Your animal’s behavior has you considering a trainer – great idea! You want the best for your animal, but how do you know if a trainer’s approach is humane?
Trainers typically refer to themselves as either “positive reinforcement” or “balanced.” Positive reinforcement rewards the good and ignores the bad. To effectively change behavior, we need to identify the behavior(s) we don’t want and identify a new behavior we want instead. Behavior we don’t want: Max barking/pulling toward other dogs on a leash. Behavior we do want: Max calmly walking past other dogs. A training plan from a positive reinforcement trainer may look like this:
- While using proper walking equipment (front clip harness, flat buckle or martingale collar and 6-foot clip leash), give Max a treat whenever he sees another dog, regardless of his reaction (even if he barks and pulls).
- Soon, in anticipation of getting a treat, when Max sees another dog, he looks at you.
- Continue to give Max a treat for looking at you.
- Now that you have Max’s attention, continue giving him a treat every few steps to keep his focus on you while you walk past the other dog.
While this plan is simplified, it uses positive reinforcement to address the behavior we want to change (barking/pulling at other dogs) and provides an alternate behavior (looking at you) as a replacement.
Alternatively, balanced trainers use a combination of positive reinforcement and punishment, by rewarding the good and punishing the bad. Using the same scenario, a training plan from a balanced trainer may look like this:
- While using inhumane walking equipment (prong or electronic/shock collar) and a 6-foot clip leash, give Max a leash correction (a quick pull back and “pop” of the leash or delivering a shock) when he sees another dog.
- When he stops barking and pulling, give Max a treat.
- Continue to give leash or shock corrections any time he barks or pulls toward another dog.
In this plan, Max receives painful corrections to address the behavior we want to change and the alternate behavior is rewarded.
Unfortunately, with this plan, the introduction of pain is being paired with seeing other dogs. This can cause Max to become fearful and/or intensify the reactivity because he’s made the connection that another dog equals pain. Alternatively, you may see that Max does stop barking/pulling, but he’s more anxious because he’s unsure when he might get corrected and his fear of being hurt outweighs the excitement of receiving a treat. With this plan, Max could become more reactive because he’s now hypervigilant, constantly looking for other dogs in anticipation of being punished.
Benefits of Positive Reinforcement Training
Research shows positive reinforcement training is more effective and longer lasting than punishment based training. Positive reinforcement training forges bonds between you and your pet, while keeping your pet engaged, encouraging them to try new things and teaching them they can make mistakes.
At the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, we use and teach positive reinforcement training or relationship-based training only. We also encourage animal lovers in our community to only seek out positive reinforcement trainers for their own animals.
How do you identify a trainer who only uses positive reinforcement? Here are some questions to ask and things to consider.
- What certifications do they have? The animal behavior field is not regulated, and there is nothing that requires someone to graduate a course or obtain a license before calling themselves a trainer. This is where third party certifications come in. These are granted to people who demonstrate a minimum baseline knowledge within a field and do not offer their own course curriculum. There are currently no third party certifying organizations that accept the use of punishment and/or aversive training techniques within their standards. Any trainer you work with should either be certified by a reputable third party organization or be apprenticing under another certified trainer. Examples of reputable third party certifying organizations include: CCPDT, IAABC, Karen Pryor Academy, and Fear Free, among others.
- Look out for lingo. Look up social media pages for any potential trainer you may consider working with and see what their training sessions look like. Look to see if the trainers are using aversive tools like prong or shock collars, leash corrections (snapping or “popping” the leash to get the dog’s attention), squirt water bottles, or anything else that generally looks like it would cause either physical or emotional discomfort. If the trainer’s techniques look rough to you, it means they are. Also, look at the animals in those videos. If they look stressed being near the trainer or performing the behaviors the trainer is asking, that means that the animal’s needs either aren’t being met or they’re not being listened to.
- Snoop social media. Look up trainers’ social media pages and see what their sessions look like. See if they are using aversive tools like prong/shock collars, leash corrections, spray bottles, etc. that look like it could cause physical or emotional discomfort.
- Ask about specialties. You’re likely looking for a trainer to help you with one or a few specific things, so ask any trainers you talk to about what they specialize in. Many trainers will have experience with many different things, but the answer should rarely be “everything.” Trainers who are at the absolute top of the field, such as veterinary behaviorists, will indeed have vast knowledge and experience with any issue you could come to them with, but those are the exceptions and not the rule. Any trainer should be able to tell you their specific areas of expertise. If their skill sets don’t line up with what you need, they should be able to refer you to someone else who does specialize in that area.
- Ask what your role will be in the training process. An effective training program has to involve both you and your animal. There’s as much training and work for your cat or dog to do as there is for you, if not more. The best training plans involve building a positive bond and relationship between person and pet, teaching you both how to communicate with and respond to each other’s needs. If a trainer’s plan is to take your animal and do all the training themselves, then hand your animal back to you “fixed,” it would not be recommended to use their services.
- Are they seeing the whole picture? A knowledgeable trainer should look to address the root cause of the behavior. They may recommend a visit to the animal’s veterinarian to ensure there are no underlying medical issues, which can affect behavior.
If you want information on animal training, attend our second Saturday sessions “Good Pet, Great Life” with our Senior Manager of Behavior and Training Joe Miench, CPDT-KA, ABCDT, at the Kate Waller Barrett Library, 717 Queen St., Alexandria.
You can find more information about the AWLA’s community dog training courses at www.AlexandriaAnimals.org/AlexandriaAnimalAcademy.
Find all of the AWLA’s behavior and training resources here.
By Joe Miench, CPDT-KA, ABCDT, Senior Manager of Behavior and Training at the AWLA