Why Methods Matter
“The ends justify the means.” Sound familiar? When it comes to training, the means determine the ends. In other words, methods matter. While it may seem like, no matter what method you use, you can get your dog to sit, it’s a bit more complex than that. Let me explain.
Imagine that you are going on a vacation. Also, imagine that you are terrified of flying. If you were to drive to your destination, you would probably enjoy the trip and not be nervous about coming or going. If, however, you were told you had to fly, even if you had meds to help you, it would make the trip a bit less enjoyable and the flight there and back very uncomfortable. Whether you drive or fly, you get to the destination all the same. But, the way you felt was not the same. That is how it is with dog training. The results may look the same, but the impact different methods can have on your dog is different.
“The results may look the same, but the impact different methods can have on your dog is different. “
So, if your dog learns the tasks, then how are they different? The method you use can impact your relationship with your dog, how the dog feels about training or working, the dog’s confidence level, and even how the dog interacts with the world around them. To better understand how this is possible, imagine that you are back in school. However, the teacher is very forceful. The teacher forces you to do what she wants, even physically manipulating you, and punishes you if you don’t get things right the first time. In this environment, you would dislike your teacher and have no trust for her. You would lose confidence instead of gaining it and stop trying new things on your own for fear of being punished. Overall, you would be miserable. Now, imagine that your teacher encourages you to learn new things and rewards you when you get things right. You would enjoy learning and trust your teacher. You would gain confidence as you continue to get things right and would enjoy trying new things. Sounds much better, right?
When it comes to your relationship with your dog, it is built on trust. Your dog trusts that you will take care of him, feed him, and keep him safe. If you ever break that trust, then you are harming your relationship with your dog. Even if you think you are not breaking that trust. It’s as simple as shocking your dog with a collar because he didn’t come. Or forcing him to sit when he didn’t do it the first time. To your dog, it hurts and you did it. You broke the trust your relationship is built on. You may have gotten the response you wanted, but, to your dog, you will never be the same loving and trustworthy human you once were. On the other hand, you can use training methods that reinforce feelings of trust. Not only can training help your dog to trust you, it can also help you to trust your dog. For instance, if you are looking to reward good behavior, you will start to trust that your dog will make good choices. The more you reward the behavior, the more your dog will make good choices and the more you will trust your dog.
“Not only can training help your dog to trust you, it can also help you to trust your dog.”
Fostering trust with your dog also builds a great working relationship with him. Most dogs like to work. Years of selective breeding has resulted in dogs that enjoy working and, in many cases, are very good at it. Can you picture a police dog that hates its job or a service animal that fears its owner? The way these dogs are trained can make the difference between an animal that enjoys its job or hates its job. In the previous example of being at school, if you had been with the forceful teacher, then you would start to despise everything about school, including the things they were teaching you. But, if learning these things was fun, then the things themselves become fun. For example, when training a dog to detect scents, the dog is rewarded with treats or a toy when it finds the correct scent. It becomes an exciting thing to do with a bonus for getting it right. If we punished the dog each time he got it wrong, he wouldn’t enjoy the job because he would be afraid that he would be punished. Even simple tasks, such as staying or coming, are much more enjoyable if the method used to train is more positive. If a dog thinks something is enjoyable, he is far more likely to repeat it, even without a reward.
Keeping things fun and positive can do more than make your dog happy. It can impact his confidence. Dogs gain and lose confidence much like humans. Everything from being able to explore their world to good training practices can impact your dog’s confidence. If you use a training method that focuses on punishing incorrect behavior, then your dog is going to lose confidence. The dog will begin to think that they just get punished and have to be very careful about what they do. Every move the dog makes will become risky, making the dog scared and unsure. However, if the training method focuses on reinforcing correct behavior, the dog’s confidence will increase. Everything they do has the potential to get rewarded and those rewards tell the dog he is making good decisions. Just as we gain confidence by knowing our decisions are supported by those around us, so does the dog.
“But, if learning these things was fun, then the things themselves become fun.”
When the dog’s confidence suffers, so does the way he interacts with the world around him. One way this presents is through reactivity. If the dog isn’t confident enough to engage with an approaching dog, then he may try to scare or warn off that dog. He may be afraid that he will be punished by the owner or be unsure of his ability to communicate with the other dog. In either case, a dog with good confidence is far less likely to be worried about punishment or his ability to communicate. Instead, the confident dog would welcome the experience and learn as they go. Another way a dog lacking confidence may show it is by avoiding new experiences. This can be seen as anxiety when in a new situation or by refusing to engage with unknown items. Once more, the dog may be worried that they will be punished for doing something wrong or be unsure of their ability to handle the situation. On the other hand, a confident dog is more outgoing in new experiences. While they may be a bit nervous about an unknown item, a confident dog will still investigate it. Other ways these issues can present are learned helplessness, avoidance, reduced initiative, and many other behaviors.
In conclusion, the way we train can have a huge impact on your relationship with your dog, how the dog feels about training or working, the dog’s confidence level, and how the dog interacts with the world around them. In short, methods matter. It is important for owners to understand the impact different training methods have so they can choose the right methods and trainers for their pet.
