Once again, television producers are promising the solution to dog training and behavior problems in just 30 minutes. Divine Canine features the Monks of New Skete, authors of How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend. These are the same Monks who brought us the alpha roll - a technique which they have since discarded.
More dominance theory brought to you by All-Life Insurance and Natural Goodness Air Freshener.
Dominance Again?
The belief that dogs were direct descendants of wolves led to a constant, underlying fear that these animals with their sharp teeth and powerful bodies were determined to take over our households. That belief, passed on by neighbors, friends and armchair trainers, still persists today. And, like any animal, gender or race we fear, we use intimidation, force and violence to suppress them and ensure our safety.
Behaviors that have been attributed to "dominance" include pulling on leash, jumping, refusing to come when called, mounting dogs and humans, growling and biting. However, there are numerous causes for these behaviors including stress, fear, overstimulation and lack of sufficient training (which is usually a factor in all of the above behaviors).
Leaders Initiate. Followers React.
One of the primary problems with the Monks' approach (aside from dominance theory) is that their methods are based on waiting for the dog to make a mistake and then reacting to the dog with a leash correction, can full of pennies, squirt bottle and other aversive methods. This means the dog is still practicing the behavior. This also means the owner is still following the dog's lead.
Punishment - Why It Won't Work For You
When the average dog owner attempts punishment it is rarely effective. Here's where most people go wrong:
Poor Timing. Punishment must be immediate (within 1 second or less) for it to have any future effect on the dog's behavior. It takes a lot of practice to achieve the timing necessary to administer an appropriate correction.
Drama, Drama, Drama. Humans tend to get a little upset when Max chews the leather ottoman, so it's not surprising that it sends us into an emotional tirade. But punishment delivered between dogs is quick and without emotion. It is over in the blink of an eye and all dogs go back to their normal life. Our version of punishment , which is full of emotion can be only perceived by the dog as evidence of our mental instability; not exactly what one looks for in a leader.
CHP Effect. Does your foot ease off the pedal when you see the speed limit sign or when you see the patrol car? Many of the methods recommended for stopping bad behavior, squirt bottles, pennies in a can, leash corrections, etc. all require the presence of the owner. So, the dog learns to associate the punishment with the owner's presence, not the behavior itself.
Dog Has Already Been Rewarded. It doesn't matter how much you squirt your dog or shake a can of pennies in their face, if they just barked at a dog passing by the window and the dog went away, your dog was rewarded for barking. The punishment will now only be associated with your presence, not with the barking.
Inconsistency. If the dog gets away with the behavior even 10% of the time, the dog learns that 1 out of 10 times they can get success with their behavior. This is why management, preventing a dog's opportunity to practice a behavior, and training a more desirable behavior is much more successful for most dog owners than punishment.
You Didn't Tell Me Not To. Your dog can do 100 things wrong just standing next to you on-leash. But he can only do one thing right. If you spend your time punishing all the wrong, it is going to take a lot longer for your dog to learn what is right. It is much easier and faster to show your dog what the "right" behavior is, and reward him for it.
A basic rule of punishment is that if you have punished your dog twice for the same behavior and they still repeat that behavior, punishment is not working and it is time to seek another alternative.
Leash Corrections
A leash correction is defined on the show as "a quick leash snap that doesn't hurt." Of course it hurts. Maybe not enough to make a dog cry out in pain (although some do), but if it weren't painful, it wouldn't be enough to convince the dog to stop the unwanted behavior in the moment.
Here's how leash corrections work:
- Dog jumps
- Dog trainer jerks or "pops" the leash until the dog stops jumping
- Dog stops jumping
- Dog trainer praises dog
- Dog learns to avoid "correction" by offering the desired behavior faster. Praise becomes the indicator that pain has ended or been avoided altogether.
In order for leash corrections to be effective, the handler (i.e. the dog owner) has to have perfect timing and the skill to be able to administer the right level of correction that is aversive enough to convince the dog to stop the behavior, but not so hard that it injures the dog.
Many dogs have suffered injured or collapsed tracheas from poorly administered "corrections." It can take years for a handler to become proficient enough with the use of leash corrections to do so in such a way that inflicts minimal stress and pain on the dog.
Unfortunately, the average dog owner is rarely able to duplicate the timing and accuracy of a professional trainer which can cause big problems after dog and owner go home.
Board Training
While the idea of leaving an untrained maniac and returning to pick up a well-behaved dog is appealing to many owners, this type of service is not without drawbacks.
First, the dog owners still need to learn the training exercises and continue to practice and reinforce the dog's training consistently throughout the dog's life. Dog training is not just about the dog, it is about creating a relationship between the dog and the owner. You could leave your dog with me for two weeks and he would be a very well-behaved dog...for me. But you would still have to do a lot of work to get that same behavior at home. Board and train programs are not a simple fix.
Second, there is always a risk of leaving your dog in someone else's care. While we acknowledge the existence of quality professionals who offer board and train services, there are numerous instances of dogs being lost, injured or badly abused when left at a training facility. Dog owners should be very thorough when researching these types of training programs.
Conclusion
Do the methods used on the show work? In many dogs, yes. And they have been in use for a very long time. However the same results can be achieved through non-aversive methods, without inflicting undue discomfort or stress on the dog. This is evidenced by the many competitive trainers who earn championship titles in obedience, agility and even protection work using positive training methods.
While there are times that aversives can be helpful and even necessary for specific problems, these times are few and far between. The proper application of aversives requires near-perfect timing and accuracy to be effective and avoid unnecessary trauma to the dog. If you wish to get a sense of the importance of timing in dog training, we recommend teaching your dog a complex behavior with a clicker. If your timing is not good enough with a clicker, you have a long way to go before you can be effective with a "correction." The difference is that poor timing with a clicker is not going to result in injury or behavior problems in the dog.
No article, book or television show is a substitute for working with a professional trainer who can customize your training program for you and your dog. As it says on the television show, please don't attempt these methods at home without consulting a professional.
4Paws University offers a free trainer referral service. If you are looking for a trainer outside of Sacramento, please feel free to contact us.
Additional Reading
Traditional Training Methods
Choosing a Dog Trainer Pack Leader Myths PDF
Debunking The Dominance Myth PDF
Letting Go of the Dominance Paradigm in Dogs PDF
Moving Beyond the Dominance Myth Towards Training as a Partnership PDF
History and Misconceptions of Dominance Theory/Alpha Roll
Reconsidering Dominance PDF
| RECOMMENDED VIEWING |
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IT'S ME OR THE DOG on Animal Planet
If you want to see a show about changing problem behaviors in dogs that focuses on positive methods, watch this entertaining show on Animal Planet!Victoria Stillwell does not cut dog owners any slack and shows them how to change their behavior while at the same time changing their dog's behavior.
We give this show a big 4 Paws up! |
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THE LANGUAGE OF DOGS DVD
If you would like to learn how to spot the signs of stress that professionals see on the show (and in other dogs with behavior problems), we highly recommend this 2 DVD set which also includes some very impressive footage of aggressive dogs. |
| RECOMMENDED READING |
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CULTURE CLASH - Jean Donaldson
Considered a staple in every dog trainer's library, Culture Clash breaks down the myths about training and behavior and explains how dogs learn in clear, straightforward language. |
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Visit the 4Paws University Bookstore for other recommended titles |
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