There are two camps in dog training right now, and they are not being polite about it. One side trains almost entirely with rewards. The other mixes rewards with corrections, sometimes including prong collars that press into a dog’s neck when it pulls.
Brian Lee, who trains in the correction camp, told the Wall Street Journal that reward training is “all treats, treats, treats, so help me God,” and compared it to buying a teenager a BMW. Victoria Stilwell, who trains with rewards, says she laughs at the idea that treats spoil a dog.
Even the reward camp argues with itself. Behaviorist Ian Dunbar says too many treats is the biggest problem in dog training at the moment. On social media one side calls the other cruel, the other side calls them “treat-slinging wieners,” and Lee’s Instagram post asking for calm had his credentials questioned in the replies.
A second fight runs alongside it, about online courses versus in-person lessons. Dunbar says temperament problems cannot be solved over the phone. Siobhan Dunn, who teaches online, points out that many owners could never reach her in person, and in-person sessions in the UK run to about 150 pounds an hour.
What this means for your dog: the label on the trainer matters less than what happens in the room. Ask what they do when a dog gets it wrong, and expect an answer about managing the situation rather than hurting the dog. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior advises against prong, choke and shock collars for routine training. If a dog who lunges at other dogs is your actual problem, start with our guide to leash reactivity instead. The Guardian has the whole argument.