The Basics of PRIME in Dog Training

What you're seeing

Shawn demonstrates the basic behaviours and everyday use of P.R.I.M.E., the framework every Best Buddy program is built on. In under a minute and a half, you see some of the concepts in action with a Springer Spaniel— one of the dogs at Best Buddy Dog Training board-and-train, and how they add up to a dog that cooperates because it wants to.

What PRIME stands for

'Proximity' deals with the space around you and who controls it, including how close or far the dog must be. 'Resources' is control of food, toys, the couch, and thresholds, generally. 'Interactions' deals with the nature of contact, play, and attention. 'Movement' is who leads, who follows, and who decides. 'Elevation' deals with excitement and positioning. Dogs read these five things constantly, and they decide who is in charge by what they see, not by what you say.

Why it replaces treats and e-collars

Treats and e-collars tend to make interactions transactional; If the dog follows a command, he gets a treat, or if the dog does the wrong thing, he gets an electronic 'touch'. Those are generalizations, but close enough for our purposes. PRIME changes the dog's understanding of who you are, so obedience stays when your hands are empty, and the dog is fifty feet away. That is the difference between a dog that performs and a dog that follows, and it is why the dogs in our videos are off-leash with nothing on their necks.

Get this with your dog

PRIME is taught in every in-home and board-and-train program. Read the full explanation in The PRIME Method: How We Train Dogs Without Treats, and book a free phone consultation.