“This dog needs a firm hand, otherwise he'll dance on your nose” or “Your dog doesn't obey because he has no respect for you” - have you heard such statements? Maybe a trainer even advised you to give your dog a tug on the leash or threaten him with body language and you actually didn't have a good feeling about it? Then you are right here. Because your feeling was right (if you want to know why - you can find background information here). It is neither necessary nor effective to intimidate dogs and inflict pain. On these pages you will find information about scientifically based training and dog trainers who meet our code of conduct.
Photo: Anita Ziegler
The aim of the Initiative for Force-free Dog Training is to make available to a wide audience a science-based, ethical and empathetic way of living and working with dogs, above all during their training. The Initiative for Force-free Dog Training is a combined effort (see position paper and code of conduct) by qualified professionals, whose methods correspond to current scientific knowledge (791 people to date, 17.09.2024), together with international organisations such as the Swiss Veterinary Society for Behavioural Medicine, The Pet Professional Guild, The Pet Dog Trainers of Europe, Foundation for the Animal in Law (Stiftung für das Tier im Recht) to name but a few.
Our aims in detail:
Introduction to the initiative for force-free dog training
Photo: Michael Magee