What to look for in a dog trainer to build your dog’s
confidence and enhance your relationship
Kari Bastyr, MS, VSPDT and
(Thank you, Louisa, for your collaboration!)
Because
most dogs are adopted through shelters and at an older age, many of them come
with behavior issues that other people have reinforced. While secondhand dogs are wonderful and have
a lot of love to give, it can be frustrating to try and untrain the bad
behaviors while you try and train the behaviors you want. Equally important are young puppies learning
how to grow up to be well-behaved, stable, happy, and calm. Teaching commands is important to all dogs,
but the main focus, we believe, should be on teaching ‘impulse control’ and
‘manners’ while rewarding your dog for doing it right, instead of focusing on
what he is doing wrong. Your dog can
know every command in the book, but if he can’t calm down and focus to do a
‘sit’ in a high-stress or excitable environment, is ‘performing’ out of fear of
pain or physical punishment, or doesn’t know how to do the command outside of
your house, then ‘obedience’ is a moot point.
The first
step in helping your dog listen with distractions and without fear, and more
importantly, be motivated to listen to you because you have a loving and
trusting relationship, is to find the right ‘positive reinforcement’
trainer. There is a lot of wonderful information
out there on using rewards to train your dog, but there is also a lot of
misinformation regarding training in general.
Many dog trainers purport to use only positive reinforcement, but then
use shock or prong collars when they believe a dog ‘needs more’. That is NOT positive reinforcement. Other trainers aim to use a ‘balanced’
approach to dog training. What most dog
owners don’t know or understand is that ‘balanced dog training’ means the
trainer uses all four quadrants of operant conditioning: Positive
Reinforcement, Negative Reinforcement, Positive Punishment, and Negative
Punishment.
·
Positive Reinforcement: Presenting a positive stimulus to
increase the likelihood of the behavior
·
Negative Reinforcement: Taking away an aversive stimulus to
increase the likelihood of the behavior
·
Positive Punishment: Presenting an aversive stimulus to
decrease the likelihood of the behavior
·
Negative Punishment: Taking away an aversive stimulus to
decrease the likelihood of the behavior
Notice that
‘reinforcement’ always increases behavior and ‘punishment’ always decreases
behavior. Also note that Negative
Reinforcement does not mean ‘punishment’, nor that bad things happen. The term
is often used incorrectly in dog training.
Therefore,
a ‘balanced trainer’ may shock your dog for grabbing something off the counter,
but then give him praise once the dog gets off the counter. A trainer using a ‘balanced approach’ will
use a prong collar to leash correct your dog for growling at you, then give him
a treat for stopping. This type of training is not only confusing to dogs, but
severely undermines their confidence and trust in humans.
A new term
called ‘force free’ training is also being widely used. Originally, this term
was coined by trainers using only positive reinforcement (giving rewards for
the correct behavior) or negative punishment (taking away rewards to decrease
unwanted behavior such as walking away when a dog jumps). These trainers are
dedicated to never using a method or tool that physically hurts or intimidates
a dog, hence the term ‘force free’. Many trainers that use prong or shock
collars have realized that most of the dog-owning public really does not like
the idea of hurting their companions in the name of training. To cover up the
fact that they use painful training methods and to appeal to the public, these
shock collar trainers have now stolen the term ‘force free’ to apply to shock collar training as well.
You will
also find poeple who use ‘natural’ or ‘pack’ dog training. This is a very good
time to dig deep in your research! Often
these types of trainers are using the outdated and incorrect ‘dominance theory’
to train you and your dog. This theory states that since dogs and wolves are
related, and wolves use a rigid heirarchy to control the pack, that dogs do the
same. They propose we need to be ‘alpha’
to our dogs, which couldn’t be further from the truth. The following is the modern information
supported by animal behaviorists who have a Masters Degree or Doctorate from a
researched-based animal behavior program and/or accredited university. (Beware of
the self-proclaimed ‘behaviorists’ and ask for their degree. Many dog trainers
say they are ‘behaviorists’ when they barely have a high school education).
The data
that says wolves work in a strict hierarchy came from a study of captive wolves
in a zoo done in the 1930s. Recent wolf studies show that wild wolf packs are a
functioning, fluid family unit in which each individual is essential to the
survival of the entire group and energy wasted on intra-pack violence is
detrimental to the survival of all. Next, while wolves and dogs share a common
ancestor, dogs have been domesticated by humans for a few 10,000 years. We have
selected animals that work with us, read our body language, and understand our emotions. The modern domesticated dog is not a wolf,
plain and simple, and does not need to know us humans are ‘alpha’.
Finally,
the dog-human connection is a fascinating inter-species relationship. Dogs know
that we are humans as much as they know a cat is a cat and not a dog! But why would you not want to use a trainer
using the dominance theory? By
approaching all of training from the viewpoint of dominance only, one misses
some very important causes of a dog’s behavior such as medical problems, lack
of training, anxiety, poor diet, fear, learned behavior, genetics, or simply a
dog trying to adjust in the first month of adoption to a new environment. Additionally, the dominance theory type of training
instantly creates a confrontational relationship between a person and their
dog, as the person is required to establish, and maintain at all times, an
alpha status. Do you really want that
relationship with your dog? Wouldn’t you
rather learn to train your dog through reward-based methods, respectfully communicate
with them, and have the deeply fulfilling relationship you are dreaming of?
We receive
calls from potential clients every day who are doing their due diligence…
googling ‘dog trainer’ and calling around to see who has the best deal, who can
do the ‘fastest’ work, and who is available.
These are the wrong things to ask when looking for a dog trainer. First and foremost, ask if he or she uses
ONLY positive motivation and reinforcment. Many trainers use pain-inflicting
motivation, but say they use positive reinforcement. They will shock your dog, or jerk your dog
off the ground, but not tell you that they do that. And why would they? Would you really bring your dog to a board
& train program if you knew horrific things would happen while she was
there? Ask which type of training tools they use with a dog, and ask
specifically if they use choke, prong, or shock collars at any time. Ask where they received their education. Ask if they have references, both from
clients and from colleagues.
Does the
trainer offer a method that ‘guarantees results for all dogs’? How many of you think that is realistically
true? You’re right, it’s unrealistic! Each dog is an individual. Each person is an individual and the
relationship forged between them is unique. While we live in a fast food, two-minute,
sound-bite culture, the honest truth is that training takes time. Relationships take time, respect, and effort,
whether those relationships are between two people or between a person and their
dog. A good trainer will be honest with you about the time and work that will
be involved in training your dog.
The best
way to find a reward-based trainer in your area is to search professional
organizations like The Pet Professional Guild, Victoria Stilwell Positively
network, Karen Pryor Clicker Trainer network, or ask your friends and family if
they use a dog trainer who believes in pain-free training. Reward-based training also doesn’t just mean
feeding your dog a lot of treats. Food is a great motivator, and a great
paycheck (would you work without a paycheck?), but good trainers wean off
treats really quickly so you and your dog do not become dependent on them. Positive motivation is key, rather than making
your dog afraid of you so he’ll behave.
But when a trainer says he or she doesn’t believe in treats or rewards,
run the other direction! If your dog has
aggression issues, please don’t use aggressive techniques, as that will
invariably make your dog worse or ruin him.
Good trainers will focus on the anxiety and insecurity causing the
aggression, and not just punish the aggression to make your dog to shut
down. If your dog is shut down, he may
not be aggressing, but the punishment will only increase his general anxiety
and fear and potentially make him dangerous.
Above all,
a good trainer will use techniques and tools that will enhance the bond
between you and your dog, rather than destroy it. Training methods and tools
that cause intimidation or pain deeply damage the human/canine bond. Training
methods that are pain and fear-free, and based on positive reinforcement will deepen and strengthen your bond. A good trainer will be there for the long term
as the relationship between you and your dog develops, and if you need help
over your dog’s entire lifetime.
Have fun,
and don’t forget to reward and postively motivate your dog- he or she will
thank you!
