Canine Behaviour and Training Consultant 

There has always been some confusion for dog owners as to the difference between dog behaviour modification and dog training. It is important to understand that these are very different, however they tend to also be connected. This is probably the best way to describe them. Behaviour modification focusses on the relationship, emotions and communication between humans and dogs. It includes the holistic considerations around the motivation behind the behaviour, diet, physical and emotional health, genetics, relationship between human and dog, their environment and the style of communication used to give feedback, guidance and direction by way of both operant and classical conditioning. Together, they form the foundations of the way your dog reacts to its environment and the stimuli within that environment. Dog training is the process of teaching a dog to perform specific behaviours following the presentation of a cue, whether this be physical, visual or verbal cues and this is done by using classical conditioning. Feedback is then given to the dog using operant conditioning. The aim is to develop habit forming behaviours that the dog and owner can use in a variety of situations including but no restricted to fun, sport, work or as a coping mechanism for situations that would otherwise elicit an unfavourable reaction from the dog. Throughout my career I have regularly utilised both when dealing with unwanted behaviours. There are occasions when you may choose to focus on one of them in isolation but this is very rare.