Ian Dunbar

You can instill fear in your kids and get them to mind, but they won't function better in the world and your relationship will suffer greatly.

All training is negotiation, whether you're training dogs or spouses.

People - and dogs - are dying to be trained.

When I'm training a dog, I develop a relationship with that dog. He's my buddy, and I want to make training fun.

Training a dog, to me, is on a par with learning to dance with my wife or teaching my son to ski. These are fun things we do together. If anyone even talks about dominating the dog or hurting him or fighting him or punishing him, don't go there.

I grew up on a farm and my grandfather quit school when he was 12, but when it came to common sense and animals, he was the smartest person I've ever met, before or since. He taught me that to touch an animal is an earned privilege. It's not a right.

With every animal, you have to build its confidence around people because people do some crazy and stupid things.

Training a puppy is like raising a child. Every single interaction is a training opportunity.

You don't train a dog in a training hall, jerking his neck or even giving him food treats. You train him using life rewards.

Learning from wolves to interact with pet dogs makes about as much sense as, 'I want to improve my parenting - let's see how the chimps do it!'