Recently there’s been a lot of talk in the dog world about the divide between positive reinforcement animal trainers and trainers who use other methods.
I’ve heard over and over again over the past month or so that professional trainers who use other training methods are not bad people and that they’re just doing what they think is best for the dog.
I’m gonna call bullshit on that one.
There’s simply far too much education and proof available at the click of a button that shows that positive reinforcement is a more humane and safer option for any “professional” dog trainer to think that a shock collar, prong collar, aversive sound, squirt bottle, jerking on a dog’s collar, yelling at a dog, or hitting/kicking/poking a dog, is “best”.
Professional trainers who persist with these methods aren’t doing it because they think it’s best. They’re doing it because it works for them. It’s what yields the most reinforcement for them in all the wrong ways.
It’s no secret that using force and intimidation is very reinforcing for the individual using those tactics. People get a thrill from being able to “control the beast” and show that they are the more powerful, dominant individual. People feel in control when they use these methods. They feel like they’re actually doing something to resolve the issue at hand, and more importantly, showing others that they’re doing something to resolve the issue. Embarrassment is a powerful motivator.
Positive reinforcement is hard for most people. It requires one to be proactive, not just reactive. It requires thought and planning. If it doesn’t go well, people are quick to call it bribery and blame the trainer for being too much of a push-over.
By contrast, people can easily muddle through using aversive tools and techniques with very little skill, thought, or planning, because all they really have to do is scare the animal into compliance. If it doesn’t work out well, everyone blames the dog.
They can even get away with just looking like they’re doing something to “fix” the dog, regardless of the actual results. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had someone tell me how well the prong collar works while they’re dog is literally pulling them to me and jumping all over me. Or how well the shock collar works, even though they’re five years in and still carrying that remote around, in spite of the fact that the first thing they ask me is how quickly they can get rid of the treats. 🙄
One of the biggest issues I see with positive reinforcement training is that a lot of people just cannot find it within them to actual do it well. Positive reinforcement requires one of two things that a lot of people don’t seem to have. Generosity of spirit or the ability to reconcile the fact that the food is not a reward that your animal has to “deserve” but actually a tool that should be applied generously to strengthen a behavior.
So no, I do not believe for one second that all of these “balanced” trainers are doing it because it’s what they think is best. They’re doing it for the same reason every other animal does what it does. They do it because it has been reinforced.