Home
Board and train
Why is Dogtown force-free?

Our method, explained

Why is Dogtown force-free?

Force-free is a choice of method, and every method should be able to explain itself. This page sets out our reasoning in four parts, the evidence behind it, and what force-free looks like on an ordinary evening with a dog that jumps on guests.

Enquire about training See pricing

A small shaggy dog in a pink harness sits in grass looking up at a hand holding a treat.

Last reviewed October 10, 2026 · by the Dogtown team · reviewed by Gabriella Pope, Director of Training & Canine Behaviorist

The reasoning

Four reasons, in order: safety, learning, the relationship and what happens out of sight

Safety comes first. Pain and intimidation can provoke a defensive bite, and the 2015 AAHA guidelines add a quieter risk: aversive techniques often suppress the warning signals that come before aggression, which makes an aggressive dog more dangerous, not less. Learning comes second. A frightened dog learns poorly, and the AVSAB's 2021 position statement recommends reward-based methods for every kind of training, including work on behavior problems.

The relationship is third. A dog trained with rewards learns that its person predicts good things, and it keeps choosing to work. The fourth reason is particular to board and train: the training happens while you are elsewhere. A method that depends on corrections asks you to trust what you cannot see, and its tools tend to go home with the dog. A force-free stay has nothing to hide in its updates and nothing painful to hand over at pick-up.

Safety: fewer defensive bites, warning signals left intact
Learning: rewards recommended for all training
Relationship: the person predicts good things
Transparency: nothing in the stay needs hiding

The evidence

The clearest evidence is what happened when owners tried confrontation at home

In a 2009 survey at the University of Pennsylvania's veterinary school, Herron, Shofer and Reisner asked owners of dogs booked into a behavior service which methods they had already tried; 140 surveys came back. Hitting or kicking drew an aggressive response from 43 percent of the dogs it was tried on, and several other confrontational techniques did so in a quarter or more. Reward-based training, the most commonly tried intervention, drew aggression from very few dogs.

It is an owner-reported survey of dogs that already had problems, so it shows association rather than proof of cause. That is precisely its relevance to board and train, though, because the dogs sent away for training are often the ones with the most going on. The authors advised veterinarians to warn owners about the risks. The AVSAB statement and the AAHA guidelines reach the same place from wider reviews: reward-based methods, and no prong, choke or shock collars.

What owners tried	Dogs that responded aggressively
Hit or kick the dog	43 percent
Growl at the dog	41 percent
Force an item out of its mouth	39 percent
Alpha roll	31 percent
Stare the dog down	30 percent
Dominance down	29 percent
Grab the jowls and shake	26 percent

An ordinary evening

What force-free looks like when a dog jumps on a guest

A confrontational answer, such as a knee to the chest, appears on the Penn survey's list of methods owners had tried. A force-free plan starts before the guest arrives. The dog is on a leash or behind a gate when the door opens, so jumping cannot pay. It has been taught a place cue or a sit for greetings and is paid generously for four paws on the floor. The guest greets only a calm dog. If the dog jumps, the attention stops and the dog is reset.

Nothing about that plan is soft. It has rules, consequences and limits; the consequence for jumping is that jumping stops working, not that it hurts. The dog can also see what pays, so it learns faster what to do instead. And the plan can be handed to everyone in the house on the first day, children included, which is rarely true of a correction. Expect the jumping to get worse for a few days before it fades, and hold steady.

01
Leash or gate the dog before the door opens
02
Ask for place or a sit as the guest comes in
03
Pay four paws on the floor, often
04
Ask the guest to greet only a calm dog
05
If the dog jumps, the guest turns away and the dog is reset
06
Release the dog to say hello once it is settled

At Dogtown

At Dogtown, force-free covers every program, from puppy school to the two-week stay

Every Dogtown program, from Tiny Tails Puppy School through Polished Pup, Canine Campus and both board and train stays, is relationship-based, fear- and force-free and built on positive reinforcement. That rules out e-collars, prong collars, choke chains and leash corrections. Gabriella Pope, our Director of Training & Canine Behaviorist, works out the why behind a behavior before choosing what to teach. Training sessions start from $94, and every plan is confirmed after an assessment.

Force-free does not mean anything goes. Dogs in our building meet limits all day: a gate, a leash, a crate, a wait at the door, a break from play. What is left out is pain, fear and startle. If your dog currently wears a prong or remote collar, say so on the training form and ask at the consult how the switch would be planned; our pages on e-collars and prong collars explain the thinking.

No e-collars or remote collars
No prong, pinch or choke collars
No leash corrections or alpha rolls
Limits set with gates, leashes and routines
Rewards chosen for your dog

At Dogtown

Force-free at every level

Puppy school, Dogtown Academy, Canine Campus and board and train all share one method and one training team.

Australian shepherd sitting attentively during training

Dog TrainingFrom $94 per session · Explore

Dogtown trainer playing with a small doodle on the outdoor turf

Dogtown AcademyNewFrom $69 · Explore

Every price on one page

Asked and answered

Questions people ask about this

Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.

Does force-free work for a strong, large dog?

Yes, with the right setup. Size changes the equipment and the management, such as a well-fitted harness, a sturdy leash and a plan for meeting triggers, not the rules of learning. Strength is a reason to avoid confrontation: in the Penn survey, confrontational methods drew aggressive responses from many dogs, and a large dog's defensive response is the most dangerous kind.

Why do veterinarians care how dogs are trained?

Because behavior problems end many dogs' lives. The 2015 AAHA guidelines say more dogs and cats are affected by behavioral problems than by any other condition, often resulting in euthanasia, relinquishment or chronic suffering, and they ask practices to avoid forced restraint and punitive methods. Training that makes problems worse is a veterinary concern.

Can force-free training produce an off-leash recall?

Yes. A recall is built on a long line with rewards worth leaving a smell for, then tested where the rules allow. In Gloucester, at the time of writing, off-leash dogs are allowed on Good Harbor on even-numbered days from October 1 to March 31 and on Wingaersheek on odd-numbered days from October 1 to April 30.

What if a force-free plan is not working?

Change the plan, not the method. The usual fixes are a smaller step, a better reward, more management between sessions or a check for pain, which your vet can rule out. Some dogs need a longer program, such as React Less, Relax More over 8 weeks. Gabriella Pope reviews the plan with you if progress stalls.

Ask us to explain any method.

Send the training form with what your dog does and what it wears on walks now. Gabriella Pope will walk you through the force-free plan at the assessment, and the team replies within one hour on business days.

Book online Customer inquiry Call 978 491-5922