How We Train Matters
Here’s what’s important at Koinonia for living and learning with dogs
Prevention
Physical barriers are a common form of Prevention
“If your dog digs in the trash can, the first step to fixing that problem is to put the trash can in the pantry or switch to a locking lid trash can.”
As a budding dog trainer, I think I felt like Prevention was a cop-out: why can’t you just teach the dog to stay out of the trash?!?
I’ve grown as a trainer since then, but instead of using Prevention less — I’m more mature and advanced now, right?? — I probably use it more. Rather than seeing it as an inferior solution compared to “TRAINING,” I see it as a mandatory part of a successful, positive-reinforcement dog training plan.
I define Prevention as: proactive changes we make to the environment, routines or human behavior that make it almost impossible for the dog to do the wrong thing.
Prevention is a must because halting rehearsal of the wrong behavior is a must. And the only realistic way to immediately do that is to remove the wrong choice as an option.
Instead of thinking that we choose between Prevention OR Training to solve behavior problems, I now see the choice as Prevention OR Prevention and Training.
Prevention is a must!