to appear quite mechanical in the ring. Problems can also arise if compulsion-trained dogs enter competitions too early. On the track, handlers are not allowed to correct their dogs. If these dogs are not ready for the ring yet, they will invariably make mistakes in the ring and find that the ring does not correct their mistakes. The end result: a dog in the ringwise, that is, a dog that performs wonderfully well outside the ring, but once in the ring, everything falls apart.

With the above in mind, our preferred option is clicker training. Our dog, Rufus CDX, the 2009 Singapore Kennel Club Reserve Obedience Dog of the Year, is clicker trained. In our opinion, clicker training produces dogs that act because they choose to, not because they have to. As a result, they are very excited and it will show in their performance in the ring. Clicker training is also more humane, and more importantly, your dog will love it.