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Dog Training Guides

Start-here guides to the big dog-training questions: shock collars, "balanced" training, dominance theory and why dogs do weird things.

“Balanced” Dog Training: What the Label HidesRewards plus corrections sounds fair. Here’s what the word means, what the studies say about mixing, and how to vet a trainer.
Alpha and Dominance Myths: Where They Came FromYour dog isn’t trying to be the boss. Where the alpha idea started, who walked it back, and what vet behaviorists say instead.
E-Collars: What the Research and the Law Actually SayShock collars by any other name: what 20 years of studies found, what US and Canadian law allows, and what to do instead.
Leash Pulling, Reactivity and Recall Without PainThe three problems people reach for a prong or a remote to fix, and the reward-based fixes that work.

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Myths & Science: Myths about pain-based training, checked against the research.
How-To Fixes: Reward-based how-tos for the problems people buy shock collars to fix.
Gear Swaps: Gear that replaces aversive tools.
Dog Behavior: Why dogs do the strange things they do.
Fun & Gifts: Rankings, finds and gift guides.