There's a guy named Hassan who is marketing his training biz under the name Sit Means Sit.  He claims to be a positive trainer, but he isn't using a training technique that you will find at trulydogfriendly.com!  The name of his game is the shock collar.  Don't like the terminology? Tough.  I don't like an e-collar trainer calling himself "positive" to fool the public either.  Does e-collar training work?  Sure it does, and Mr. Hassan will be only too glad to show you the videos.  But, take a closer look at this method.  It gets the dog to behave in order to avoid a penalty, which these people will tell you is a "stim", or stimulus.  Well, in plain talk, the "stim" is an electric shock.  Granted, the shock can be minimal, but if the dog does not respond, the "stim" gets stronger until he does.  Personally, I don't mind spending more time training my dogs with more positive (really positive) means, and I don't want them to work to avoid a penalty, or to avoid pain.  That produces a dog that's basically an automaton.  I like a dog that understands how to learn!  That's why I choose clicker training over e-collar, or any other type of correction training.  I want my dog to exhibit behavior because there's a reward in it for him, whether that be food, a toy, praise from me, or something else that my dog is willing to work for.  I want a willing partner, not a dog that is coerced to work because he will be in pain if he doesn't.  Sure, e-collar training works, but is it the most humane choice?  I think that's a big fat NO.  Buyer beware.  Make sure anything labeled "positive" really is positive before you subject your dog to it..

Posted on the forum, too, but in case it doesn't get stickied, and you need to find something quick, here is the list of links.  I don't know if a disclaimer is needed on a blog post, but here it is anyway:

Disclaimer: The dog.com forum posting rules require that members post a disclaimer when linking to training or behavior sites.  As a professional trainer, any advice or links I offer are based on my years of experience with my own dogs, rescued/shelter dogs, and my clients’ dogs, but still may not fit your individual situation with your dog(s).  I advise that you seek competent professional advice before trying any training or behavior modification techniques on your own dog(s). 

 http://r-plusdogtraining.info/myth.htm

www.clickertraining.com (Karen Pryor)

www.clickerlessons.com (free lessons)

www.clickersolutions.com (collection of clicker articles)

www.clickertrain.com (Corally Burmaster)

www.trulydogfriendly.com (listing of absolutely positive trainers/yahoo group)

www.peaceablepaws.com (listing of positive trainers)

www.clickertrainusa.com (former idogger Gal Ziv – free videos)

http://www.dogpatch.org/obed/obpage4.cfm

http://www.dogplay.com/Behavior/clicker.html

http://clickertraining.tv/product.html?item=FREE-01

http://www.takeabowwow.com/ (trick training corner, etc.)

http://cats.about.com/b/2007/08/27/clicker-training-video-cat-learning-to-operate-light-switch.htm (cat learning to operate a light switch)

http://www.horses-etc.com/Clicker_Training/index.shtml

http://www.theclickercenter.com/panda/index.html (The Panda Project)

http://www.doggonesafe.com/clicker%20training.htm

http://www.deafdogs.org/training/clicker.php (Clicker training for deaf dogs)

http://www.tawzerdogvideos.com/clicker-training.htm

http://www.courteouscanine.com/clicker-instructions/ (Guide for first-time clicker users)

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Academy/8636/CTFAQ.html

This is the handout my students get when they ask me about Millan:

 His methods are certainly not new, nor are they magic, except possibly through the magic of television, yet Cesar Millan (National Geographic Channel) seems to have captured the public’s attention since an appearance on Oprah (who since has adopted another dog guru).  Some very highly regarded experts suggest, however, that one good thing he has done is to get the public interested in dog behavior and training.  Yet, instead of making things better for the average pet, some also say he has helped to perpetuate a misguided “dominance theory” that is not exactly accurate.  Do some of his methods work?  Sometimes.  But, we also have more recent scientific methods of training that make it unnecessary to coerce dogs into good behavior or force them into overcoming their fears (called “flooding”).  But, even so, there are no magic bullets.  Just as with children, learning usually takes a bit of time with dogs, too.  Despite the show’s warnings to the contrary, and Cesar’s own suggestion that people seek out a local trainer to help their dogs, I am still seeing people “trying those methods at home” with no idea of the consequences that might occur. 

Cesar says, “Be a pack leader”, but what does that mean?  Wolf models, long touted as the basis for the “alpha roll” or “dominance theory” have proven significantly invalid for dogs.  Dogs are certainly not fooled into thinking that human beings are other dogs – they “get” that we have a weird way of walking, and that we have those neat opposable thumbs.  Perhaps more importantly, dogs understand fairness and “who controls the resources”.   For example, it really is unnecessary for you to always go out the door first.  It is just as effective for you to ask that your dog “sit/wait” and be given permission to go out the door, since that puts you (and your opposable thumbs) in charge of that resource (getting outdoors).  So, you need not worry that if you allow Fido to step out the door first that he will sense your weakness & be plotting a coup to take over as your leader! 

In my opinion, it’s fine to watch Cesar Millan or any other trainer/behaviorist or self-proclaimed behavior expert, and I’m happy whenever someone has an interest in training, or improving their dogs’ behavior.  But, if you’re going to watch the show, or read “Cesar’s Way”, I suggest you also read Jean Donaldson’s “The Culture Clash”.  If you read Cesar’s “Be a Pack Leader”, please also read Pat Miller’s “The Power of Positive Dog Training”, Morgan Spector’s Clicker Training for Obedience”, or Patricia McConnell’s “How to Be the Leader of the Pack and Have Your Dog Love You for It”.  It’s hard to make a reasoned decision about how you want to train and manage your dog if you only have one point of view, and from an edited TV show at that.  Here’s where you can get our any of the recommended readings, or explore on your own: www.dogwise.com. 

If I can leave you with one idea – don’t idolize or blindly defend anyone, and never stop learning.  That is how we came to understand that we could train dolphins, dogs, chickens and even goldfish, with a simple set of scientific principles.  And, it is how we will eventually learn even more that can bridge the “language barrier” between humans and the dogs we love!  

My guiding principle is to use the most minimally invasive least aversive techniques that I possibly can.  When a dog fails, I look to my own insufficiencies as a trainer first, rather than chastising the dog.  I try to remember that, while my dog wants to please me, he is still a dog, and his native tongue is “canine”, not English. In teaching him my language, I have come to know that what I reinforce (with treats, toys, games, or privileges) is what the dog understands as correct; and that what I allow, I teach (if I go where he wants when he pulls on his leash, I'm teaching him that pulling is ok).  Here’s a link to a neat one-page explanation of the “clicker training” or “marker training” used at my training facility.  http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/2001/primer.htm

It is when we succeed at communicating our wishes in ways that our dogs understand, and when we also succeed in perfecting our timing, reinforcement, and consistency, that we are successful at training.  That’s why I don’t "whisper" – I translate and motivate!  And, I keep reading, listening, and doing – with the dogs as my ultimate teachers.

 One of the most common sad situations is when dogs are under-socialized during their first critical weeks, from 8-12 weeks of age.  During that time, a puppy should be exposed to everything that you want him to tolerate as an adult dog.  That means umbrellas, guys with baseball hats on, guys with baseball hats on backwards, sliding doors, infants, different surfaces, stairs, other dogs large and small, pocket pets, different foods, the beach, the pet store, the park, everything.  When dogs don't get that, there will usually always be things that scare them, or that they are anxious about.  And, at its worst, they don't learn their native canine language very well and may be unable to respond to or issue appropriate signals to other dogs.  They can bark and lunge on leash.  Or, they can cower and run backward (these dogs need a harness or martingale collar, since many of them are lost when they back out of a flat collar, and are lost).  There are some excellent references on how to deal with a cautious, shy, under-socialized, or reactive dog.  These are my recommendations (you can get them all at dogwise.com):

Help for Your Shy Dog by Deborah Wood;  Click to Calm by Emma Parsons;  Feisty Fido and The Cautious Canine by Patricia McConnell; Scaredy Dog - Understanding and Rehabilitating Your Reactive Dog by Ali Brown.

It's important to remember that this training must go at the dog's pace, not yours, and it can be painfully slow.  You may never have a dog that is happy to go up to anyone or any dog, but you should be able to train your dog to look to you for guidance when he/she is nervous.  Focus on the handler is the key to this kind of training.   

 Over the years, I've had a lot of conversations with others about the necessity, or lack thereof, of punishing dogs.  On the forum lately, at least one poster complained that her dog "attacked" her, after being punished (don't know what kind of punishment, but assume it's physical if a ten month old pup has to use his teeth to fend off his owner). 

I can't help but wonder why people who do this are so anxious to continue, even to the point of the dog retaliating.  Clearly, the punishments have not worked, or the dog would no longer be pee'ing in the living room or raiding the trash.  So, why is it that people get so defensive over the need to punish?  Must be the dog's fault - maybe the dog has a screw loose - had forty gazillion dogs in my life, and none of them were this bad..... No, of course they weren't.  But, it seems to me that the other dogs were probably of a less independent breed, or less confident individuals.  They probably cowered or shut down, and never attempted to bite.  So, was the owner a great owner then?  Or, was the owner still just ignorantly abusing dogs by expecting them to know things that were never properly taught to them in the first place? What I see is that the person finally got a dog that didn't get it - and perceived the punishment as unfair.  Dogs hate unfair.

At any rate, I vote for NOT continuing the same tactics and expecting different results.  According to Einstein, that is the definition of insanity.  For god's sake, if punishment doesn't work, stop defending it and try rewarding what you do want.

 I spend a lot of time reading posts about what we want dogs to do for us, or how we want dogs to behave, but the thought occurs to me that we spend little time trying to build a relationship with our dogs, based on trust, communication, and consistency, before asking them to behave as we wish.  The difference between domination and cooperation is a big divide that some of us have not yet fully comprehended.  I feel that my dogs are not human, but that they are sentient beings with feelings.  Case in point - joy.  My new training center opened yesterday with a play group.  Dogs that have not seen each other in months filed in one by one to this new strange space, but you absolutely could see their faces light up as they realized, "OMG, my FRIENDS are here - YAY!!!!!"  Best play group we have had in a very long time.  And, people were shocked to see the looks of recognition on the dogs' faces, plus the level of excitement and happiness evident in the play.  These guys were darned glad to see one another again.  So, if you think that friendship with dogs is irrelevant, and it's much more important to get a precise "heel", think again.  Your dog is willing to do a lot for you, if only he understands, and if he already likes you;-)