A lot of dog behavior professionals these days identify themselves, their training methods, and their businesses as “force free.” I am one of those folks. Force free is a term that usually applies to dog professionals who do not use aversives or punishment techniques on their client dogs. I’m sure some folks who use this term for themselves also use aversives.  But simply put, force free means “I’m not going to make your dog do something based on coercion or fear of punishment.” Force free professionals usually incorporate choice and consent into training, as well as behavior modification techniques that change emotions instead of punishing behavior, which is the result of those emotions. But also like any label, there is usually an individual twist that makes the label our own. Being “force free” is very important to me. But what does it mean to me? Here’s how I apply this guiding principle – to dogs, to their people, when dealing