In my consultations, I usually give a basic rundown of myself as a “balanced trainer.” Many clients understandably don’t have the knowledge of what balanced training is, what it entails, and what it looks like in comparison to what they already know or have experienced. That’s why, with every new client, I take the time to make sure they understand exactly how we train, why our methods work so well, and what that training looks like.
In those consults, I usually explain balanced training in fairly simple terms: I believe in using “yes” as well as “no,” and prefer to do so in the most minimally-aversive way that the circumstances allow.
Saying “yes” is easily 95% or more of the training; it looks like giving food and treats, praise, toys, affection, or “life rewards” like getting to go out the door.
Saying “no” is for stopping unwanted behaviors, and scales to the severity or urgency of the behavior; it might look like some leash pressure, the stim on a remote collar, or removal or something desirable like making a treat disappear.
These are the foundations of what we call “balanced dog training.”
What Does Balanced Training Mean?
In basic terms, balanced dog training is any form of dog training that willingly incorporates both rewards and corrections. To put it more scientifically, balanced training utilizes all four quadrants of operant conditioning which is made up of reinforcers and punishers.
In balanced dog training, the trainer controls stimuli in order to show the dog that its behaviors will result in desirable and undesirable consequences. The dog will provide behaviors that get them what they want, and avoid behaviors that get them what they don’t want.
According to “Introduction to Learning and Behavior,” a common textbook in behavioral studies, this goes back to the 1890s, when Edward L. Thorndike dove in to the first scientific research on the learning ability of animals, creating the basis of what was called “Thorndike’s Law of Effect.” Thorndyke used a process of systematic investigation (“Thorndike’s puzzle box”) that eventually concluded in the following:
Behaviors leading to a satisfactory state of affairs are strengthened or “stamped in,” while behaviors leading to an unsatisfactory or annoying state of affairs are weakened or “stamped out.”
Introduction to Learning and Behavior by Russell A. Powell, Diane G Symbaluk, Suzanne E. MacDonald
Later this would come to be known as “operant conditioning.” Those satisfactory states of affairs became known as “reinforcers” and those unsatisfactory ones became known as “punishers.”
This is the science of not just dog training, but all animal behavior, including humans.
About a century later, in the 1970s and 1980s, dog trainers began borrowing more from training principles used in exotic animals such as dolphins, orcas, and other marine mammals. Because applying punishers is not realistic for many exotics, these methods largely relied on reward-only.
It wasn’t long before this began to spread into the dog training community, which was understandably enthralled at the idea of “kinder” training practices that would mean never having to correct a dog for an unwanted behavior again.
Since then, the pet industry has grown exponentially, at not such a coincidence. New foods, treats, and a whole industry of training tools has emerged since the cultural embrace of these ideas. Today, the pet industry is a 123.6-billion dollar business.
We also learned a lot from this boom in reward-based training, and most modern balanced trainers have taken the information learned during this period and incorporated what suits the practice into their training.
But the fact of the matter is that dogs are not marine mammals, and there is no aquarium wall or water between us; they live with us in our homes and saturate our every day. The struggles of dog owners everywhere are testament to this: reward-only training just doesn’t work for all real-world scenarios, particularly in reducing unwanted behaviors, reliability, and proofing.
Balanced training utilizes these scientific principles proudly in tandem with other behavior modification principles such as extinction, classical conditioning, and more, to deliver results that work, help dogs get access to the world around them, and live their best lives.
What is a Balanced Approach to Dog Training?
While the science of animal behavior is unanimously in favor of the four quadrants approach, each individual trainer is going to have specific preferences based on their own perceptions, philosophy, and experiences.
So in actual practice, balanced training can look quite different depending on the dog, the trainer, and the goals.
Some balanced dog trainers are quite heavy-handed, being more generous with corrections and withholding rewards more than others. Others will only correct the most severe behaviors, or will provide very light corrections and otherwise use almost entirely reward-based methods.
Some will use tools commonly seen in balanced training spaces, like e-collars, slip leads, or prong collars. Others prefer head haltis or flat collars.
Some balanced trainers will work dangerous jobs like aggression rehabilitation, train sport or protection, or deal with other severe behaviors. And some balanced trainers train pet dogs, puppies, or service animals.
In every one of these situations, the trainer is still a “balanced dog trainer” if they knowingly utilize and control consequence, both favorable and unfavorable.
I myself tend to lean less-aversive whenever it is reasonable to do so. For some dogs, such as dogs that come in for housetraining or basic obedience, this will genuinely look like little to no correction. For others, for example the dogs who come to me on death row for aggression, I will be more willing to use bigger corrections to make sure that dog goes on to safely live a full and happy life.
I actually go into depth on my own personal philosophy around dog training corrections and balanced dog training in my article, The Ten Commandments of Dog Training Corrections.
Balanced dog training is neither “old school” nor “new school.” Balanced training is built on the scientific knowledge that has been well-documented for over a century, and has been refined over that time with the introduction and consideration of new options and advancements in training and technology. It is as “modern” as any other training approach, and it looks different for each dog, trainer, and circumstance.
A balanced approach to dog training is flexible, compassionate, and keeps the dog’s best interest in mind. I like the nuance of problem solving and pivoting for what works for an individual dog, and balanced training gives me the tools to make sure that every dog succeeds no matter where they start.
Is Balanced Dog Training Bad?
From this explanation you can easily see that balanced dog training is not “bad,” but it is horribly misrepresented and demonized.
Unfortunately, there are some very noisy voices on the other side of the fence that don’t share the same love of flexibility, pivoting for the dog, and keeping the dog’s long-term best interest in mind.
Those voices say that balanced dog training is unscientific, while quoting studies that only verify the balanced approach (ie, “reward-based training increases behaviors and teaches new ones better than punishment” is a balanced training concept as much as any other).
Those voices are eager to scream abuse for the use of common dog training tools that can easily be used in more minimally-aversive ways than more digestible “kinder” tools.
And those voices proudly declare, “death over discomfort,” favoring to euthanize a dog rather than apply a one-time punisher that alters an undesirable behavior.
It is truly extreme and militant in many ways. But this is a difference in individual philosophy, not a matter of objectivity.
At the end of the day, each individual has the autonomy to decide where they want to operate on that scale, and which dogs that philosophy is helpful to. Some dogs will be okay with mostly-reward training. Other dogs need more information.
It is a good thing, not a bad one, that trainers exist who can help dogs that others can’t or won’t.
Is Balanced Training Good for Dogs?
Every time balanced dog training helps me save the life of a dog that would have been euthanized, I end up reflecting on how kind balanced dog training really is.
This goes back to the first dog I ever got on my own, Grimm. I write about how incorporating corrections saved his life in my article, The Dog That Turned Me Into A Trainer.
Since then, I have been lucky enough to be able to develop my skillset further, refine it, and use it to help countless others. Sometimes, this help is peace of mind for the owner and looks like relief from an unwanted behavior.
But training that works helps dogs, too.
Dogs that get their house in order, so to speak, are at a significantly reduced risk of being rehomed or surrendered to a shelter. And after the “covid puppy” spike in 2020 and 2021, we are now seeing a lot of young adult dogs with fixable behavior problems being surrendered at alarming rates.
Part of this is due to backyard breeding, which saw a lot of “business” throughout that time. I talk more about how backyard breeding does very real harm to humans and dogs in this article about purebred and mixed dogs as well as this article about backyard breeding itself.
But nature is only part of the equation. Training (nurture) is equally responsible for the current state of animal shelters and euthanasia rates.
Dogs who behave get to stay with their families. They’re not knocking grandpa down or biting kids or barking so much that their families are facing eviction. Dog behavior is serious business, sometimes.
Keeping these dogs with their families keeps them out of shelters and away from death’s door.
Instead, being well-trained in the most efficient way possible allows dogs to trade the momentary discomfort of a correction for a lifetime of enrichment and fulfillment. Well-trained dogs go on hikes, go to outdoor cafes and pubs, come with their owners on day trips and vacations, and get way more involvement in every day life than dogs whose behaviors are out of control.
Balanced training is sometimes the difference between a dog being euthanized and that same dog getting to life the life of their dreams. To me, that is the kindest thing you can do for a dog.
What is the Best Dog Training Method?
At the end of the day, the best dog training method is going to be the one that works for you. Under the assumption that you, the reader, are a pet dog owner, it’s important to find what works for your dog and pursue that wholeheartedly.
The science says, in every way possible, that balanced training is fact. Or, rather, balanced training is built entirely around the science, and does not seek to shun any part of it or alter it in any way.
In that respect, my belief is that balanced dog training is the “best” method. I have seen the good it does, and I have seen balanced methods train “untrainable” dogs.
I believe so wholeheartedly in balanced dog training methods that I built my business around them and spend countless hours adding free resources about it to this website.
But you, reader, may or may not be comfortable with different methods. As long as you understand the underlying science and do not make claim that things outside your comfort zone “don’t work,” there is no reason for anyone to question your autonomy to choose your own philosophy.
Nothing makes me happier than seeing someone from the other side of the fence say, “I choose not to do X myself, though I understand that it works and can be helpful in many situations.”
After all, the methods in modern dog training are more similar than they are different.
And other methods can work for some dogs, with different standards and expectations. I have seen trainers with whom I disagree philosophically train some dogs quite well, with the understanding that it may take longer and have certain limitations.
If those limitations are acceptable to you, and you can keep your dog under control and safe, then there is no reason for you to alter your entire training philosophy. If it works for your dog, you’re on the right track.
At the end of the day, it is less about finding what is the “best” training method overall. It’s about finding a place where you and the dog in front of you can thrive together.
