nicelytraineddog.com

“Nicely Trained Dog” was formed by Steven Nicely after returning from Iraq as one of four trainers maintaining about 80 bomb dogs for the United States Embassy Security force. 

Dogs have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. From using them as a boy in East Tennessee to bring in the cows to hunting rabbits and quail with them they have always been there. 

I first became involved in formal training of dogs in the Marine Corp in 1973 when I was selected to be a handler with the Military Police Marijuana Detector Dogs at Camp Pendleton California. After the Marine Corp in 1979 I became a police officer working a K9. Then in 1989 went to work for Global Training Academy as a trainer until May, 2006. 

Over the years I have seen training approaches come and go. Some come back being called something different. Today’s training weights heavy on the application of shaping, and differential reinforcement using positive reinforcement. This approach is great for beginning to make sure the dog understands the task but is does not truly produce an obedient dog, and often wonder how many dogs ran over in front of their owners were trained in classes that did not allow leashes or truly understood the meaning of No. 

Humane training is a balance between the use of positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement to include physical compulsion as needed. Trainers who understand the use of both understand physical compulsion is never applied if you are angry or frustrated. If a trainer or owner gets into this state of mind during training it only set training back and does not allow for meaningful learning. 

My life as a trainer has been based on dogs that if they fail to respond lives are at stake. Pet owners cannot care or love their dogs anymore of any less than someone who works a service dog on a daily basis. Your dog is a service dog it provides you companionship. Its life may very well depend on how well you have trained it to respond to your commands in day to day life. Not how ring wise it is and performs when in a training area or when you are in the perceived training mode. True obedience is you give the command and the dog responds to it regardless of all other circumstances.