March 2019 Addendum:
In order to utilize punishment-based training, the animal first has to make a mistake so that you can punish the unwanted behaviour (or worse - be set up to make the mistake just to be punished for the sake of learning). This sets the animal (and their human) up for failure and ensures the animal continues practicing the unwanted behaviour unless it is sufficiently punished out of him. This is reactive, unnecessarily harsh, and harms the human-animal bond and trust.
To utilize rewards-based training you need to manage the environment to reduce the likelihood of the animal practicing the unwanted behaviour, then replace the undesirable behaviour with something you'd prefer and reward it like crazy so that it happens more often. This is proactive, requires some creativity, is so much more fun for everyone, and improves the human-animal bond and trust.
For a practical and common example: the dog barks at the front window when another dog passes by. In punishment-based training you wait for the dog to bark, then yell at him, smack him (or worse) so that he stops. He stops for that hour or maybe for that day but then usually resumes, or at least continues the behaviour when you're not in the room.
With rewards-based behaviour you might put up curtains or a frosting on the window to reduce the dog's ability to see passersby. Then you might set up training sessions where he sees dogs go by and you make this a cue for something else, such as go lie down on your mat, then you reward the dog like crazy for laying down on his mat. This may take dedication and practice, but with time and consistency your dog will be more likely to go lie down on his mat than bark at the front window because you have made one behaviour much more rewarding than another.
Even Adults Will Work For Gold Stars!
Let's talk specifics for a moment. Some proponents of the prong collar claim that it does not hurt the dog, it merely causes “discomfort” and/or distracts and redirects the dog. Experts disagree, but let’s pretend this is true. How well do you learn when you’re uncomfortable or anxious? How well do you think you would learn if you were worried about an unpleasant correction?
Now how well do you learn when you’re having fun, enjoying the process, experiencing success, and receiving rewards?
I recently got a new activity tracker and immediately improved my running performance. Did I get faster overnight? No. This fitness tracker provides a high rate of reinforcement with frequent alerts telling me when I’d reached certain distance or pace goals. This encouraged me to speed up, keep going, and rewarded me for my efforts (yes, adults will work for gold stars!). This is what happens for your pet when you use positive reinforcement training and provide frequent rewards. You’re giving your pet a message when he is getting the behaviour correct, encouraging him to keep trying, and rewarding him for the desired performance. This is what motivates all animals, including humans, and including your dog. This is also a much more effective (and kind) way to build your bond and have a fun working relationship.
Barking Up the Wrong Tree
originally published in March 2017
There is sentiment being expressed by some in the "balanced" trainer world (balanced is a term some trainers use to describe using both positive reinforcement and positive punishment in their practice) that we, the trainers, have failed dogs by being too politically correct. Some say we're too afraid to recommend aversive tools such as prong collars and shock collars because they are taboo in the positive reinforcement training community. Some claim that when a dog is totally out of control it is better for them to be trained using pain than not to be trained at all; better to hurt that dog in the name of training than to have him hurt a person or another dog; better to use pain to train than to have to euthanize that dog.
Firstly, we're focusing on the wrong thing. Why does a person have an out-of-control dog in the first place? Were they allowed to adopt a dog that in no way should have been adopted to them? Did they purchase or adopt a dog whose needs were beyond their capabilities? Does the dog just need some impulse control training, which can be done using positive reinforcement? Can we manage the situation and environment while working on the behaviour?
Why do we keep trying to go backwards in the progress we've made away from harsh, unnecessary, and sometimes cruel means of changing behaviour in dogs?
I've seen some argue in favour of correction because dogs correct each other, and Mama dogs correct their puppies. Guess what? Dogs know we are not dogs, we're not fooling them or anyone else. Not to mention the fact that dogs' reaction time and accuracy are far greater than ours. Even if we could convince our dogs we were one of them, we could never match the speed and precision of their corrections. Dogs learn when events are paired closely together in time. A correction delivered late punishes the wrong behaviour, or worse, punishes randomly leaving the dog bewildered and feeling a complete loss of control.
Secondly, aggression begets aggression. I'm so tired of hearing (or reading) people claim that force is the only way to control an aggressive or potentially dangerous dog. Using painful methods to try to suppress behaviour is extremely dangerous in itself. Either the dog becomes more aggressive as a means to defend itself against the threat, or the dog stops the outwardly aggressive behaviour and is a simmering pot of frustration just waiting to boil over. Punishing the behaviour does not remove the underlying feelings, emotions, or motivations: The fear or frustration are still there, under the surface. Punishing the outward behaviour only makes the dog more dangerous because now we cannot predict when he may finally snap.
Let's pretend the dog doesn't snap. Is it fair for the dog to live with that kind of turmoil lurking just under the surface, harshly corrected with shock or prong whenever he tries to communicate how frustrated he is feeling? Is that any quality of life for a dog? Not only is he now more dangerous to his family and community, he lives a life of suffering, his ability to communicate completely cut off.
Instead of focusing on the end result and being reactive, we need to be proactive. We need to focus on preventing these behaviours from developing in the first place, and shelters and rescues must make every effort to ensure an appropriate match is made at time of adoption. And yes, we do need to teach the public that there is a better way, and that they can make a difference using positive reinforcement. If a dog's behavioural problem is too complex for the owner to handle on their own, they need to seek expert advice from an evidence-based trainer, and we need to make sure they can get it. In the mean time, we can help that owner use management to keep herself, her dogs, and others safe while she receives professional assistance in addressing the issues.
Instead of turning to antiquated, inhumane practices simply because a situation is not manageable in its current state, we can use our intellect and creativity to set the person and dog up for success. We can and we must do better. We are only failing dogs, and the people who love them, when we don't use the vast scientific resources and knowledge at our disposal to improve the quality of life and the relationships between people and their dogs.
If you are struggling with a reactivity or aggression in your dog, you may find one of these blog posts helpful:
Reactive Dog Myths: http://pawsitivepooch.blogspot.ca/2014/12/dispelling-reactive-dog-myths.html
Understanding Reactivity: http://pawsitivepooch.blogspot.ca/2015/09/understanding-dog-reactivity.html
Classical Conditioning: http://pawsitivepooch.blogspot.ca/2016/02/remember-pavlov.html
Finding a Trainer: http://pawsitivepooch.blogspot.ca/2016/04/finding-trainer.html
-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 psychology and behaviour since 2003 and has been a professional pet trainer since 2010.
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Psychology Today Article on the topic of prong, choke, and shock collars:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/animal-emotions/201904/should-dogs-be-shocked-choked-or-pronged
