How does training in general work?
How do we learn? A lot of behaviour, that of animals and humans, is brought about by conditioning. When we train an animal we’re basically trying to condition it to repeat a desired response to a certain que or even stimulus such as a person.
There are a lot of factors that can account for the success of a training, understanding these factors is an important part of any training. Environment plays a huge role. We might not be aware of it, but a silly little sound or an object can be a disruptive factor during a training. Also the way we ask can be too difficult to understand or understandable but not doable you’re your pet.
This is where Aimee’s behaviour expertise comes in: she can translate what your furry friend is trying to say, and help you adjust what or how you are asking in a way that your pet will understand.
All animals aim to please if they can, sometimes they are restricted due to fear or they don’t understand what is asked of them. And it isn’t just a matter of how you ask or respond to your dog, it is the whole of the interaction, during the training and our normal routines.
Aimee’s Positive Method
Once we understand our companions we can start to show them the right behaviour. There are different ways to go about it. Aimee uses a positive method. What does that mean?
Simply put, positive training is the application of things the animal enjoys to reward the right behaviours and to make him or her feel better about certain situations. It does not included the use of pain, force, or intimidation in anyway.
A positive method offers a holistic approach to behaviour. Looking at the animal as a whole, including the environment, the animal’s daily routine, their diet, the stress they have endured and their overall health as well. Positive training focuses more on how the animal is feeling in a particular moment and looking at the reasons why he is not doing what we think he should be doing in a given situation. This allows the training to have the best chance of success and make your life easier too. It’s about helping you build a relationship with your pet based on trust and mutual respect.
With her positive training Aimee aims to set the animal up to succeed, preventing practicing the behaviours we don’t want so we can then get and reward the behaviours we do want. The goal is to offer alternative options for his or her responses, not to focus on what isn’t going great yet, so to build confidence and positivity in the our beloved pet. A positive trainer, does not use aversive or unpleasant objects to the animal in order to push it into obedience or punish him for getting it wrong.
It might take a little bit longer, but it gives more lasting results and it builds on positive interactions and achievements. When a pet feels he or she has accomplished a desired task, confidence grows as does love.
It works both ways
This approach isn’t just applied the pet, it also accounts for clients. There is no blame for how things have been done in the past, or the choices you have made in regards to training your companion. It is important not just to learn to understand and appreciate the behaviour of the pet, but also your own. Improving any interaction in any relationship can be a stressful thing in itself, it is often underestimated how much impact a learning process can have. Effecting positive change can be a delicate and slow process, which requires both your pet and you to learn alternative responses without adding pressure. You have good intentions, and Aimee looks to help you trust and realise those. The ultimate goal is to have both your furry friend and you feel positive and happy about your relationship.