Dear Dog Talk readers: Last week, I answered a question from a reader about the "all-positive" approach to dog training. The approach developed, in part, as a backlash to inappropriately harsh methods that some dog trainers use. Here's part 2 of my answer.
Political correctness is another contributing factor to the all-positive training approach. The thinking is, "We should treat our dogs the way we would like to be treated." That's a nice sentiment, but dogs are not humans. Dogs see the world through only a canine point of view. Discipline is natural to canines -- even mother dogs disciplines their puppies.
"All-positive" training is an anthropomorphic approach. It humanizes dogs. It is an approach that is out of tune with nature. Such an approach that is fundamentally flawed cannot help but have serious negative backlash effects.
Another factor that helped spawn the "all-positive" training approach is ambitious dog trainers who want to be celebrities in the dog-training world. There are a handful of trainers who are contemporaries of mine who have helped refine traditional dog training. We learned how to correct dogs in a natural way without using abusive methods and how to use positive reinforcement to form good habits. Excellent books have been written by these trainers.
So, how does one become a dog-training celebrity and move to the head of the pack⢠One way is to pay your dues by honing your craft and wait for the existing pack leaders to retire/die off. Another way is to "reinvent the wheel." All-positive training is an attempt by some people to reinvent something that does not need reinventing.
I also think that the veterinary community jumped on board the "all-positive" bandwagon for their own reasons. Money. There is a lot of money to be made in the pet industry, and veterinarians were missing out on the dog training part of it.
Veterinary canine behaviorists became more abundant just as "all-positive" training came into vogue. The head halter was created by a veterinarian and widely endorsed by the veterinary community. It was promoted as a revolutionary new training tool designed to gently teach dogs controlled walking.
Head halters do stop some dogs from pulling on the leash, but they teach dogs nothing. A head halter is merely a restraint device; it is not a training tool. A dog never will learn anything by being restrained.
Now, there are even veterinary pharmacologists preaching positive training approaches. Train your dog with love, kindness and drugs.
I find that veterinarians are highly intelligent, well-educated individuals who would like to intellectualize dog training. The fact of the matter is, dog training is not rocket science. The best dog trainer I every met had a third-grade education. In 1973, he told me, "Boy, you want a good dog⢠Teach him like his momma did, keep him tired and get him out to see the world."
A few years ago, I heard a dog trainer on TV give an explanation about why he felt "all-positive" training was becoming popular. He said, "It makes trainers feel like real trainers. They love the devices such as 'clickers' and terminology like 'Conditioned Reinforcer' and 'Conditioned Aversive Stimuli.' " Many dog trainers think that marine mammal trainers directing dolphins and whales to do silly tricks at marine parks are cool.
I think that there is a lot of truth to the TV trainer's observation. Sadly, what dog trainers don't get is the fact that the dog-owning public wants to keep it simple. Pet owners are not interested in learning a new language and carrying around clicker devices. Pet owners want an easy-to-understand, common-sense training approach.
With all this said, my advice to the trainer who wrote me is to not get into a training-approach battle. If you are doing a good job with your training classes, word will spread. The people who matter are not your dog-training competitors. The people who matter are pet owners who want a well-behaved, mentally balanced dog.
Keep doing what you are doing, and hone your craft. Be open-minded and listen to what other trainers have to say. One mark of a great dog-obedience instructor is the ability to take in all of the information and to know how to discard the rubbish.
Instead of going after the "all-positive" crowd at your seminar, I suggest that your lecture reinforce the importance of training through a canine point of view and helping owners stay in tune with nature. Promote the canine triangle -- obedience training, physical exercise and socialization. Good luck with your dog-training career.
