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Positive Reinforcement vs. Punishment

Positive Reinforcement Dog Training in Los Angeles, CA

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Positive Dog Training Techniques

Los Angeles Positive Reinforcement Dog Trainers

Research shows that focusing on positive reinforcement when a desired behavior occurs and not worrying about correcting bad behavior in dogs is more effective and has longer-lasting results than training that incorporates punishment for bad behavior.

Positive reinforcement dog training in Los Angeles, CA works because dogs are inherently eager to please. Rewarding your dog for good behavior helps create a deep, loving relationship with your dog built on trust, as opposed to one built on fear of punishment. The difference between a dog who has been trained to obey out of fear of being punished vs. a dog who learns to obey through a positive, loving bond with their owner is huge.

Dog Training Elite Los Angeles trainers use treats as an initial reward for puppies and dogs learning commands. When the trainer is absent, or you’re in between obedience classes, you can continue to use treats as a reward for your dog when they exhibit a desired behavior. Dogs tend to be highly food-motivated, so this is an extremely useful tool. You can also reward your dog with a play session, take them to the dog park or anything else you know your dog enjoys. After all, you know your dog best!

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Your Questions Answered

Positive reinforcement training is a widely used and highly effective method for teaching dogs new behaviors while strengthening the bond between you and your pet. Below, we've answered some common questions about how this training approach works and why it's beneficial for all dog breeds.

Positive reinforcement training rewards dogs for good behavior with treats, praise, or play, encouraging them to repeat those behaviors. It focuses on creating a positive association with desired actions, making training enjoyable and effective for your dog.
Positive reinforcement builds trust and strengthens the bond between you and your dog. By rewarding desired behavior, your dog is more motivated to learn and respond willingly, whereas punishment can create fear and anxiety, hindering learning and damaging the relationship.
Yes, positive reinforcement training is effective for all dog breeds. Since it relies on rewarding good behavior, dogs of all breeds, sizes, and temperaments can respond well, making it a flexible and universally beneficial training method.
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Positive Dog Training in Los Angeles, CA

Dog Training Elite

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As for not worrying about bad behavior – it may feel strange to act like everything is fine when your dog chews on your shoes, or goes to the bathroom inside your home. But focusing on rewarding good behavior and forgoing punishment for bad behavior is more successful in the long run.

Relying on punishment for errors and “low value” rewards, such as praise or petting are long held “traditional” methods for dog training. Punishments like flicking a dog’s nose, shocking them with a shock collar, or anything else that may cause a dog pain are unfortunately still in use today by many dog trainers.

Not only is it inhumane, but using punishment as a tool can actually backfire. For example: punishing a dog for going to the bathroom inside a house won’t teach them to go outside instead. Often, the dog only understands that the mess makes their owner mad. Instead of going outside, the dog is likely to continue to make messes indoors — where the owner can’t find them.

Punishment training also damages the relationship between dog and owner. Dogs do not understand right and wrong. Instead of associating punishment with a specific behavior they learn to avoid, as with the bathroom example, they instead learn to live in constant fear of punishment. This prevents owners from bonding with their dogs in a meaningful way.

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The Dog Training Elite Los Angeles Difference


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Dog Training Elite Los Angeles uses modern training methods focused on positive dog training using reinforcement and bonding you and your dog. Our trainers in Los Angeles, CA never resort to punishment to help dogs unlearn behaviors. Through a combination of commands and an electronic collar, dogs learn to follow commands at once. The electronic collar is not a shock collar and never used to punish bad behavior. Instead, it produces a sensation like the gentle tug of a leash, and is used to help recapture the attention of a dog who gets distracted.

Dog Training Elite Los Angeles’s method of focusing on positive behavior reinforcement nurtures a dog's loving and naturally obedient nature. The method is the same regardless of the situation, whether training a puppy, an older dog or a service dog. The positive reinforcement dog training in Los Angeles, CA ensures training is a success no matter what your dog’s behavior. If you have a brand new puppy who is stubborn and smart, or an older dog who has slipped into bad habits – or perhaps never learned – after proper conditioning and working with Dog Training Elite Los Angeles, when you say “sit,” your dog will automatically sit without thinking about it.

Dog Training Elite Los Angeles offers specialized in-home training services so your dog gets the attention and training he or she needs, and you learn alongside them so training continues when the trainer leaves. Dog Training Elite in Los Angeles, CA also offers group classes for dogs who are ready to take obedience training to the next level, and service training programs for a variety of needs.

If you’re looking to train a service dog, or just looking for a loyal four-legged companion, Dog Training Elite in Los Angeles, CA will help you get there with our positive dog training. You can get started today. Find a trainer near you and schedule a free in-home consultation!

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Learn Why Dog owners choose Dog Training Elite

  • Michael von Poncet
    Jan. 13, 2026
    Dog Training Elite is definitely a 5+ star recommendation! Everything is very well organized right from the start. Our trainer (Clayton) was absolutely amazing and extremely professional. We are very experienced dog owners, but we learned new things (as it should be) and we are thrilled how our former stray dog, Ares, became a very well trained service dog. Again, great experience and without any doubt a top dog training organization.
  • Colin Burnell
    Dec. 29, 2025
    Dog Training Elite LA was awesome! Clayton was absolutely incredible to work with throughout our 13-week service dog training program. We had the opportunity to work with him consistently each session, and that made such a huge difference. He was extremely patient, knowledgeable, and accommodating, always taking the time to explain what we were working on and why. The results are amazing—our dog is only 11 months old and is already incredibly compliant, obedient, and confident thanks to Clayton’s guidance. We truly couldn’t be happier with the experience and highly recommend him to anyone looking for a trainer who genuinely cares and knows what they’re doing. Thank you Clayton and Dog Training Elite!
  • Sarah Brady
    Dec. 15, 2025
    I’ve had a great experience training my puppy Lilikoi with dog Training Elite Los Angeles. We’ve been working with trainer Dominique, and over 7 sessions my puppy has learned commands sit, down, place, crate, come, gentle, and many more. I’ve also seen a huge improvement with pulling on walks, and my now 6 month old puppy is already skilled at staying calm in crowded places as people and dogs walk by when I command her to. Dominique has done an amazing job teaching me how to teach my pup—all of the little details about my own body language and reward timing that matter so much in successful puppy training. I’ll be practicing what Dominique has taught us over the next couple of months and plan to come back to LA next summer just to work with Dog Training Elite again on my dog’s service dog training.
  • Cindy CLARK
    Dec. 15, 2025
    Dominique was absolutely PHENOMENAL! She was super knowledgeable, knew how to work with “problem areas” and did a great job training ME TOO! Hah! She was able to answer any questions, guide me in how to get my puppy to do things I needed/wanted him to do. My puppy could not have loved her more. I was VERY happy with my sessions with Dominique! 100% recommend
  • Nicole Ring
    Dec. 14, 2025
    Training with Dominique was truly a transformative experience for my dog. He went from an out of control puppy to a more mature well adjusted dog who can calmly walk through a crowd of people. I definitely recommend!
  • Davina Martin
    Dec. 10, 2025
    Started with a dog that was all over the place! NOW he's calmer and the commands learned helps keep him this way!
  • Ryan Horner
    Dec. 4, 2025
    Excellent Experience with Clayton. We had a Belgian Shepherd/German Shepherd Mix with all of the behavioral issues they come with. After going through the program with Clayton it's like we have a different dog, improved in every way.
  • Shelby Bannon
    Dec. 1, 2025
    We were recommended this service through a friend and were lucky to do 8 sessions with Clayton. Our rescue dog was an anxious, reactive mess when the training started and has blossomed into a more confident dog. We found Clayton to be incredibly knowledgable with any questions we had. He was patient with our girl as she took multiple sessions to warm up to him. In our case, our dog was a recent rescue and she had some health issues, unrelated to the training, develop during the eight weeks. Not only was the team at Dog Training Elite very flexible and understanding of needing to reschedule here and there; but also, Clayton adapted his training style to her ongoing needs. We couldn't be more pleased with our decision to begin training with Dog Training Elite and would recommend them to anyone looking for dog training! Our dog is a much more relaxed and confident dog and completely trusts us as her leaders. We will continue to practice what we've learned and plan to attend some of the group classes as well! Thank you Clayton!
  • C “clf” Fraijo
    Nov. 28, 2025
    I recently completed 8 training sessions with Clayton for my dog, Kobe (Rhodesian Ridgeback), and I couldn’t be happier with the experience. Clayton was always on time, professional, and incredibly patient — not just with Kobe, but also with my two young boys who constantly wanted to be part of the training. Kobe learned so many new skills, including sit, down, and come, and we also worked on agility to help build his confidence. I’ve already seen huge improvement, and Kobe keeps getting better every week. I highly recommend Clayton and Dog Training Elite to anyone looking for a knowledgeable, patient, and dedicated trainer.
  • Daisy chung
    Nov. 11, 2025
    I got a puppy and wanted to get him trained professionally as I had no idea how and wanted to do it right. Clayton was great and he helped my pup, percy, become a better obedient dog. I learned a lot as training your pup is also training yourself how to reinforce what you learn too. I highly recommend this program.
  • Cindy Qiao
    Nov. 7, 2025
    We started training with our new rescue Luna a few months ago and it has completely changed our experience with her. Before, she was sometimes unpredictable and reactive. With the structure of the private training course with Clayton and the group sessions, we’ve seen a drastic improvement in Luna’s behavior as well as our approach to being pet owners. I have so much more confidence with Luna and have control over any situation we’re in. This training has helped us create a great foundation for us going forward, and we’re so grateful for this experience. Thank you so much Clayton + team!
  • Jess Stewart
    Oct. 6, 2025
    We had such a great experience with Clayton! He's knowledgeable, succinct, and was able to answer all the questions we had about specific situations we go through with our dog. We did the Gold package and it was the perfect way for us to learn how to handle training situations as the parents for our 3 yo pup.
  • Janet Duncan
    Aug. 22, 2025
    Great training experience with Clayton! Taught me skills to manage my golden retriever puppy. She is now a pleasure to take in public and has learned to respect me. The scheduling process was quite easy too. Would highly recommend for dog training!
  • Eugenie Bostrom
    Aug. 17, 2025
    Kyla was so so good with both of our very different dogs! They loved her, and she taught us compassionately but sternly how to bring the right energy to our time with our pups so that we can all thrive together. Truly Enzo and Archie will miss their time with her! So much gratitude 🙏
  • Lisa Swanson
    Aug. 17, 2025
    Kyla has been an amazing trainer to work with! She helped me establish all the ground rules with my puppy and most importantly, helped me gain confidence in enforcing them and in taking the leadership role with my puppy! I know feel like I have a closer bond with my new puppy. I feel confident and in control. And I can tell my dog appreciates and needs that from me. She heels on the leash so well, has good recall and then all the basic commands like sit, stay, down, come, off, no, leave it, drop it… and most importantly- YES! Kyla taught me the importance of a meaningful NO and a praiseful YES. Kyla can read dogs ( and owners!) so well and is a wonderful trainer! Thank you Kyla and Dog Training Elite!
  • Carol Bloch
    Aug. 16, 2025
    Kyla did an amazing job training my rescue Chihuahua mix. I am very satisfied with results. We did not use an e-collar. I would recommend her and Dog Training Elite.
  • Emily Hernandez
    Aug. 16, 2025
    Kyla is a miracle worker!!! I adopted my GSD, Delta, two years ago from my local animal shelter. She went from being a sweet overly friendly dog to being an extremely reactive dog to people and dogs. She pulled, lunged, barked, growled, and walking her was an absolute nightmare! I’ve had both people and trainers tell me to rehome her or surrender her because it was impossible to train her due to the amount of dogs around my neighborhood. While I was tempted to rehome her, I decided to give Dog Training Elite a chance and to be honest, I wasn’t expecting for them to be able to help me with Delta. Booking an appointment was quick and easy, no waitlist. On the first class, Kyla was able to take Delta out and get her to actually focus on training rather than her looking around, anxiously panting, and barking at thin air. By the second class, Kyla addressed the reactivity towards other dogs and Delta has not been the same dog of one year ago ever since. Kyla has helped me grow my confidence, understand my dogs (not just Delta), she’s great at explaining, patient, supportive, and very encouraging. Not once in the classes did I feel discouraged or shamed by Kyla because I couldn’t control Delta, she is an amazing dog trainer and I highly recommend Kyla and Dog training Elite. Worth every penny!! Money well spent!
  • Emily Froehlich
    Aug. 7, 2025
    Our trainer, Clayton, has been both amazing and professional in our time working together. He has a wealth of knowledge and as the training has progressed, is tailoring our sessions more and more to our dog’s specific areas of weakness. We hardly recognize the dog that Clayton has helped our pup become because he has learned so much! We are learning, too, and Clayton takes the time to fully explain the reasons behind the actions while maintaining impeccable patience. The staff at Dog Training Elite has also been great. Our experience overall has been stellar. Highly, highly recommend Dog Training Elite, and especially Clayton!
  • Say Concepcion
    Aug. 5, 2025
    I cannot recommend "Clayton" highly enough. From the very beginning, it was clear that he is not only extremely knowledgeable about dog behavior but also genuinely passionate about what he does. He consistently arrives on time for every session, which speaks volumes about his professionalism and respect for our time. What really stands out is how patient and attentive he is—not just with the dogs, but with the owners as well. He takes the time to explain each step of the training process and makes sure both the dog and the handler are comfortable and confident before moving forward. His calm and confident demeanor puts dogs at ease, and you can immediately see the positive response they have to him. It's clear he understands the unique needs of service dog training and approaches it with both expertise and care. The progress we've made under his guidance has been incredible, and I feel truly supported every step of the way. If you're looking for someone who is reliable, skilled, and genuinely dedicated to helping you and your dog succeed, this is the trainer you want.
  • Daisy Bee
    Aug. 5, 2025
    I had the best experience with this company, and I honestly didn’t think my fur kid would learn so much. I am so grateful to The trainers here, especially Clayton. He is a true dog whisperer. I’m going through a very difficult time with my child who has relapsed from cancer and just getting our fur kid trained to be able to notify us when it’s time for my child to take his chemotherapy medicine is amazing and very helpful.