CYNTHIA GORDON, CPDT-KA, VSPDT
I am a Victoria Stilwell-approved Positively Dog Trainer, TTouch Practitioner, and Behavior Consultant who wants to help you and your family make your dog or dogs be the best they can be! Whether you have one dog or three (like me!); whether you are starting a new puppy or re-starting a rescued senior.....I can help you find that perfect fit that will enable you to have a lifetime of safe, happy friendship with your canine pal.
I use hands-on, positive techniques that you can quickly learn to apply to your everyday situation with your dog. Whether you choose a six-weeks course or a basic introduction to obedience....or perhaps you and your dog need more intense work on behavior issues....I and my team of qualified training partners can help you make your household peaceful again! When you make an appointment, I will pair you with the Trainer that will best meet your needs and schedule.
POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT TRAINING.....
Positive
Reinforcement (R+) training refers to training
done by rewarding the behaviors that you
want rather than punishing the behaviors you don’t want. Dogs do what works, and if jumping and
barking results in the attention that they so badly want (even negative
attention is STILL attention), they will repeat that behavior. However, if you teach your dog an acceptable
behavior that is not compatible with jumping or barking, such as sit or quiet, you will be able to reward that behavior. Soon your dog will be offering the rewardable
behavior on a regular basis….because.…dogs do what works! And now you will have behaviors that are
acceptable for you AND rewardable for your dog.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE TRAINING....
Modern
behavioral science has proven
that forceful handling such as physical punishment, leash yanking, or making a
dog submit by rolling it on its back is psychologically
damaging for the dog and has potentially dangerous consequences for owners.
Instead, the most successful modern training theories suggest that reinforcing
good behavior with rewards while using constructive discipline is much more
successful. Positive reinforcement (i.e., giving the dog a reward in the form
of praise, play, food, toys, etc. when it responds and offers an action or a
behavior that you like) has been shown to be the most effective way to train a
dog because rewarding good behavior will increase the likelihood of that
behavior being repeated. Similarly, the use of constructive discipline (marking
bad behavior by using vocal sounds to interrupt the behavior and refocus the
dog onto something more positive, ‘time-outs’ or simply ignoring the dog)
ensures that the dog learns which behavior is linked to the negative
consequences of the discipline and is therefore less likely to repeat the
behavior.
