Dog-training methods have undergone a metamorphosis during the last two decades that reflects a larger societal change.
A few generations ago, child-rearing philosophies began to shift toward overall permissiveness, with the goal of nurturing a more free-spirited personality. Many believe this shift came about as a backlash against the authoritarian parenting methods of the 1950s. But this permissive approach came with an uncalculated cost. Numerous studies have found that indulgent parenting styles that lack guidelines or limitations often result in children who rank low in happiness and self-regulation. These children are more likely to experience problems with authority and tend to perform poorly in school.
With the role model of permissive child rearing as a guide, dog training, too, began to change. But while child rearing shifted away from authoritarian methods, dog training needed to make a much larger leap away from training styles that sometimes were quite harsh.
Choke chains, lunge lines and total, forced isolation were common tools for bringing a dog into compliance with a trainer’s wishes. Other harsher methods included “helicoptering” (swinging a dog by the leash over the trainer’s head) and “hanging” (stretching the leash over a door and pulling to hang the dog, sometimes to unconsciousness). Luckily, these “methods” are rarely heard of today.
Some societal changes, however, tend to foster movements toward the extreme. Such is the case with “purely positive” dog-training methods. This indulgent, permissive style asks that you merely ignore bad or unwanted behaviors in your dog while rewarding behaviors that you want to encourage. Rewarding good behaviors is fundamental to sound dog training, but ignoring unwanted behaviors tends to fail spectacularly with all but the youngest of puppies. Just as with permissive parenting, purely positive dog training often results in undisciplined dogs that lack a sense of self-control.
A dog’s behavior is determined by what happens after he practices that particular behavior. This is a fundamental psychological principle first brought to us by Thorndike’s Law of Effect. When something positive occurs after a behavior, that behavior is more likely to happen in the future. When something negative happens after a behavior, that behavior tends to decrease. When nothing happens after a behavior, most dogs have the same reaction you or I would: confusion.
By providing consequences for your dog’s behaviors, you are giving him information about how to act in the future. Consequences for good behavior, such as maintaining a stay or coming when called, can be as simple as taking a second to pet your dog or providing a treat. Consequences for unwanted behavior can be as simple as a verbal reprimand or a pull on the leash.
Most dog trainers follow a philosophy of balance and moderation, and so should you.
Have a clear training plan in mind, remembering to get the whole family on the same page. Be prepared to follow through and provide consequences for your dog’s behaviors, both good and bad. Last but not least, be consistent, so your dog comes to learn what your expectations are of him.
Julie Winkelman is a certified pet dog trainer and a certified dog trainer. Reach her at www.alphacanineacademy.com.
