Let Kids Be Kids
Instead of training future workers, we should be facilitating fun
I promise this is about kids
This article starts with an anecdote from my earlier years when I was a certified professional dog trainer (CPDT-KA), but I promise I will explain how this relates to letting kids have their childhoods.
Dog training
I’ve written previously that I was a positive-reinforcement (R+) dog trainer for a little over a decade. R+ means using the science of behaviour to reward desired actions and not using aversives (punishment) to control or prevent unwanted behaviours.
Before I even learned about the harms of this type of approach with people (yes, humans, primarily children and disabled adults), I was already growing weary of manipulating dogs for their owner’s convenience.
Of course, this was not always the case. I often worked with families who simply wanted to help their dog with issues of reactivity to ensure they were safe and could go for walks in their community without worrying about their behaviour being aggressive or dangerous.
Many other times, though, I was essentially being asked how to stop a dog from being a dog.
