OUR STORY
Our journey into dog training began when we started fostering Chewie, a handsome Singapore Special that displayed fear aggression towards strangers and other dogs. Through our first-hand experience of reinforcement-based training, we have witnessed its effectiveness and bonus benefits of increased confidence in the dog as well as strong bonds of trust between dog and owner. We have seen Chewie transform from a wary and hyper vigilant dog into the most loving and trusting dog, as well as a dog that is highly motivated to learn.
Chewie’s journey is still ongoing, but the more we learnt, the more we realised how much we don’t know. That is why we decided to venture deeper into canine natural behaviours, learning science, behavior modification and training techniques. Mentoring under a Certified Dog Behaviour Consultant (CDBC), Xuan subsequently became an Accredited Dog Trainer (ADT) with the International Association of Animal Behaviour Consultants (IAABC).
Behavioural issues are largely rooted in fear and anxiety. At Allies of Dogs, we believe that owners should not be another source of anxiety to their dogs, but to be their trusted ally to guide them to navigate our world. We will partner you on this journey to better understand your dogs and bring your relationship to the next level.
Your allies, Xuan & Kai
Chewie's Journey
OUR SERVICES
All our trainings will be customised according to individual case requirements. Contact us to find out more.
COMMON QUESTIONS
WHY SHOULD I CHOOSE YOU?
At Allies of Dogs, basic obedience such as ‘Sit’, ‘Stand’, ‘Down’ is secondary to us — we place greater importance on building a strong partnership between owner and dog as well as nurturing long-term confidence in your dog. You can rest assured that your dog will be in good hands with accredited trainers who will only use kind and humane tactics that are backed by science and no less effective. All recommendations given will be practical and customised to address your concerns, with the additional benefit of enhancing your relationship with your dog.
ALLY MY DOG? DON’T I NEED TO ESTABLISH MY STATUS AS THE ALPHA OR PACK LEADER?
The myth of the alpha wolf and dominance theory has long been debunked more than two decades ago. Unfortunately, this myth still has a lasting effect on dog training methods today — the dominance theory wrongly assumes that most problematic behaviours are due to the dog wanting to be the “alpha dog” and the way to solve such problems is to establish dominance as pack leader over the dog. This results in misinformed trainers/owners using aversive training methods to establish oneself as the “alpha” or “pack leader”, such as by pinning the dog down into submission, eating first before the dog does, occupying a higher position to maintain one’s elevated status, not allowing the dog to walk in front of you, etc. In reality, these methods are not scientifically proven and will only compromise your relationship with your dog.
IS REWARD-BASED TRAINING LESS EFFECTIVE THAN COMPULSION TRAINING (PUNISHMENT-BASED) OR BALANCED TRAINING (USE OF BOTH REWARD AND PUNISHMENT)?
Based on research, reward-based training has been found to be more effective than punishment or balanced training and associated with less problems. The use of punishment has been proven to be detrimental to the dog-owner relationship. Its many problems include:
Only suppresses behaviour and does not teach the dog what to do
Generalised fear to the environment and increased stress and anxiety in the dog
Negative associations with the owner, breaking relationship bonds
Increased aggression towards owners
Want to know more about our training methods? Want to know if reward-based training will spoil your dog, or whether we can still train your dog if it is not food motivated? Want to know if results are guaranteed?
Read on!
Our Clients Say
"Before Xuan, Bailey was an extremely reactive dog who couldn’t be near people, cars, basically anything that moved. We’d heard a little about force free training and decided to take a chance on Xuan - to which we have absolutely no regrets.
Through Xuan’s lessons, we had a better understanding of Bailey’s behavior, which helped to shift our mindset towards having less frustration and more empathy towards her. She taught us many things which, through consistent practice and training, helped to make her a lot less reactive towards her triggers now.
On top of that, Xuan was always patient and kind, and took the time to answer all my questions, often staying beyond training hours to do so, and readily answering our text messages outside of training. My dog loved Xuan so much and had a lot of trust in her. She was really a pleasure to work with. I highly recommend Xuan to anyone looking for a force free, science-based training methods."
Kuah Qing Wan, owner of Bailey (Border Collie)
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