FEATURE
Sue Ailsby ' s Syn , a female Portuguese Water Dog , turning a corner jumping in an agility trial .
Responding to Change
One trainer ’ s journey from compulsion methods to positive reinforcement
Editor ’ s Note : This is a revised piece that originally appeared in January 2021 issue of Forum , the quarterly newsletter for members of the Canadian Association of Professional Dog Trainers
By Jennifer Berg , BEAD , CPDT-KA
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’ ve always been interested in trainers who have changed the way they train , in particular cross-over trainers who switched their training methods from compulsion-based to follow the Humane Hierarchy and LIMA ( least intrusive , minimally aversive ) principles . What motivated them to make the change , and did they ever question their decision ? What obstacles did they face and how did they overcome them ?
Learning from others helps us to avoid pitfalls , but we also gain understanding about ourselves and how we can support each other as we grow as trainers . A good example of this is Eileen Anderson ’ s blog post “ The Stages of Crossover ” where she offers insight
44 Building Better Trainers Through Education Photos : Sue Ailsby