It's OK to Change Your Mind About Dog Training Techniques. Science Says So.

We all have beliefs and ideas that we hold on to about how our world works. Some of these beliefs come from our friends and family, or our schooling, or what we’ve taught ourselves about the world. Our beliefs and ideas are a part of who we are, and help us form attachments with the important people in our lives.

Our beliefs and ideas can change, though. Change can be both painful and liberating. When we first change our minds, there is a lot more in the way of pain and a lot less in the way of liberation, so we tend to avoid changing our minds about the big stuff, and quite reasonably. But change is actually a good thing, and once the whole “well that was painful” part fades, the liberation is a beautiful thing.

Although this reads like a self-help manifesto hiding on a dog trainer’s blog, I do have a point: changing our beliefs can be a good thing for dogs.

The beliefs and ideas we have about dogs form the scaffolding for how we behave towards our dogs in the real world. These beliefs can be small in scope: if we believe that dogs are spiteful or dominating towards the cat, we may punish the dog for chasing the cat. If we believe that dogs are curious about or playful towards the cat, we will prevent the dog from pestering the cat and train the dog to be a bit more circumspect. These beliefs can also be broad in scope, though: if we believe that dogs are scheming and dominating in general, we may rely on punishment and browbeating as a way to ostensibly reduce our dog’s status for their own good.

So our beliefs matter to how we interact with our dogs, and we all want to do good by our dogs. When can we tell if it’s time to change our beliefs? Obviously, we shouldn’t keep holding on to ideas and myths if they are damaging to our dogs, or damaging to ourselves. It can be hard to know when to let go of the old and welcome the new, and that’s where science can be helpful. Science isn’t a belief system, it is simply a structured way to describe the world as it really is, not how we interpret it to be. Since our ability to understand the world using science is always improving, the results of scientific study are always being refined and updated. When multiple scientific studies come together and say “this is how things are, and they’re different than you believed”, well, it certainly makes sense to pay attention.

It makes sense to pay attention, and it makes sense to change our beliefs. And yes, it makes sense for us to change our beliefs even though this can be profoundly painful. It can put us at odds with our previous selves and at odds with the people close to us. But don’t dogs, and don’t we, deserve the best and most caring approach?

Here are some beliefs which I would encourage you to consider changing, based on the confluence of scientific research.

Myth: Dogs who misbehave are doing it on purpose as a way to act out towards us, or to establish status. Fact: Increasingly, science shows us that dogs behave in ways that keep them safe and happy, even if that is at odds with our human world.
Myth: Dogs must be put in their place or they will behave aggressively or go out of control. Fact: Increasingly, science shows us that dogs being trained in this way are actually more likely to behave aggressively.
Myth: Dog training tools that cause dogs to feel physical discomfort or pain, like prong collars or shock collars, have more benefits than risks. Fact: Increasingly, science shows us that reinforcement based training is better, and that the side effects from using those tools are important and worrisome.

Changing our minds in the face of overwhelming evidence might be awkward, but if it will increase our dogs’ safety and joy, or increase the safety and joy of ourselves, our friends and family, and our community, then it is worth it in the end.

Kristi BensonSeptember 22, 2021Comment