"Cynopraxic trainers should make an effort to conform their training interventions to the LIMA (least intrusive and minimally aversive) principle by employing procedures that represent the least necessary intrusion upon the human-dog bond and cause the dog a minimal amount of discomfort, as necessary to achieve the behavioral objective. Further, training recommendations should do no harm to the human-dog relationship, to the dog, or to the owner in the process of implementing them."

S. Lindsay, 2005, Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and Training, Volume 3, p. 29

"Essentially, the LIMA (Least Intrusive Minimally Aversive) principle is a competency criterion, since only competent trainers possessing the necessary know-how can make the required assessments and have the skills needed to ensure that the least intrusive and aversive procedure is in fact used. To speak of the effective and humane use of dogtraining procedures in the absence of competency criterion borders on the ridiculous.

Accordingly, incompetent uses of attractive and aversive motivational stimuli to modify dog behavior are liable to produce harmful effects that violate the dog’s interests and breech the trust of the responsible dog owners seeking help." Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and Training, Volume 3, p726