Choosing The Best Dog Training Collar For Training Your Strong, Stubborn, Or High Drive Puppy Or Dog (Parts I & II of IV)

Does force play a role in raising the youngsters of any higher order social species? Of course, it does. However, it’s always measured and in keeping with the situation and maturity of the student. Try changing cranky child’s diaper or get them into a snowsuit without using superior physical advantage. This birth to the young adulthood period in our children’s development and that of the offspring of all higher order species gives us a physical advantage for more than one reason. Even once we get past the point that pinning a screaming infant with one hand while we’re reaching for the wipes with the other we incorporate, “I’m not asking you, I’m telling you and if you don’t like me telling you I’m going to ‘force’ you!” strategies into our parenting toolbox. All higher order social species do. We might in recent years have refrained from corporal consequences and instead turned to punish with whatever sort of painful emotional leverage we decide is more ‘humane’. Things like loss of internet, smartphone, gaming privileges etc. become negotiating chips once the children sufficiently progress cognitively and in language skills so that they can grasp the threat of the consequence.

‘All Positive/Purely Positive/Force-Free…’, treat, treat, treat trainers would have everyone thinking that if it’s not “all positive/force free” then the pendulum must savagely swing right over to abuse. As a result, I won’t be asking one to change any diapers any time soon. (You will read more about the pseudo-science nonsense that is, unfortunately, the most common form of access to training companion dog owners find in North America a little later in this article.) For the rest of us though it should be obvious that not being all positive does not leave us with the only other option of using pain and abuse. In fact, a very strong argument can be made that this aspect of behavior modification should not only not be left out for practical reasons there is growing evidence that removing appropriate consquences during formative periods of development may impact the ability to cope with otherwise normal stress later in life.

It may not be a coincidence that the significant increase in the number of dogs I see with anxiety problems (and on medication) since ‘all-positive dog training came on the scene is in keeping with similar epidemic level developments in the young human population (also on medication) since the advent of helicopter, everyone gets a trophy, self-esteem must be protected at all costs approach to parenting, schooling, and other social justice warrior approach-like influence. Well meaning and with the best of intentions I’m sure, but perhaps too far afield from how our biology has been influenced by evolution?

In the early stages of life we use superior strength, speed, and agility; initially to care for and protect our children from the ills of the world. As they get a little faster, stronger and more agile themselves we use our advantage more than rarely to keep them safe from themselves. This is the obvious explanation as to why we have a physical advantage. 

However from an evolutionary behavior perspective, (and this critical and missed by almost all companion dog trainers) another less obvious but highly pertinent reason is that our physical advantage and the frequent ways and manners in which we apply this advantage gives our youngsters little choice but to take note of various forms of our tone and body language. They learn to do more than hear and see their parents. The advantage begins the process of them learning to listen and watch. Dog trainers that do not incorporate this reality into their training recommendations seek to influence behavior by far less effective and far more onerous and entirely unnatural and unnecessary means; either physical corrections or bribery via treats and toys.

A puppies first exposure to a ‘hard’, “No!” and sometimes physical discipline from a mother is when those razor-sharp teeth latch on to their mother’s nipple. Those teeth are another gift from evolutionary biology. More to motivate the mother to say, “No!”, rather than having any practical purpose. Between  4 – 6 weeks of age they start to take careful note of their mother’s tone and body language. Not just the oxytocin-driven love tone and body language either. The, “I’m not asking you, I’m telling you!”, tone and body language as well. And once in a while, should they fail to notice or heed her warnings, they’ll find themselves nipped, pinned to the ground and otherwise physically inconvenienced.

Those same teeth allow them to learn much about their littermates as well during the weeks to come. They learn with some littermates there will be consequences if they fail to inhibit and with others, they’ll learn there will be an opportunity. Which puppies do the teachings and which puppies do the learning? Which puppies get the best nursing spots, the choicest scraps etc.? The puppies that back off or the puppies that do the backing off? The puppies that ignore bad behavior and reward good behavior? The puppies that redirect with a toy or a treat? Whoops, that last bit is what the pseudo-science ‘All Positive/Purely Positive/Force-Free…’, treat, treat, treat dog trainers tell you to do -, right? Because responding like a mother dog that needs to establish who is the teacher and who is the student so she can teach real-world life skills is cruel? Or is it a much clearer indication of what role force plays in the real world of all higher order social species and shines the light on a necessary aspect of companion puppy and dog obedience?

On the flip side of the coin, there are the ‘Might Is Right’ companion dog trainers, that are all about recommending being ‘alpha, pack leader, dominant’, alpha-rolls and other naive clap-trap behavior theories seemingly based on a grade school student’s grasp of behavior science. The most famous of them all has no shortage of videos being bitten, almost bitten and even more training/confronting agitated, fearful dogs. Asked for the justification? “Mother dogs do it.” “Other dogs do it.” Not like that they don’t. Not with that sort of outcome they don’t.

There’s a difference between subordinate and submission. When that level of interaction occurs it’s first of all very much the exception to the rule and not a parenting philosophy. Secondly, it’s rarely needed, not the first thing out of the parenting toolbox. One would think that if one were a parent or a school teacher and one were getting regularly threatened, attacked or literally stabbed by one’s students, one might clue in?

You need more than just the right dog training equipment. Good dog training is ‘Fully Balanced Companion Dog Training’ which factors in everything. However one of those factors relates to equipment and the reality that starting at 10 weeks of age our dogs step out of nature’s template and become faster and more agile than any human on the planet. Some because they have four-wheel drive and four on the floor traction become relatively stronger than their owners. That includes, of course, the most important human or humans of all. The one(s) that are supposed to be teaching them that they (the human) are the teacher and that they (the dog) is the student, and to recognize and respond to warm and cold tone and body language so they can learn to be civilized and successful. 

Their mothers would have had months and months to go before this would happen. And, so the equipment you use should give you her advantages so that you too can leave the ‘Might Is Right’ and ‘All Positive/Purely Positive/Force-Free…’, treat, treat, treat nonsense behind and teach your puppy to respond to your tone and body language so that one day you don’t need to rely on leashes and collars. You will be the leash and collar and the equipment just a hopefully never needed emergency-brake.