What does Ahimsa mean and how is that related to dog training?

Ahimsa, also written Ahinsa (or mispronounced as Ahisma!), is a Buddhist and Hindu word of Sanskrit origin often used by Mohandas Gandhi that means “do no harm”,  “non-violence toward all other beings”, or “compassion.”  At Ahimsa Dog Training, we strive to use training methods that honor these concepts, and are also science-based. We use the principles of learning theory to help you motivate your dog to work with you using something the dog wants instead of forcing them to comply to avoid something unpleasant like a leash correction or scolding. For example, if you want your dog to stop jumping on you, you can find something else for her to do (like sit politely) and motivate her to do that automatically, instead of jumping!

Our methods are based on scientific research on how all animals learn (even humans!), so you can use many of the same general techniques to train other animals, and even your spouse or kids.