Blogspot - Companion Animal Psychology

Why debunking out-dated ideas can backfire, the importance of spreading quality information, and the best ways to counteract the misleading duds. Many dog trainers who rely on using reward-based methods feel passionately about the importance of using humane methods that don’t cause dogs to experience fear or pain. Thus, they feel it strongly when people use or share articles about methods that involve shock collars , dominance , pack ‘theory’ , or any form of positive punishment , because they know aversive methods have risks for dogs .  What are the best ways to counteract this kind of misleading information? This is a question that preoccupies me (and many of you, I know) because it is such an important one for animal welfare. I’ve written before about the many factors that influence people’s choice of dog training methods (Todd, 2018) and in this post I want to look at some of those factors in more detail. The importance of social norms in dog training A social psychol...

Why dog trainers are like stalwart detectives, and how it all begins mid-scene. Guest post by Kristi Benson CTC Photo: Anna Goroshnikova/Shutterstock A while ago, a client got in touch asking for help with the family dog . The dog was a young and lovely Golden retriever, smart as a whip and sweet as pie. The problem? He was barking. A lot. As I packed up my bag of tricks, I grabbed a few different hand-outs to make sure I had all the usual suspects covered: boredom barking? Check. Fearful barking? Check. Guarding, alarm, attention, and play? Check, check, check. My bait bag and some treats followed the hand-outs into my bag and I was off to the races. When a story  begins in the middle of some action, it’s called “in medias res”, which is a Latin term meaning "into the middle of things". Have you ever read a thriller that opens with the characters sitting around a table in a tense meeting of political hotshots? Or a murder mystery starting with a car chase, sirens whooping? ...

Shock collars should be banned, according to a survey of the use of electronic collars to train dogs in France. Photo: SebiTian/Shutterstock Recently, I reported on a study by veterinary behaviourists in Europe that concluded by calling  for a ban on all three types of electronic collar across Europe (remote-controlled, boundary, and bark-activated collars). Another paper by Dr. Sylvia Masson et al, published in the Journal of Veterinary Behaviour, investigates the use of shock collars in France, and some of the results are surprising. For one thing, they show that even amongst people who use shock collars there is a lot of support for regulating them. But they also show a sizeable minority – even amongst people who do not use shock collars – that say they are the most effective way to resolve behaviour issues. This shows a need to get the message out that positive reinforcement is an effective way to train dogs (see  seven reasons to use reward-based training methods and l...

A review of the scientific research finds there are risks to using electronic collars in dog training and says it's time for a ban. Photo: Parilov / Shutterstock Last year, a position statement from the European College of Veterinary Clinical Ethology argued against the use of electronic collars in dog training and for a Europe-wide ban on their sale and use.  Now an article in the Journal of Veterinary Behaviour by Dr. Sylvia Masson et al explains the reasons behind their position that electronic shock collars should not be used. When people use electronic shock collars, it is typically as positive punishment to punish a dog for an unwanted behaviour. They are also sometimes used as negative reinforcement by applying the shock until the dog does the behaviour that is wanted. These days many electronic collars have a time limit on the application of shock, making it less likely they are used as negative reinforcement. The paper considers all three types of electronic collars: Ant...

What are the best treats to use when training your dog? From the right size and nutritional composition to what dogs love best, this is a user-friendly guide to the best dog training treats. Photo: Rattanawan Thubthed / Shutterstock Whether you’re new to training or a seasoned pro, using the right treats is an important part of dog training because you have to be able to motivate your dog . Food is a commonly-used reward in dog training for a reason – it works. We often use food in operant conditioning, when we’re training a dog to do a behaviour. This is positive reinforcement (for more on why food makes a great reward, see the ultimate dog training tip ). The best training treat in one situation is not always right for another dog in another training scenario. This article looks at what to consider and then lists my favourite dog training treats. Things to Consider When Choosing Dog Training Treats There are several things to think about when choosing treats to use in training. Your...

A user-friendly guide to understanding negative reinforcement in dog training – and the three alternatives you should know about. Photo: Angyalosi Beata /Shutterstock If you are new to dog training, or want to understand some of the language of dog training, this article is for you. It covers the technical definition of negative reinforcement in dog training, examples of how it is used, what research tells us about negative reinforcement, and alternatives that you can use instead (along with some common mistakes people make, so you know how to get it right). This article is part of a series of guides that also covers positive reinforcement and positive punishment in dog training. Let’s start with the technical definition. What is negative reinforcement? Negative reinforcement is one way to train dogs (and other animals). Negative reinforcement means taking something away that increases or maintains the frequency of a behaviour. The ‘negative’ part refers to something being removed, ...