{"id":357,"date":"2014-09-28T16:31:03","date_gmt":"2014-09-28T20:31:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sundogpetservices.ca\/?p=357"},"modified":"2014-09-28T16:31:03","modified_gmt":"2014-09-28T20:31:03","slug":"one-way-train-dogs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sundogpetservices.ca\/wordpress\/index.php\/2014\/09\/one-way-train-dogs\/","title":{"rendered":"No One Way To Train Dogs."},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Positive<\/a>
Positive Training is not “one type”.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dog owners, and even novice trainers are often befuddled by all the information about on dog training.\u00a0 The Science is Misdirected, obfuscated or misunderstood.\u00a0 Some professionals<\/em> doll out the misinformation as fact.\u00a0 A lot of solid, scientifically sound information often getting overrun by the din of the poor.\u00a0 One of these misunderstandings is over one single line; “There is no one way to train dogs.”\u00a0 The implication being one group of trainers uses only one method to train dogs, while the other side uses all methods.\u00a0\u00a0 While Force Free and\/or Positive Training (FF\/PT) methods suggest only use of one method available in modern dog training, in practice and theory, Balanced Training seems to use only a small sliver of available tools used in 21st century dog training.<\/p>\n

Modern Dog Training<\/strong><\/p>\n

Previous centuries did use the science of Training, but not with the nomenclature of the science.\u00a0 Folk knowledge was passed from generation to generation.\u00a0 Modern dog training uses Operant Conditioning (“If I do X, then I get\/avoid Y.”) and Classical Conditioning (“If X happens, then Y follows”).\u00a0 Also available and understood by good practitioners is management (enuring dogs can’t rehearse undesired behaviours) and antecedent arrangement (ie. ensuring the environment isn’t overpowering training).\u00a0 They are not always mutually exclusive.<\/p>\n

Management and Antecedent arrangement are often fundamental to make Operant conditioning work well.\u00a0 Not removing chances to perform old “bad” behaviours and not dealing with competing motivations sets the dog up for failure.\u00a0 Asking compulsive gamblers to attend gamblers anonymous meetings in the middle of a crowded casino is a recipe for failure.\u00a0 Asking a chronic shoe chewer to play with a different toy while a flock of shoes is around is also a recipe for failure.\u00a0 Throwing an arachnophe into a dense, spider filled jungle, without preparation before hand, is a recipe for failure.\u00a0 Making a dog encounter a stressor to stop a reaction is a recipe for failure.<\/p>\n

Classical conditioning always occurrs in the background of operant conditioning – (“Pavlov is always sitting on your shoulder.” – Bob Bailey). \u00a0\u00a0 Ask a dog to do something; they get it right, and get a good thing starts adjusting emotional states positively.\u00a0 They begin to think the asking means something good will happen.\u00a0 The opposite is aslo true.\u00a0 If asked, they don’t perform, and something bad happens, association with that bad thing can occur (or sometimes with the person asking, or some other thing in the environment – fear is fickle!).\u00a0 Understanding science helps counter these effects or use them advantageously.<\/p>\n

The Divide<\/strong><\/p>\n

Good, competent Force Free\/Positive Reinforcement practitioners use all of these mentioned and understand when to use one over another.\u00a0 They do not rely on just one portion or method.\u00a0 They do however, avoid the use of aversives in operant conditioning.\u00a0 Meaning they do not employ or avoid fear, intimidation or pain.\u00a0 Mostly this is an ethical choice, and increasingly is being backed by solid, current science; although pain and fear may work, the side effects can be to detrimental, and are avoided.<\/p>\n

Balanced training uses operant conditioning.\u00a0 Whether just by the use of the associated language, misunderstanding of scientific fact, or from lack of knowledge,\u00a0 little outward acknowledgement of other\u00a0 modern training principles.\u00a0 When dealing with most aggression, the answer is “deal with the behaviour.”\u00a0 “If we don’t do X, the dog will die”\/”If we don’t use X, we won’t get a good recall”\u00a0 In order to fix the behaviour, they need the behaviour to happen.\u00a0 This means putting the dog into stressful situations, then correcting<\/em> the dog;\u00a0 corrections often of an aversive, punitive nature.\u00a0 “Pavlov is always sitting on your shoulder” here means dogs can potentially associate\u00a0 aversives with the trainer, the stressful trigger, or something completely unrelated instead<\/em> of the actual behaviour.\u00a0 This does not mean that balanced trainers do not use food, fun, play to achieve some of their goals.\u00a0 They seem to use operant conditioning without apparent consideration of the possible side effects.\u00a0 Arguments against management and antecedent arrangements\u00a0 are often prevalent in balanced training.<\/p>\n

Comparisons<\/strong><\/p>\n

“You can’t arrange real life” is sometimes true; but as much as possible practitioners can seek out situations where arrangement is possible until the dog understands – then the situations become manageable by the dog in time.\u00a0 Learning how to deal with a problem with more than one tool available is what any good trainer in the future will do.\u00a0 There are times when management is necessary, and sometimes the only recourse such as walking a truly aggressive dog with a poor mouth only with a muzzle.\u00a0 Trying to deal with just the aggression, with no management is poor, and dangerous, practice.\u00a0 Arrangement ensures success is more likely with both operant and classical methods.<\/p>\n

Eliminating aversives does not make operant conditioning weaker, but increases the potential welfare of the animal by eliminating negative shifts in emotional states.<\/p>\n

What does it all mean then?<\/strong><\/p>\n

You take yourself to the doctor.\u00a0 She mentions that the cut in your arm is infected.\u00a0 She elects and strongly encourages amputation!\u00a0 This will ensure that the infection doesn’t spread.\u00a0 You will be back at work in a few days with no other physical harm.\u00a0 Antibiotics or possible psychological effects are mentioned. We all know that this is silly, but the analogy is not far off from what some people experience.<\/p>\n

A broad base approach proves there is<\/em> only one way to train dogs – Force Free and Positive Reinforcement Training currently, while a narrower approach encompasses dangers and potential negative welfare states for dogs.\u00a0 Systematic, scientifically sound training with standard procedures for the most common behaviour modification is essential.\u00a0 Eliminating, or managing potentially harmful outcomes increases positive welfare states.<\/p>\n

Trainers become trainers partly because they want to be good to dogs.\u00a0 Lacking correct, science based learning though, this can be corrupted or misused.\u00a0 When this happens, welfare can\u00a0 suffer; counter to what was actually intended in the first place!<\/p>\n

So what are owners to do?\u00a0 Ask questions.\u00a0 Make sure clear, concise answers are given.\u00a0\u00a0 Something akin to this.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/a>Currently no legal regulatory body governing exists for dog trainers; anyone can hang out a shingle and do nearly anything to your dog.\u00a0 Advocate for your dog; if you don’t like what is happening, or you wouldn’t practice that way yourself or on any other animal or child, stop the training.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dog owners, and even novice trainers are often befuddled by all the information about on dog training.\u00a0 The Science is Misdirected, obfuscated or misunderstood.\u00a0 Some professionals doll out the misinformation as fact.\u00a0 A lot of solid, scientifically sound information often getting overrun by the din of the poor.\u00a0 One of these misunderstandings is over one … Continue reading No One Way To Train Dogs.<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,7,3,1,11,8,19,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-classicalconditioningtechniques","category-classicalconditioningtheory","category-consumerrights","category-learningtheory","category-operantconditioningtechniques","category-operant-conditioning-theory","category-philosophical-dog-discussions","category-technicalanimaltraining"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sundogpetservices.ca\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/357","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sundogpetservices.ca\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sundogpetservices.ca\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundogpetservices.ca\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundogpetservices.ca\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=357"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/sundogpetservices.ca\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/357\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":364,"href":"https:\/\/sundogpetservices.ca\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/357\/revisions\/364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sundogpetservices.ca\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundogpetservices.ca\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundogpetservices.ca\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}