I see this question with some frequency on the Facebook dog training discussion groups. And this has led me to really think about it . . .
So, why am I a +R trainer? Is it because of a
stance of moral superiority? Is it because I am afraid that one little
unpleasant experience will ruin my dog? Is it because I think that
everything has to be nice for my dog all the time?
Well . . . no! My reason for choosing to be a +R trainer, and to refrain from incorporating any type of aversives into my training has nothing to do with any of that!
Back
when I got into dog training, I knew nothing. Zero. Not a thing! I
did not purposely seek out a +R training facility. I didn't even know
that such a thing existed! I found the nearest training facility,
signed my dog up for Basic Obedience, and off we went! I just wanted to
learn how to train my dog to sit and give paw. I knew nothing about
training philosophies, training methodologies, behavior theory,
reinforcers, aversives . . . nothing!
Two
things that I had absolutely no control over really shaped my future
path as a trainer. First, the facility that we stumbled into was, for
the most part, supportive of +R training. Although there were dogs in
prongs on the premises, all of the training was introduced through +R
methods. The only techniques that I learned there were +R based.
Second,
my first dog, Speedy, was a highly fearful, extraordinarily soft dog
who was not wired correctly in the head. He required a notable amount
of positive reinforcement. He had to learn that being out in the world
was a good and safe thing. I spent the first several years of his
training building positive associations with . . . pretty much
everything!
When
we moved and I changed to a second training facility (which I did leave
about 5 years ago), it was a facility that I would now refer to as
"balanced" even though they call themselves "positive". They introduced
everything using +R, mostly using treats, but students were taught to
"enforce commands" through physical manipulation (example: stapling
sits) or verbal corrections. Dogs who barked were squirted with vinegar
water.
At
that time, I didn't really see anything wrong with any of that. The
vinegar did worry me a bit because of the idea of spraying an acid, even
a weak one, into the dog's eyes, but I had no objection at that point
to the idea of applying mild aversives in training. However, I didn't
do any of that with Speedy because he was so soft and fearful. Nobody
expected me to because of who he was. The fact that others were doing
so didn't really phase me, but it was at that point that I started to
notice that my dog who had quite a lot "wrong" with him was perfectly
capable of learning without any of that. And I kind of liked it that
way . . .
Because
Speedy was fearful and reactive and so easily ovestimulated, I began to
read books to try to find more and more ways to help him. I read many
of Patricia McConnell's works. I read Emma Parson's Click to Calm. I
read Ali Brown's Scaredy Dog. All of the authors that I happened to
choose promoted a +R approach to helping dogs like Speedy. I set out to
help Speedy through clicker work, and through desensitization and
counter conditioning. I can't say I did it with a lot of skill, or
without a lot of mistakes, but I watched, amazed, as Speedy transformed
from a dog who hid when people even looked at him and went into a
barking, lunging frenzy when dogs got too close into a dog who could
function with people watching and deal well with the presence of dogs
around him.
I
wish I could describe what I saw throughout that process. The change
was literally visible to me in his eyes! I could tell that things were
happening in his brain and he really was learning to respond to things
differently because the look in his eyes began to change. This didn't
happen quickly but I could see that he was changing and growing every
step of the way.
And,
after a while, other people began to notice. They told me that his
whole face, and his eyes, looked different! His expression had
softened. He had more "open" expressions on his face in situations
where he used to lose control.
And
all of this happened without one correction, without one reprimand,
without one training collar, without one application of any aversive.
This was all accomplished with a clicker, treats, and patience on my
part.
Of
course, by this time I had learned a lot. I used to refer to Speedy as
my "college education" in dog training and behavior. Everything is
harder with a dog whose brain does not function properly. But I
studied, I worked, and Speedy and I got the job done. We went beyond basic behavior modification into competition dog sports, which presented many challenges for us that other dog and handler teams typically don't have to face. Every live event performance was a particular success for Speedy and me, whether it was a Q or not!
And when I gave the matter some thought, it seemed to me . . . how much more could a "normal" dog accomplish through that kind of training?!
When
we adopted Dean I faced the question, "do I incorporate corrections
into his training?" I decided against it. If Speedy could learn
effectively and successfully through +R based training, so could Dean. At that point I consciously
made up my mind about the kind of trainer that I am.
The
process, over time, through which I chose to be a +R trainer had
nothing to do with moral superiority over anyone else. I had to do what
worked for my own dog, and after doing so I found that I was more than satisfied with the results, and I wanted to keep
on training as I had trained him. It had nothing to do with avoiding
unpleasant experiences - I know full well that it was extremely
unpleasant for Speedy to experience the degree of fear that he had to
deal with over the first few years of his life. I never had to apply an
aversive to teach him that life is tough. He knew that all too well.
And it wasn't about making everything nice for him all the time. Again,
he had a highly fearful temperament. Life wasn't very nice for him
whenever he left our home, and in order for him to progress, leaving our home was required!
But
I will say this. The experience of helping a dog move from a point
where he would literally be crippled with fear in the face of ordinary
things like people looking at him, seeing other dogs, being around
people living life around him when out and about to a point where he
goes about in the world radiating joy and savoring every possible
adventure did have a profound effect on me.
While
I do not shy away from the fact that life is hard at times - even for
our dogs - I do flatly refuse to apply even the tiniest bit of
discomfort to my dog if it is not necessary.
For
example, while I am absolutely willing to administer an Adequan shot to
Speedy (necessary to alleviate arthritis pain), I am not willing to put
a prong collar on a dog. This is because I know that anything that can
be taught with a prong collar can be taught with a clicker and treats.
I know this because I have watch a clicker and treats make some truly
incredible things happen.
I
know that there are those who would object to my reasons for choosing
to be a +R trainer because Speedy is "just one dog" and not all methods
work on all dogs.
But
there is something that only I know. Speedy may have been "just one
dog", but he was a dog who was "miswired" to an extreme. He was a dog
who had issues that were far beyond my depth as a new trainer (at one
point he was very close to being fear aggressive), and I managed to help
him become a pretty darn near "normal" dog through +R training
techniques. And when Speedy and I started, I would never have believed
that he could have changed and progressed to the degree that he has.
Speedy
went on to become a Freestyle dog, loving to dance in front of an
audience. He has gone, many times, to an off leash dog camp and run
loose with 40+ other dogs without a single incident. He, who once would
not let anyone touch him, has been x-rayed unsedated without a
problem! He danced in front of 500 people, twice, and had a grand time
doing it! He plays every summer off leash on the beach with children
and other dogs playing around him. He has earned 17 titles, most of which through performance at live events. He doesn't even act "a little shy"
with most people anymore.
That experience taught me that things that I would have thought impossible can be accomplished through +R training.
And now that I know that, I can't "un-know" it . . .
And that, ultimately, is my reason.
Finally, I often hear that +R training "can't work". I'm glad nobody told me that before Speedy and I had such dramatic success with it. Because of the results of +R training that I witnessed firsthand, this can be my only response . . .
Speedy, playing off leash at the beach
Speedy, far left, running off leash with dogs at camp
Speedy went on to earn 6 Rally Titles and 8 Freestyle Titles
at live titling events!
Yes . . . +R training works!!
