As a professional dog trainer my job is to understand dog behavior, diagnose negative behavior, and design programs to fix unwanted behavior.
In the process of doing that it is helpful to understand root causes for all behavior, what drives it and what motivates it.
When you take in consideration all types of behavior and it's derivatives there is one simple truth to all behavior.
All living organisms, dogs included, do things for only two reasons: 1- To gain pleasure.
2- To avoid displeasure.
That's it.
When all is said and done all of your behavior and all of the behavior of your dog boils down to those simple truths.
In understanding how to be the best dog trainer possible your efforts are magnified when you understand that truth.
In dog training the key becomes to understanding how to best help your dog gain pleasure for positive behaviors and avoid displeasure for negative behaviors.
This is the root of motivation vs.
correction.
Motivation- Many dog owners and dog trainers understand that they need motivation in their dog training efforts.
Unfortunately the first method most people use in motivation of their dogs is treats.
When you base the motivation of a dog training program on treats it can be dangerous.
Dogs that are given treats for all behaviors soon learn to rely on those treats.
It's easy to get a dog to be obedient for a treat but more difficult to get a dog to be obedient to an owner.
It isn't recommended that you use treats as a foundation for motivation but rather as an unexpected and random reward.
Correction- Many dog trainers go too far in their correction.
While correction is an important part of dog training one must not use corrections that are harsh, overbearing, full of emotion, etc.
A proper correction should be firm but fair.
There are several dog training collars that, when used under the supervision of a qualified dog trainer, can deliver humane corrections that are designed to get the dog's attention and help mold good behavior.
A proper correction should help change behavior in the moment but also serve to change behavior in the future.
Any correction that causes pain or fear should not be used.
On the flip side there are many dog trainers who don't use any sort of correction.
This is also not a humane style of training.
Any humane training program should use some form of humane correction.