At The Centre for Canine Education Inc. we use humane, science-based training methods to work with dogs. Our focus is primarily on positive reinforcement: offering dogs something that they like (food, play, human attention, environmental rewards, anything that your dog finds fun) in exchange for behaviours that we would like to see repeated.

We also occasionally use negative punishment (reward removal) in order to discourage behaviour, however, we must always set the environment up to allow the learner to succeed, and teach the dog what we want them to do instead.

Our approach must always start with the least invasive, minimally aversive. When addressing behavioural concerns, we start with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as a way of working through each layer of challenges to resolution.

We do not use or condone the use of positive punishment (adding an aversive to decrease a behaviour) as the fallout from using such techniques is far too great. While we recognise that such consequences can be very effective in the moment, we also understand the effects that suppression can have on a learner and are not interested in taking that risk.

Our aim is to change behaviour in the most stress-free way possible for the learner and to help create and nurture the bond between people and their dogs.