Reward-Based Domestic Dog Grooming Isn’T Only For Sunny Days

Answering mutual questions near domestic dog preparation methods.

Photo: Dora Zett/Shutterstock

By Zazie Todd, PhD

Back when I had ii dogs, Ghost together with Bodger, I had a lot of questions near the information I saw near dogs together with particularly on how to develop them. It exactly didn’t check alongside the sort of pet possessor I wanted to be, or alongside what I knew from my background inward Psychology. Learning to a greater extent than near dogs together with cats, together with sharing that information alongside people, was my principal motivation for starting . And hither nosotros are, seven-and-a-half-years later, together with on my 500th post.

Some mutual themes inward my inbox over the years country us near changes inward how nosotros mean value near pets, together with inward domestic dog preparation inward particular.

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Questions near domestic dog preparation methods

The most mutual questions I acquire are near domestic dog preparation methods. One gear upwards of questions is from people wanting links to portion alongside others they promise to persuade to halt using electronic collars, leash jerks, or other aversive methods. I typically portion seven reasons to utilisation reward-based training, the results of a report on reasons to ban daze collars, or something near positive reinforcement. For those who are nifty to dig into the science, at that spot is my listing of dog preparation scientific discipline resources which I update regularly (and which you lot tin strength out ever uncovering via the tabs at the move past times of the page).

One of the squeamish things near this outset gear upwards of questions is that over the years, they accept changed from beingness questions near how to convince friends or identify unit of measurement to also include questions near bringing near wider change, such equally past times changing bylaws or local or Earth regime regulations. If you lot desire inspiration on this, banking concern check out the promoting reward-based preparation methods.

Training dogs alongside behaviour problems

Another gear upwards of questions goes something similar this: “It’s all real good to utilisation positive reinforcement alongside slow dogs, but my domestic dog has behaviour problems. What produce I produce then? Surely I accept to punish the behaviours?”

But the matter is, reward-based methods aren’t exactly for sunny days together with slow dogs together with puppies. They are for all dogs. They are peradventure fifty-fifty to a greater extent than of import for dogs alongside behaviour problems, because many behaviour problems are caused (at to the lowest degree inward part) past times fear, anxiety, together with stress, together with aversive methods opportunity making fear, anxiety, together with stress worse.

That’s why, if your domestic dog has a behaviour problem, you lot should halt using aversive methods (positive punishment and negative reinforcement).

As Prof. Daniel Mills, MD Christos Karagiannis, together with MD Helen Zulch (2014) write:

“Often, owners experience the urge to punish their pets when they produce non bear equally they would like. Punishment non alone potentially exacerbates an animal’s anxiety and/or frustration, but also impacts on the dog’s perception of the private equally a consistent source of safety (secure base), affecting its wider coping capacity. It is thus non surprising that physical penalization is significantly associated alongside all forms of dog-related aggression (ie, toward owner, unfamiliar people, together with other dogs).”

This is also the illustration for children, where at that spot has been far to a greater extent than extensive enquiry on the effects of physical punishment.

MD Ilana Reisner writes (2017:216),

“Considering that occupation behaviour is oft associated alongside anxiety, the behaviour itself may hold out aggravated past times positive punishment. Rather than learning an alternative behaviour, a physically punished together with aroused domestic dog tends to focus alone on his ain hurting together with self-defense – truthful equally good for children who are physically punished.”

Using aversive methods may increase fear, anxiety, stress, together with aggression, together with also risks affecting your human relationship alongside your dog, who may associate the penalization alongside you.

Reward-based domestic dog preparation works

Another purpose of this minute gear upwards of questions near reward-based methods is that some people are thinking, produce they actually work? To which the response is, of course, yes.

Photo: Dora Zett/Shutterstock

There is a misconception that somehow positive penalization is to a greater extent than effective, an sentiment that people look to particularly apply to endeavour to justify the utilisation of daze collars. But it’s but non true. And yes, at that spot is evidence that positive reinforcement is exactly equally effective at instruction retrieve equally a daze collar (Cooper et al 2014). On the topic of daze collars, MD Sylvia Masson et al (2018:75) write,

“…there is no credible scientific evidence to justify electronic neckband utilisation together with the utilisation of spray collars or electronic fences for dogs. On the contrary, at that spot are many reasons to never utilisation these devices. Better preparation options exist, alongside proven efficacy together with depression risk.”

So fifty-fifty when a domestic dog has behaviour issues, there’s no argue to utilisation aversive methods. But nosotros all the same accept a lot of operate to produce to ensure that all domestic dog owners know this, together with know how to utilisation reward-based methods instead. And because domestic dog preparation involves technical know-how, people may postulate assist together with back upwards to hold out confident inward using positive reinforcement.

Positive reinforcement feels similar magic

One of the best things near positive reinforcement preparation is that, although there’s scientific discipline behind it, it tin strength out experience similar magic.

In 1 of many encouraging real-life stories inward the mass From Fearful to Fear Free, MD Wailani Sung writes near a Boxer who at outset was real fearful at vet visits, but responded good to treats together with liver paste. She writes (p47)

“For me, it was rewarding to encounter him alter from a domestic dog who required 3 to iv people to bound him to 1 whose possessor could give him treats alongside alone 1 technician lightly restraining him during an exam.”

I ever similar to read success stories near dogs (and cats) whose lives accept been changed past times the utilisation of reward-based methods. In those success stories, nosotros tin strength out all encounter that at that spot is hope. Sometimes when a domestic dog has behaviour issues, people postulate to hold out able to encounter that hope.

For myself, I accept a similar even out alongside Bodger, who was terrified of the vet when nosotros outset adopted him (and wasn’t equally good nifty on us treatment him either). He, too, 1 time had iv people sit down on him to bound him at the vet. It’s amazing at 1 time to mean value dorsum to those early on days together with how much has changed.

I mean value promise is what helps people to encounter that at that spot actually is no postulate for aversive methods. Reward-based preparation is non exactly for sunny days, but for all our pets, fifty-fifty when times are hard. It’s non magic, but it feels similar it.

500 posts

And to hold out honest, reaching 500 posts is magic too, equally is the fact that inward March adjacent twelvemonth I'll hold out able to portion my book, Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy alongside you. This spider web log is a existent labour of love, together with at the same fourth dimension I experience real lucky to hold out able to croak along it going together with to accept so much back upwards from wonderful people similar you. Thank you!

If you lot accept whatsoever success stories, I would beloved to withdraw heed them.

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Zazie Todd, PhD, is the writer of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy. She is the founder of the pop spider web log , where she writes near everything from preparation methods to the human-canine relationship. She also writes a column for Psychology Today together with has received the prestigious Captain Haggerty Award for Best Training Article inward 2017. Todd lives inward Maple Ridge, BC, alongside her husband, 1 dog, together with ii cats.

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References
Becker, MD Marty, Radosta, L., Sung, W., Becker, M. edited past times Kim Campbell Thornton (2017) From Fearful to Fear Free: Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Positive Program to Free Your Dog from Anxiety, Fears, together with Phobias. Lumina Media.
Cooper, J. J., Cracknell, N., Hardiman, J., Wright, H., & Mills, D. (2014). The welfare consequences together with efficacy of preparation pet dogs alongside remote electronic preparation collars inward comparing to vantage based training. PloS one, 9(9), e102722.
Masson, S., de la Vega, S., Gazzano, A., Mariti, C., Pereira, G. D. G., Halsberghe, C., Leyvraz, A.M., McPeake, K. & Schoening, B. (2018). Electronic preparation devices: give-and-take on the pros together with cons of their utilisation inward dogs equally a soil for the seat disputation of the European Society of Veterinary Clinical Ethology (ESVCE). Journal of Veterinary Behavior.  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1558787818300108
Mills, D., Karagiannis, C., & Zulch, H. (2014). Stress—its effects on wellness together with behavior: a guide for practitioners. Veterinary Clinics: Small Animal Practice, 44(3), 525-541. http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/13602/1/20-10161.pdf
Reisner, I. (2017) The learning dog: Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 give-and-take of preparation methods. Chapter eleven inward The Domestic Dog: Its Evolution, Behavior together with Interactions alongside People. Edited past times James Serpell. Cambridge University Press.

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