Barks Blog

By Eileen Anderson

When I crossed over to training primarily with positive reinforcement, I had no idea how much my behavior and even my belief system would need to change. I had to question my faith in some long-held cultural assumptions and learn to rely on scientific observation and analysis. Crossing over was a lengthy process for me, and even now, after several years, I occasionally fall back onto old assumptions and behaviors. I wonder sometimes if I am the only one so vulnerable to cultural programming. But a quick look around social media says no, I am probably not. There are intellectual, emotional and cultural barriers to crossing over. For me, certain barriers were so large that they defined whole phases in my thinking and practice regarding training. I’ll share several of these phases here, in case identifying them could be helpful to trainers who meet with resistance or confusion from their clients. Once upon a time, I was that client. Read article