[Jeff Higgins]

Yeah, um - shock collars and choke chains. Extreme measures that reflect poorly on the trainer. That said, there are two levels of choke chains - the pronged variety and the prongless variety. The former are unnecessarily harsh, bordering on cruel. The latter are a far different breed of cat. Even the AKC recognizes this and endorses the latter, while condemning the former.

Dogs treat each other very harshly at times. That is how they "discipline" one another; that is what they understand. Positive reinforcement is great, to a degree. It can also prolong things where some very harsh "tough love" will get the point across, pronto. Too many folks try to cajole and sweet talk their dogs into unfailing obedience. It rarely "sticks", wherein it will work unfailingly under the worst circumstances, when we really need it to work. Cruelty and harsh discipline are two distinctly different things. Recognizing the boundaries is huge in dog training.