I'm just going to pop in here real quick and then run back and hide in my little hidey hole...
Barbara, I agree with you on this:
But I also believe that there are certain dogs that could use correction in their training to help improve on top of positive reinforcement.
I use positive reinforcement/luring/shaping techniques when I am teaching something, for the most part. I think there are less than a handful of things I'll actually teach with a correction. But, I do use corrections to
correct the dog. Not to teach, but to correct. There is a difference. I use corrections on my dogs...they aren't fearful.
But, there is a difference in HOW you correct. I can think of very few instances where I have actually hit/gotten physical my dog, and most of those were out of impulse. (Like when Blackie lunged at a truck driving by - it scared the bejesus out of me and my initial reflex was to smack him on the butt and tell him NO. Or when Chloe as a pup lunged at me over a piece of trash as I was approaching her and I scruffed her and tossed her about five feet away from me out of pure instinct.) I don't think any of those instances did any good whatsoever (nor did they do any harm), but they happened.
I think most of the "correcting" I do with my dogs is purely emotive. Tone of voice, body language, and posture. I have nothing against training collars, squirt bottles, shake cans, etc. when used the proper way with the right dog. I've also used the "shock and awe" technique before, although never really on purpose. LOL I remember hollering for Rose once and she decided to take off in the other direction. I followed and accidentally stepped on a corn stalk, breaking it, which let out a loud POP. She dropped to the ground and didn't give me any problems for quite some time with her recall. lol
The point being, you shouldn't have to physically manhandle your dog in order to teach or reinforce something. Even if you feel like that is the only way, it most likely isn't.
Sort of as an example for how different techniques work for different dogs, we have four dogs and all of them were taught to not get on the furniture without being invited:
Cynder, I think, just naturally sort of knew. She's a good dog.
Gracie, after being hollered at to "get off" a few times when she got up onto the couch, has stopped doing it completely unless she's invited. She's sensitive and wilts when she's scolded.
Cooper is told to get off as well, but he is also swiped or booted off, depending on what body part he lands by. He's grasped the concept very well. Even when he is excited and starts to jump up onto the couch out of habit, he'll correct himself mid air and do a weird little sideways hop/flip to make sure he doesn't connect with the sofa. LOL
Chloe was taught "off" via a lure, and she'll get off of whatever she's on if you tell her to.