Human psychology in dog training.
In this text, the term "animals" is used for "non-human animals" in order to keep it short.
Below I will briefly explore some of the reasons for the proliferation of the conventional animal training methods that have been used and are still being used today by both animal trainers and animal parents. All the reasons mentioned are through observation of myself, other trainers and parents of animals, as well as through studying the work of other people on training and psychology.
The conventional methods of training dogs and other animals revolve around, the human being the master and the animal being the servant. The psychology of conventional training many times includes looking down on the animal, showing off our "supremacy" by physical means, as well as psychological warfare... in other words "might makes right". The human tries to dominate the animal and show them who's boss in order to make them submit to their will.
It seems obvious that these training methods are just plain wrong, yet for some reasons they are the preferred methods of many if not most of 'animal trainers' and animal 'parents' today.
Some of these reasons include but are not limited to:
Hopefully by now, why we MUST change our current practices that should have never existed in the first place. is all made clearer, and why positive reinforcement is the way forward... even If you find an argument against it or an exceptional scenario where it might not be appropriate, it should still make sense as the more ethical and effective approach and that everyone adopts this method throughout their life including of course, animal training.
This is all I've got... for now
By Andreas Ierodiakonou
Certified Dog Trainer
In this text, the term "animals" is used for "non-human animals" in order to keep it short.
Below I will briefly explore some of the reasons for the proliferation of the conventional animal training methods that have been used and are still being used today by both animal trainers and animal parents. All the reasons mentioned are through observation of myself, other trainers and parents of animals, as well as through studying the work of other people on training and psychology.
The conventional methods of training dogs and other animals revolve around, the human being the master and the animal being the servant. The psychology of conventional training many times includes looking down on the animal, showing off our "supremacy" by physical means, as well as psychological warfare... in other words "might makes right". The human tries to dominate the animal and show them who's boss in order to make them submit to their will.
It seems obvious that these training methods are just plain wrong, yet for some reasons they are the preferred methods of many if not most of 'animal trainers' and animal 'parents' today.
Some of these reasons include but are not limited to:
- Sense of power. Humans get a very intense sense of power when using the conventional methods...it makes us feel mighty and in control. This is further accentuated by the feeling of powerlessness in other areas of our lives such as relationships, work life, health, etc.
- Lack of ownership. Conventional methods put the responsibility on the animal... even though we are supposed to be the intelligent Leader(which is a term that is highly used by conventional trainers) even though blaming others, is the opposite of being a proper leader.
- Self rewarding. Corrections are small rewards for the aggressor(humans), especially if the human is in a state of high arousal like anger(which some will be if the dog didn't respond the way they wanted) since not only do they raise adrenaline they are also rewarding because it has a 'desirable' result(the victim does what the aggressor demands). For the trainers out there, this is similar to a dog barking at someone, they get the buzz from the adrenaline as well as that 'someone' moving away.
- Uncomfortable being vulnerable. This is true especially for men although not absolutely, since many of us feel uncomfortable, insecure or even scared to be vulnerable, which you need if you want to build a relationship with another being and have them being receptive to new information and ultimately work together.
- Impatience for results. Conventional training forces quick results out of the animals and is therefore EXTREMELY appealing, especially to the modern human who is after instant gratification like there's no tomorrow.... but at a high price, a very high price. Many dogs develop fears and even long term trauma because of these methods. Furthermore, the trainer will not have as good of a relationship with the animal(which is one of the key components of successful teaching/learning) as he would have, had he used a positive reinforcement approach. In other words, it is unethical as well as less effective when you consider the whole 'package'.
- Wrong role models (Tv, online videos etc.). We are very susceptible to fraud. Online videos, tv series, social media posts do not have the animals' best interest in mind OR YOURS. It is first a SHOW and the rest come after that. There's nothing dramatic in proper training, no background thrilling music, special effects or tears. It is intentional consistent application of scientific methods that have been developed by understanding the animals' physical, mental and emotional needs and using them to get the desired outcome without compromising their welfare.
- Reluctance to change. Humans generally do not enjoy change even if they are given proof that there is something better on the other side. For this reason, people do not make a change either because they don't want to, or are too afraid to do so. Therefore, they get stuck in conventional methods of training and don't even dare to approach the possibilities that positive reinforcement training offers... at the expense of the animals' of course.
- Childhood experiences and culture. Finally, at least for this text, our childhood and culture, while it doesn't determine how we behave (because we almost always have a choice), it certainly has a massive, if not the most influence on how we choose to BE as trainers, parents, people. These two factors affect almost every other factor mentioned previously. We have the wrong role models in life that are maybe impulsive, emotional, imposing, macho, and even violent. We look for a quick fix, 'the pill', to solve a problem and we don't look at the long game and the ramifications of our choices. We are taught that we are superior over other species... not only that, but also that other species are not worthy outside of our own convenience, and we are given the permission and encouragement to behave as if this was true. We don't change because of the risk of leaving our comfortable bubble that we've created, yet we expect animals to change their behaviours for our convenience using our weak founded sense of power and take advantage of their helplessness, many, if not most times, enjoying it, while we don't take responsibility for our failure to understand and communicate with them and be vulnerable towards them so that we can all be more receptive to what the other is telling us verbally or otherwise.
Hopefully by now, why we MUST change our current practices that should have never existed in the first place. is all made clearer, and why positive reinforcement is the way forward... even If you find an argument against it or an exceptional scenario where it might not be appropriate, it should still make sense as the more ethical and effective approach and that everyone adopts this method throughout their life including of course, animal training.
This is all I've got... for now
By Andreas Ierodiakonou
Certified Dog Trainer
