Old dog, same tricks; how experience without education hurts everyone
I haven’t written in a while, but the other day I came across something that bothered me immensely. As an assistance dog trainer, I am constantly suggested dog training videos and articles online; some are great, others not so much, but mostly I ignore them. However, this one caught my eye in a bad way. An article published in Cheshire Live and copied in the Express provided an obvious attempt at advertising ‘experienced dog trainer’, Steve Moran. Having looked at Mr Moran’s website, he boasts over 30 years’ experience, however, he does not list any qualifications or certification- even claiming that certification does not exist. This is false. The article also claims that ‘force-free training’ means that you can’t put a lead on a dog. This is false. He states that reward-based training means that a dog won’t listen without a treat in your hand. This is false.
With 3.2 million more households
acquiring a pet over the pandemic, the need for dog trainers has grown
massively. Whilst I agree with Mr Moran that the practise needs more regulation
to weed out those who use outdated or ineffective methods, there are
associations who can accredit trainers and behaviourists. There are four: The
Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour, The Association of Pet Behaviour
Councillors, The Animal Behaviour and Training Council and, The Association of
Pet Dog Trainers; all of which require interviews, exams, practical assessments
and three out of the four require a minimum of a Bachelors’ degree. Those who
wish to hire a vetted trainer or behaviourist can search on their websites.
Although experience is important,
training methods change and develop over time. Research into the efficacy of
different training methods continues to compare reward-based and punishment-based
training. Cooper et al. (2014) found that the aversive tool, the electric
collar, which deliver short bursts of electric stimulus to the dog’s neck via a
remote control, were no more effective than positive, reward-based training. As
electric collars are shown to cause distress, especially when used incorrectly,
it is no wonder that many dog trainers support a ban. In addition, it has been
found that an increase in punishment leads to decreased confidence with people
and general playfulness (Rooney & Cowen, 2011), further showing that punishment-based
training does nothing to increase obedience related behaviour. Conversely,
reward-based training methods increases a dog’s ability and eagerness to learn.
So, does reward-based training
mean that you can’t put a lead on your dog or shout at it? No and yes, respectively,
a lead is essential for safety but shouting at your dog will only raise arousal
and make the problem worse. At the basic level, reward-based training and force
free training means the dog receives a positive experience when they do
something right, this incentivises the dog to repeat the behaviour. It doesn’t
mean that undesirable behaviours are ignored completely, instead, most
behaviours can be dealt with by training an alternate behaviour or finding the
root cause of the behaviour. Aversive or punishment-based training rarely works
when solving challenging as it does not factor in the emotional aspect or
function of the action. Using a reward or treat based training does not mean
that the dog will only listen to you when you have a treat in your hand. It
means that, once you have laid the foundation of what you want the dog to do,
you can begin to reduce the amount of treats you use.
I do agree that online dog
training advice lacks clarity, which leads to confusion for dog owners. Many (42%
of those interviewed) gathered information on dog training from TV, the
internet or a book and 13% reported that they used their instinct (Todd, 2017).
The majority of inexperienced dog owners are incapable of identifying a fearful
dog (Wan et al, 2012); this inability leaves dogs in an uncomfortable situation
with early body language ignored. Overlooking early signs of discomfort or
distress can inevitably force a dog to exhibit more obvious indications. As
such, with the increase in dog ownership and lack of body language knowledge,
it is no wonder that there has been a 54% jump in dog ‘attacks’. The current
legislation banning ‘dangerous dog breeds’ gives the impression that there are
such things as ‘completely safe’ dog breeds who would ‘never bite’. More education
surrounding body language, training, diet and exercise is crucial to curtail the
hazard of increasing dog bites.
Another piece of advice Mr Moran
gives is to check for ‘before and after’ videos. I half agree; videos caught by
dog owners can be useful, however, no good dog trainer will push a dog to perform
unwanted behaviour or over their threshold. I would rather recommend requesting
videos of the trainer in action to witness their methods and ability to read
dog body language. Then you can see how comfortable you feel watching;
do you see a dog yelping in pain or a happy dog eager to learn?
I have attached pictures of stress
related body language in dogs below.
References:
Cooper,
J.J., Cracknell, N., Hardiman, J., Wright, H. and Mills, D., 2014. The welfare
consequences and efficacy of training pet dogs with remote electronic training
collars in comparison to reward based training. PloS one, 9(9), p.e102722.
Rooney,
N.J. and Cowan, S., 2011. Training methods and owner–dog interactions: links
with dog behaviour and learning ability. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 132(3-4), pp.169-177.
Todd,
Z., 2018. Barriers to the adoption of humane dog training methods. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 25, pp.28-34.
Wan,
M., Bolger, N. and Champagne, F.A., 2012. Human perception of fear in dogs
varies according to experience with dogs. PLoS one, 7(12), p.e51775.
Bibliography:
Cooke,
P. 2022. Dog owners ‘ripped off’ by growing scam as fraudsters ‘cashing in’ on
lockdown pets. The Express. [Online] Accessed: 20.05.22
James, E. & Carr, E. 2022. TICKING
TIME BOMB Britain’s deadly dog attack epidemic is sparked by ‘impulse buys’ in
lockdown as maulings more than DOUBLE. The Sun. [Online]. Accessed:
20.05.22
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/18129006/britains-dog-death-epidemic-caused-lockdown/
Moran, S., n.d. Steve Moran
training. [Online]. Accessed: 20.05.22
Lip licking- This is a subtle sign of discomfort or
anxiety. Contextually, if your dog has recently
eaten or drank, this is probably related to this.
 |
| Low body posture and/or tail- This is indicative of anxiety and discomfort in their environment. They do not want to be approached. |
Panting/Yawning- This is a subtle, and one of the
first signs of anxiety or distress.
Whale eye (showing the whites of the eye)- This is
a subtle cue that the dog would like space and is
uncomfortable. This can coincide with looking away
or moving away.
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