Things change when no becomes part of your relationship. When no is something said and accepted.

What people miss is that positive or reward-based training is inviting the animal to participate.  An invitation that says you have a right to say no.  An invitation that says I am giving you a chance to make a   choice.  And if your choice is no, that is okay.

Clicker training for example is well aware that no might be an answer, it is just that we hope to change behaviour by rewarding what we like while ignoring what we don't want. 

When the history of training is all about control and making the animal do what we want, we often carry that in us, often unaware. That concept still there even when it isn't supposed to be a part of this.

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