The Kennel Club promotes the use of positive aids when training a dog. The Kennel Club believes that there are many positive training tools and methods that can produce dogs that are trained more quickly and reliably, with absolutely no fear, pain, or potential damage to the relationship between dog and handler.

• Clicker Training – Method of reward based training whereby the dog is taught to associate a particular sound (a click) with a successful action and a resultant reward. It is a proven method of communicating effectively with a dog using positive reinforcement, giving owners the ability to train their dog to a high level without any need for force or punishment.
• Recall - Used to teach a dog to return to its owner on command, recall is usually the basis of any puppy-training programme and results in an owner being able to control their dog easily. A reliable recall is best achieved through rewarding successful returns to the owner (e.g. with treats) rather than by punishing mistakes. This way, a dog returns to its owner because of the bond between them.
• Retractable lead – A lead that extends so the dog can walk further from its owner, giving the dog freedom, whilst keeping it under control.

The Kennel Club does not advocate the use of any negative methods or devices which it feels fails to address underlying behavioural problems as they alter the dog’s behaviour due to fear of further punishment rather than a natural willingness to obey. Examples of negative training aids include electric shock collars and pronged collars.

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