Post by Wetdog on May 26, 2008 5:28:54 GMT 1
This doesn't mean that you go around being mean and abusive, it means that you will use whatever correction it takes to convince him that he'd BETTER NEVER EVER even think of questioning your leadership role.
I think you guys explained it pretty well----firm, and in control does not mean harsh and abusive. Harsh and abusive is out of control, and will only make things worse.
It does take some practice and getting used to ---- you learn by doing. The benchmark of a good trainer is one that doesn't HAVE to be abusive, loud, intimidating or physically harsh---it is as much the trainer training himself as it is training the dog. A good trainer has already been through the confrontational stage and it is well established between him/her and the dog who is in charge---and it gets much easier the more they work together. To the casual observer it appears completely effortless, and they would never guess that at some point it had to be decided who was going to be the boss.