12/02/2026
Brilliant post from the lovely Diane at Purple Pup.
Force free myths drive. me. crazy. If people want to argue against a training method, fine. But not when they're just making stupid stuff up! 🙄
And definitely not when they are convincing others to avoid something because of some weird, totally imagined, flaws.
I see misinformation like this every day :
🙄 No boundaries
People who choose to train Force Free also have boundaries. They just choose to implement boundaries without force, or the threat of force.
😬 No structure
What does that even mean? Do they mean detailed structured training plans and sessions? Or general structure within daily life; a routine, perhaps?
Either way, force free has it covered.
🤔 No clarity
Arguably, force free trainers need to be even clearer, even more precise and even more consistent.
Because they don't rely on aversive tools or techniques to stop an unwanted behaviour.
😐 No saying no, in case it hurts their feelings
That's just plain silly! We can say no in a way that doesn't use force, fear, pain, or threat.
(But they're half right; no is certainly problematic, for other reasons.)
🤣 Just chucking treats at a dog
Is anyone actually being serious when they say this?
😶 Simply balanced training minus corrections
No. It's a completely different mindset.
🥴 Treating dogs like babies
All the force free trainers I know are more about celebrating dogs being... dogs.
😯 Lifelong management, rather than training
Nope. Management might be all we need, in some situations. And an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, after all.
But, more often, management is used *alongside* force free training.
So we can teach our dogs whatever we need to teach them, while keeping everyone safe. So mistakes just become information, to change our parameters, criteria, schedules, expectations...
😵💫 A dangerous ideology
There might be ideologists who are force free. But, as a system, it's more of a philosophy. It's all about being flexible, creative, and inviting curiosity.
🤨 Something that increases aggression
This really doesn't make sense.
Aggression is the expression of some kind of emotion, a cocktail of biological chemicals, genetic components, and all kinds of things along the nature/nurture spectrum.
Addressing the things causing aggression is exactly what force free is about.
😢 The cause of all the problems dogs are facing right now
Absolutely not.
Humans are the cause of all the problems dogs are facing right now.
😲 A choice between drugging or killing a dog
This is a very nuanced subject. But, the careful use of medication saves lives.
And the suggestion that medication turns dogs into zombies is, either seriously misinformed, or deliberately misleading.
😟 The reason shelters are struggling
There are many, many reasons.
There is no good reason to blame force free training.
🫤 More difficult and time-consuming
Just not true. Sometimes, things do take longer, but the end result (a happy, healthy dog) is worth a bit of time and patience.
And often, force free training is actually faster.
Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast. (As the Navy SEALs say.)
🧐 Less effective and efficient
Actually, the opposite is more likely.
Because force free is not about controlling everything, it's about nurturing a dog's ability to think for themselves.
To make good decisions. For themselves.
😱 Fewer tools in the toolbox
The aversive tools left out of a force free toolbox have, in fact, been replaced by endless creative, exciting tools we can use.
It's a rather full toolbox. And it's being added to, every day.
😫 Purely positive
This is an intentional slur, a term only used by trainers who like aversive tools.
Because it's clearly ridiculous.
😳 Useless when prey appears
Not so. Because the work is done before the prey is even introduced.
Listening to aversive trainers, you'd think force free means letting your dog off lead in an exciting environment and then waving a treat at them to stop them chasing prey. Before you've done the work.
Before. The Dog. Is. Ready.
😢 Only works with some dogs
That's not true. What people usually mean is they have met a dog they couldn't train force free.
Maybe because they think force free is just about treats.
🤪 Ineffective in the face of real life
There are thousands of dogs being raised force free, out there in the world, in real life, living their best lives. 🥰
There are more, so many more, myths about force free. Because people who don't like it (mostly because they use a different training system, themselves, and don't want to change), keep making stuff up about it.
But you get the idea...
It's best not to listen to a trainer about a training method, unless they have at least a basic understanding of said training method. 🤷♀️
