Why "No Dogs Were Harmed' is Not Good Enough

Why "No Dogs Were Harmed' is Not Good Enough

What happened on a movie set here in our own city is exactly what happens when the training industry remains unregulated and when people don't do their research before hiring trainers. Dogs are trained to deal with high-stress, scary situations every day. With the right dog, LOTS of time, and positive training methods, a dog could be trained to execute difficult tasks without fear. A trainer's first responsibility is to advocate for his dog.  When a dog is not ready it is the trainer's job to acknowledge this and better prepare his dog.  Pushing forward knowing the dog is not ready is not fair to the dog and in some scenarios it is downright inhumane.  Hiring a trainer should involve researching their credentials, their training methods, and ensuring they are qualified to do the job humanely and with the dog's well-being as the first priority. Man-handling and physically manipulating a dog takes zero skill.  To think this still happens regularly in this day in this day and age is so disheartening to those of us who work so hard to advocate for humane training methods. 

I usually avoid political posts in my business blog, so today I am stepping out of my comfort zone to speak up for our canine friends who cannot speak for themselves.  Since my Facebook post on Jan. 18th [edited excerpt above] I have seen people comparing what happened to Hercules on the set of "A Dog's Purpose" to forcing your dog to have a bath when they don't want to and I just cannot remain silent.  People have dismissed the video because it was edited.  I have thought very critically about this and watched the video more times than I wanted to.  If you watch the video from 10 seconds to 45 seconds, before the cut, you see a dog scrambling and desperately trying to flee.  The dog does not know he is on a movie set, he does not know that he is safe, he just knows that the person he trusts is forcing him into a situation of which he is clearly very afraid.  The dog likely experienced a great deal of terror and stress.  

No, I would NOT force my dog into a tub of calm bathwater against her will.  That is not even comparable to the turbulent waters in the video, but that is not acceptable either.  If my dog is afraid of something, I do not force her into it as this will only increase her fear and harm our bond and our trust.  If my dog is afraid of something, I use counter-conditioning and desensitization over a long period of time and only when she is comfortable do I move ahead.  For more on this process please visit https://www.animalhumanesociety.org/training/counter-conditioning-and-desensitization 

I must be clear that because one scene was done this way does not mean others were.  One bad clip does not mean the entire film was shot in a manner that was harmful to dogs.  I am not making any generalizations here and speaking only to the 35 seconds before the edit.  That said, the trainer's first responsibility was to his dog, and not to the director on set, and he should have stopped immediately as soon as he realized his dog was not ready for the scene.  I am disappointed that some are minimizing the dog's experience and that people are comparing this to a warm bath.  I am even more disheartened that people think it is completely acceptable to force their dog to do something of which they are afraid, just because it won't physically harm them.  Psychological pain is just as harmful, sometimes more so, and it won't do anything to further your relationship with your dogs, nor will it help build their confidence in you or in themselves.    

This is about much more than one scene in a movie, this is about peoples' responsibility to uphold the psychological well-being of their dogs.  Just because something doesn't physically harm them does not mean it is okay.  There is a better way.  Take a step back, evaluate how you can better prepare your dog for something they may have to endure (such as a bath), and give them what they need and deserve: your patience and compassion.  

-Jillian Enright, CPDT-KA

About the Author:
Jillian is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed, and a Fear-Free Certified Professional.

Jillian has been studying behaviour since 2003 and has been a professional pet trainer since 2010.

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