So you would then also agree that 'time-outs' should also not be used as they too are a physical restraint in the form of a literal physical barrier (not to mention the solitary confinement psychological punishment for a natural pack animal)?
No, not at all - I think time outs are a valuable training technique, when
they are not used as punishment I would not move my puppy in order to implement a time out; I would achieve it by removing myself from the situation; the puppy experiences nothing unpleasant as a result (hence, no aversive it needs to avoid) but begins to learn cause and effect - if I bite a person, they walk away......
What I have discovered after a year of owning a Cocker Spaniel pup is that advice from dominant personality people (which you have to be to be a successful dog trainer i think) in regards to training dogs is absolutely useless for people who are non-dominant personalities. For instance, I am an easy-going, laid back and quiet person and I simply can not and do not possess the personality of a Victoria Stilwell. Techniques that work easily for her are 100% failure-prone in other people who don't walk into a room like they own it and never will be able to.
I agree with you; I have met a lot of people who are unable to modify their behaviour sufficiently to successfully train a dog. In order to apply positive training methods, the trainer themselves has to be positive and patient. If it is not possible for someone to overcome their inhibitions in order to present this persona, then they are unlikely to succeed using these methods. Of course, if they use other, less positive methods, they run the risk of accidentally training their dog to become nervous and/or aggressive.
In an ideal world, people would find out what is expected of them before they get a dog, and are committed enough to take on the persona required to provide their dog with what it needs. They make fool of themselves by playing hide and seek, run madly away from the dog calling their name, and practice their tone of voice until they find the one that their dog responds to. Sadly, there are too many dogs who aren't given this, and many end up in rescue or worse.
One of the most unassuming, introverted people I know is a successful agility handler - she was given a gift of a collie puppy by a well-meaning friend - and she realised that if she wanted to keep her dog happy and healthy then she would have to develop a persona that the dog responded to
she has become more confident and outgoing as a result - but that, imo, is a benefit of being a dog owner, isn't it?