Dog training is big business and lucrative.
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| Photo: Pixabay |
Recently I watched an exasperated woman screaming at her cowering misbehaved dog and violently pulling its head back whenever it got more than a foot in front of her, almost lifting the large dog off the ground. After half a dozen such actions I decided to admonish her, (not always a good plan), but she turned her frustration and anger on me saying she was only doing what her dog behaviourist had advised her to do, and suggested I should have a word with him. I replied that I would be glad to do so, but I was sure he had not told her to be so violent. My wife gave her the parting comment that the days of Barbara Woodhouse were long over, but are they?
For
those too young to remember Barbara Woodhouse, she was a highly celebrated and
regarded dog trainer across the world in the 1970’s and 1980’s with TV
programmes, books and documentaries about what many looked upon as domineering,
heavy handed and cruel methods.
Controversy over Jeff Gellman
History
often repeats itself and recently there has been controversy about American dog
trainer Jeff Gellman who allegedly hits dogs with a rolled up towel and uses
prong collars and remote control shock collars, which are in common use in North
America and are readily available on the internet in the U.K. He has become a
YouTube celebrity and owners queue up willing to pay large sums for a session
with him. Dog training is big business and very lucrative but as always totally
unregulated.
But
his methods highlight the great division that still exists after decades of
research and debate regarding the best and most humane way of training a dog to
fit in with our modern lifestyles. Every self-proclaimed dog behaviourist and
trainer has their own ideas or copy the method of the day. But then everybody
likes to think they are a dog expert.
The
argument over negative and positive reinforcement.
The
main division between the “experts” is whether “aversive” or “negative reinforcement” training
i.e. using a bit of brute force like Mr Gellman and Barbara Woodhouse is cruel
and counter productive and causes stress compared with “positive reinforcement” where
dogs are bribed with treats and praised to toe the line.
A study published in the Journal of Veterinary Behaviour indicated that
65% of dogs trained with “aversive” or “negative reinforcement” methods i.e. using
punishment showed signs of stress such as mouth licking, shaking and whining
compared with only 8% of those trained by “positive” or reward and praise
methods. Whether this is scientifically sound or not, common sense dictates
that hitting, yanking and electrocuting dogs is probably not the most humane
course of action.
Too Many Experts
The
new science of animal behaviour means we now live in a world of dog
behaviourists, clinical animal behaviourists, psychiatrists, counsellors and a
variety of trainers with diplomas and degrees just to make dogs compliant and
contented with our modern lifestyles. But still we argue, debate and write scientific papers but still cannot come up with a consensus.
Realistically
the sheer act of training a dog to make it comply with our will and our selfish
demands is an act of dominance whatever method used. For many owners, like the
exasperated lady, any method that solves the problem is OK with them, cruel or
not.
But
ironically it is us who have inflicted our mental health and behavioural problems
onto them through our lack of understanding of their needs. They have to be
under our control at all times and because of our hectic lives we have no
option but to leave them home alone, fail to walk them as we should and
generally do not give them the attention they desire. We have confused them to
the point where they do not understand their role in our lives.
I
do wonder if we read too much into dog training. I have always been willing to
put up with the odd foibles a dog of mine might have and find ways of
circumventing any problems that might arise because of them, rather than
destroying their will and individual character, but this method doesn’t have
all the answers either. Perhaps we should give more thought to acquiring a dog
in the first place if we are unable to cater for all their needs and desires
rather than always trying to transform them to our requirements.
