Training

The art of teaching someone to stop thinking. Often confused with “education,” which is the opposite – helping someone think better. One creates robots, the other develops relationships.

Behavioral Modification

Corporate speak for “making someone act the way I want them to without addressing why they don’t want to.” Like putting a Band-Aid on a broken bone and calling it medicine.

Leadership

What humans call it when they need someone smaller to follow orders so they can feel important. Real leadership involves knowing things worth knowing and caring about others’ wellbeing. If you have to tell someone you’re the leader, you’re probably not.

Alternatives to Training

What happens when you stop playing Simon Says and start playing Let’s Live Together Without Losing Our Minds. Yes, it’s possible. No, I’m not selling incense.

Conditioning

A polite word for rewiring behavior like you’re updating a phone app – except your dog isn’t a device and doesn’t appreciate surprise software patches.

The practice of making thinking unnecessary by creating automatic responses. Effective for creating compliance, useless for building understanding or addressing root causes.

Dog Training

The art of teaching dogs how to perform in a way that makes humans feel in control. Often confused with actual understanding

Training: The art of teaching someone to stop thinking. Often confused with “education,” which is the opposite – helping someone think better. One creates robots, the other develops relationships.

Behavioral issues

What humans call anything a dog does that inconveniences them, regardless of whether it’s natural, communicative, or a reasonable response to trauma or stress.

Pack Leader

Fiction borrowed from misunderstood wolf research. Real wolves don’t have “alphas” – they have parents. Unless you gave birth to your dog, this concept is irrelevant.

Alpha

Fiction borrowed from misunderstood wolf research. Real wolves don’t have “alphas” – they have parents. Unless you gave birth to your dog, this concept is irrelevant.

Positive reinforcement

Marketing term used to make force sound friendly. Adding something the dog doesn’t want (like constant treats, commands, or pressure) is still force, regardless of the adjective in front of it.