I am running into this kind of comment: "I don't know anything about that particular book/video/method, but it probably involves food deprivation - I would never deprive my pets of food! That is what clicker training is all about!"
Wrong! Managing food consumption is healthy for all of us - and we are not talking about depriving anyone. If I keep my dog to am amount of food that is healthy for him, it is not deprivation. If I limit my own food to what is healthy for me, it is not deprivation. If I train my bird first thing in the morning before breakfast, it is not deprivation.
All vets will say, "If you are going to give your dog treats, cut down on his meals to compensate." That is what I do with my pets - I manage how much they eat and when. We all know that our animals are much happier when they are being positively trained and have something to do; something to work out; something to learn.
I am also running into this kind of comment - from the same people: "I love my bird, but he is such a strong-willed animal. He bites and screeches and tears my clothes, but that is just how he is - I need to make allowances for him because I love him so much."
It is crazy for my animals to be so well treated and trained and yet be criticized for using an entirely humane and positive training method that works entirely with the bird, never forces anything, and makes him so happy - by people who "don't know anything about that particular book/video/method, but it probably ..."
