Twenty years ago, when I took my Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Waldo, to an obedience class, the necessary equipment consisted of a choke chain, pinch or even a shock collar. I was told to give a "correction", which consisted of a sharp jerk of the leash to deliver a punishment for wrong behavior. I was told to give only verbal praise in small doses as my dog should obey just because it was what I wanted from him. Waldo, and the other dogs in the class did their very best to avoid the jerk of the leash. They did learn to sit and stay and heal, but there was no enthusiam for the work.
Over the past two decades, traditional "jerk and pull" or force-based training has been replaced by dog-friendly, positive methods. Trainers reward good behaviors and dogs learn how to choose to do the right thing, rather than just how to avoid doing the wrong thing. With positive training methods dogs are brought into the process as happy, willing participants. Choke chains have been replaced by "Gentle Leader" head collars and "Sense-ible" harnesses. As the dog is trained a relationship based on trust and confidence is developed. Dog and trainer begin to understand each other's language in new ways.
Positive training techniques are based primarily on principles of learning developed in the 1930's by behavioral psychologists such as Skinner and Watson. Using the concept that all living things repeat behaviors that are rewarding and avoid behaviors that are not, trainers reward or reinforce behaviors that they want. To teach a dog to sit, a small, tasty treat is held just above and behind the dog's head. As the dog looks up at the treat, her bottom hits the floor. The dog is rewarded with the treat. After a few repetitions, the dog is sitting on command, no pushing, pulling or jerking required. To teach a dog to walk properly on a leash, she is rewarded when she is beside her handler. When she hits the end of the leash, the handler stops, when she slacks she is rewarded and the walk continues. With consistency, the dog learns that pulling stops forward progression and polite walking gets her goodies and makes the walk continue.
When you train your dog using positive methods, you build a relationship based on cooperation and trust. You unlock your dog's learning potential by teaching her to problem solve and to control her own behavior. You and your dog become partners in learning.