Why In 2025 We Still Have Dog Trainers Who Believe “Reinforcement Dog Training Doesn’t Work“ #297
Shaped by Dog with Susan Garrett
DogsThat
4.8 • 679 Ratings
🗓️ 12 March 2025
⏱️ 19 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Visit us at shapedbydog.com
Have you heard the news that positive reinforcement doesn't work? The truth about the dog training success enjoyed by positive reinforcement-based dog trainers comes down to application, and I'm sharing examples that will be familiar to everyone with a dog. Whether you're dealing with a reactive dog, struggling with agility training, or want to improve your training skills, I've got practical insights based on real-world scenarios to help everyone with a dog succeed.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
• Why some trainers claim positive reinforcement-based dog training doesn’t work (and why they’re wrong).
• The biggest mistakes people make with dog training that lead to frustration.
• The importance of Desentisation, Counterconditioning and Operant Conditioning to ensure positive reinforcement-based training works for any dog.
• Real world examples of using positive reinforcement-based training to help dogs with motion sensitivity, reactivity, distractions, and engagement for working with you.
• Why masking emotions with food or toys won’t work and what to do instead.
• What Reverse Conditioning and why to avoid it.
• About the downfall of cookie-stuffing and what to do instead.
Resources:
1. YouTube Playlist: Reactive or Aggressive Dogs: Key Insights with Susan Garrett - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLphRRSxcMHy0Tbd6ZybIXgJk3mtpBLLk7&si=PdviN3sGRJ3DcU0P
2. Podcast Episode 232: Canine Predatory Motor Sequence: Understand Your Dog’s Prey Drive To Enrich Your Life Together - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/232/
3. YouTube Playlist: The Emotional State of Dogs with Susan Garrett - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLphRRSxcMHy29pv3_9b7DZdMFJL9ZJPMy&si=nPW9b53Hamc2hne0
4. Podcast Episode 165: Why Do Dogs Bark In Cars And How To Stop It - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/165/
5. Podcast Episode 146: Balanced Dog Training: Does It Really Exist? - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/146/
6. Podcast Episode 202: Getting A Happy Well Behaved Dog With The ABCs Of Training - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/202/
7. Shaping Success Book by Susan Garrett - https://dogsthat.com/product/shaping-success-2/
8. Podcast Episode 141: Average Or Better Dog Training Question: What Did You Just Reward? - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/141/
9. Blog Post: 6 Keys to Shaping Behaviour - https://susangarrettdogagility.com/2018/12/6-keys-to-shaping-behaviour/
10. YouTube Playlist: Dog Training Games with Susan Garrett - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLphRRSxcMHy2TzttCtZVFwzwMGayAsaYe&si=EivXPja8RBbPxkgH
11. YouTube Video: Understanding Your Dog's Reinforcement Zone (RZ) with Susan Garrett - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaUAScgaFAg
12. DogsThat YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/c/DogsThat/
13. YouTube Playlist: Puppy Essentials with Susan Garrett Dog Training - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLphRRSxcMHy2hywpv3Md3HbWWPPbVF8W5&si=hSJefg4tMy5Cfirf
14. YouTube Video: 5 Tips for Dog Trick Training with Susan Garrett - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hmLXI_qcC8
15. YouTube Playlist: Target Training for Dogs with Susan Garrett - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLphRRSxcMHy3ylCyQ2bJQSCwo_ERiVHj3&si=SM44kBxl4q6C3nIn
16. Watch this Episode of Shaped by Dog on YouTube - https://youtu.be/WDZQjf0OyRg
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Have you heard the news? Apparently, reinforcement-based dog training doesn't work. |
| 0:03.6 | Well, that's according to a lot of dog trainers with huge social media following. |
| 0:09.2 | And it comes as a surprise to not only me, but many of my peers. |
| 0:13.5 | I myself have been doing nothing but reinforcement-based dog training since the early to mid-90s. |
| 0:19.4 | To find out it doesn't work is a surprise. I got a great surprise to me. |
| 0:23.8 | But then I've also heard people kind of, you know, come back on that a little bit and say, |
| 0:27.9 | well, it might work for some people. Oh, I'm one of the lucky ones. But I've got a lot of students |
| 0:33.3 | probably, um, over 100,000 over the last 30 years that it's worked really well for them too. |
| 0:39.6 | And so the comeback then is there are sometimes it just, it's never going to work. |
| 0:45.2 | And when the desire of the dog, like reacting out of another dog is greater than the desire |
| 0:53.1 | for the cookie. It's just not going to work. And to quote |
| 0:56.2 | my mentor, Bob Bailey, don't blame the methodology for one person's application of it or for |
| 1:04.3 | many people's application of it. Reenforcement-based dog training is in its infancy. But there is so |
| 1:10.8 | many ways I can help you in this |
| 1:13.2 | one episode to get so much better than you currently are. So, if you are one of those people who |
| 1:19.8 | find there are times when the reinforcement-based dog training isn't working for you, then this |
| 1:24.2 | episode is for you, my friend. |
| 1:37.2 | Hi, I'm Susan Garrett. |
| 1:38.9 | Welcome to Shape by Dog. |
| 1:46.1 | And I've just heard this statement so many times recently, and I thought, I got to do a podcast about what I've observed most recently, where it appears that the reinforcement-based dog training |
| 1:51.3 | is not working. And it reminds me of a quote, I don't know who said this one. It was, |
| 1:55.5 | those of you who keeps saying this thing can't be done, need to stop interrupting those of us who are successfully doing |
... |
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