Just a few words about myself:

I, Daniel Schwizgebel, studied Zoology with a specialization in Ethology at the University of Bern and after graduating (licentiate) in 1982, including my study on "Relationships between the behavior of the animal trainer and the behavior of the German shepherd dog in various training disciplines", I opened a "Practice for behavior problems in dogs", a first for Switzerland.

In addition to my professional work, I was involved in dog sports, where I also worked as an instructor in a canine club for several years. With my first Malinois "Gaïac du Colombophile", who accompanied me from 1985 to 2002, I took part several times in Swiss championships in the Schutzhund category (best ranking third) and served as a dog handler in the Swiss army.

In 1999 I published my book "Hunde aktivieren statt hemmen - der bessere Weg zur Verhaltenskontrolle" in German about my dog training system "Activation training". On this page you can download either the entire book or selected chapters in English free of charge. I wish you an entertaining and informative reading of my book, which is still relevant today!

For the whole book click the title: Activating dogs instead of inhibiting - The better way to control behavior (Schwizgebel, 2025)

Table of contents (click on the chapter you want to read):

1 Foreword: Influences

2 Relationship human - dog

3 Training aids

4 Associative learning

5 Errorless learning

6 Learning set and behavioral balance

7 Motivation

8 Connecting the concepts to the program

9 Training programs for 10 commands

10 Final remarks

11 Glossary

12 Bibliography

Supplement - Interview with Daniel (2nd edition, 2006)

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