Our Training Philosophy

You’ll find many trainers out there! So, let us tell you what sets us apart:

Up-to-date, science-based training

As dog trainers, we are dedicated, life-long learners. We work to always remain up-to-date on the best science-based training methods! This means regularly attending conferences and seminars that teach trainers about the forefront of scientific thought about teaching dogs. What science says is that positive reinforcement training is by far the most effective and safest training method for the welfare of your dog. We also are a proponent of decision-based training. We do not force our dogs into doing anything that they do not want to do - instead, we teach them how to make the appropriate decision for themselves.

In 2004, a study titled “Dog Training Methods: Their Use, Effectiveness and Interaction with Behavior and Welfare” was conducted by EF Hibly, NJ Rooney, and JWS Bradshaw for the Animal Welfare Journal. In the study, the authors found that there were ethical and welfare concerns associated with training that uses verbal or physical punishment. When you train a dog with punishment, they are no more obedient than dogs trained with positive reinforcement. Furthermore, these dogs were far more likely to exhibit potentially problematic behaviors caused by an increased state of anxiety. This study ultimately found that reward-based methods (positive reinforcement) lead to better obedience and fewer problems overall.

We train for what we want, not what we don’t want

When we train a dog, we always teach them what we want, not what we don’t want. Whatever the problem is, we are going to address it with science and positive reinforcement. We follow the CPDT (Canine Professional Dog Trainer)’s guidelines for Humane Hierarchy. This guideline advises trainers on the steps that we should take to address an issue with your dog.

The first thing we turn to is always health, nutritional, and physical factors. Then, we turn to management of the issue, training with positive reinforcement, teaching an alternative behavior, and lastly, negative reinforcement. When you come to Enchanted Ranch, this is a place for bonding and fun, not a place for corrective collars/leashes or training devices. What this means is that we always take the least intrusive and minimally aversive (LIMA) approach to training your dog.

We work at your dog’s pace

Much like people, dogs learn different behaviors at different rates. As a result of our dedication to positive reinforcement training only, this can mean that the time it takes your dog to learn something may be longer than you’d like. However, we never use harsh tactics to train an issue through fear. Positive reinforcement takes time - but trust us, it’s worth it!