Punishing Mistakes Isn’t Fair
Why wouldn’t animals do what they needed to do, to get what they wanted? One reason is they don’t know what to do. Or can’t do it. If we see that an animal wants something, but our attempts to get them to do what we want aren’t working, we need to do something different. Recognizing that the environment controls behavior is an important concept for trainers to grasp. We can change the environment and see a change in behavior.
Our pets are doing the best they can under the circumstances. We can help them do better by changing the circumstances. It’s amazing how smart an an animal will seem when they are taught well.
