Effective Dog Training: Mastering the 'Sit' Command!

Let's delve into the traditional method of teaching a dog to sit. When you give the command "sit," and the dog fails to respond, you would then physically press down on the dog's rump, prompting it to sit due to the applied pressure. With repeated training, the dog learns to sit in response to the command to alleviate the pressure it feels. Over time, the dog associates the "sit" command with relief from pressure.

Thus, the traditional training process can be summarized as follows:

（Human）Creating pressure （Dog）Avoiding pressure （Dog）Receiving relief

This traditional training method has been in use for a considerable time.

In the past, humans often treated dogs as tools (such as guard dogs, guide dogs, police dogs, and search and rescue dogs) and focused more on the dog's skills rather than its psychological wellbeing. The primary concern was from a human perspective, largely ignoring the dog's emotional state.

However, as society has evolved and our material needs have been met, more people are seeking spiritual fulfillment. Dogs, who have been by our side since we began to walk upright, have naturally become the recipients of increased attention and affection.

As a result, we have started to observe the natural behaviors of dogs and pay attention to their psychological changes, leading to the development of "positive reinforcement training." This approach involves observing the dog's behavior and habits, guiding it to learn actively, as opposed to the traditional methods of coercion and violence.

The advantages of positive reinforcement training lie in allowing the dog to learn proactively rather than passively under pressure. This not only strengthens the bond between humans and dogs but also boosts the dog's selfconfidence. Additionally, this training method enhances our own observation, thinking, and response skills.

On the other hand, traditional training has the advantage of quickly achieving training results and improving the stability of working dogs. It can also be effective for dogs with low motivation. However, it can sometimes lead to extreme consequences, such as a dog eating its feces after defecating in a designated area to hide its stress.

As for the pros and cons of these two methods, it is up to each individual to ponder. In future discussions, we will explore the differences between positive reinforcement training and traditional training in more detail.