Philosophically we are balanced trainers. We use motivational methods (food, toys or praise) to take a dog through a learning phase, starting with marker training to help teach your dog to learn and build focus/motivation. Once the dog understands the meaning of the command, we then add distraction to the training regimen to test understanding of the trained command. Once it is clear the dog understands a command there will be an appropriate correction for being disobedient --the key here is that corrections are never given unless we are 100% sure the dog understands what is being asked of him but refuses to follow the command. If you have kids, this should make sense- can you imagine raising a child without ever saying “no?” It wouldn’t work for them, and it doesn’t work for dogs. We need to say “yes,” but we also need to be able to say “no.” IT IS ALL ABOUT COMMUNICATION. Your dog can like you and not respect you, you want both. You want BALANCE. Leadership without tyranny. Respect without fear. Leadership without dominance. Reward without dependency. Control without Cruelty

So what technically speaking is "balanced" dog training? In a nutshell, this means that we utilize all 4 quadrants of the operant conditioning model to train and modify behavior. It is that simple. When we put together a training program for an individual dog we consider many factors, including the specific problem, temperament, breed and genetics of the dog, the dog's past experiences and the owner/handler's experience and physical capabilities. It is a complex thing and takes experience and understanding of both dogs and training techniques. Every dog is different, so understanding and utiltizing all the quadrants of the training model just means we have more tools in our training tool bag to get the job done based on the individual needs of the dog. It is NOT excessive use of tools or force. It IS being able to say "yes" and "no" to your dog in a clear way that the dog understands without leaving the dog to guess what is appropriate behavior and what is not.