Social media and internet forums are full of it. Dog owners who ask a question about their dog’s undesirable behavior often get the answer: “You just have to correct it…!” The forms or methods of these corrections vary greatly. Everyone has an opinion about each other’s methods or about someone else’s opinion. Ultimately, this leads to an endless discussion about the how, what, and why of correction, and the conversation is no longer about the dog owner’s request for help.
In the dog world, you can get completely lost in the search for the meaning of a concept such as ‘correction’. If you ask ten leading dog behavior experts for a definition, you will get ten completely different answers. In this article, we discuss what correction is exactly, why it is used, and why it does not work. We examine the negative effects of correction on your dog’s well-being and discuss how correction affects the bond of trust with your dog. We also offer an alternative: how can we deal with undesirable behavior in a way that focuses on the dog’s well-being?
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Correction = punishment
Let us be clear. In this article, by correction we mean physically, verbally, or emotionally punishing the dog for undesirable behavior. Physical punishment includes jerking the leash, grabbing the dog by the scruff of the neck and/or laying it on its back, or giving the dog a slap. The use of so-called aids such as a choke chain or halti also falls under physical correction. Verbal punishment often involves the use of unpleasant sounds and a loud voice. Grumbling, scolding, making “tsss” noises, it all falls under verbal correction. Emotional punishment may be more difficult to imagine. An example: your dog sits on the couch when it is not allowed to, so you put the dog in the crate.
It is often said that correction yields faster results (just watch an episode of Cesar Milan), but nothing could be further from the truth! In those situations, it may seem as if the undesirable behavior has been quickly resolved. On the contrary: correction usually suppresses the emotional cause or underlying motivation for the undesirable behavior. At some point, this undesirable behavior will return, often even more intense and unpredictable than before. This has everything to do with suppressing the dog’s emotion or motivation: the problem has not been solved, but hidden away. Think back to your childhood. You were probably told to tidy your room. Being clever, you put all your junk and clutter in the wardrobe. The room looks tidy, but the closet door is about to explode. Sooner or later, the door bursts open and all the junk is scattered across the floor. The room has become impassable and even more of a mess than before… There are countless examples of dogs that have become more unpredictable, aggressive, nervous, and distant as a result of corrective training. In many cases, dog training based on corrections causes more problems.
Treating the symptoms, or putting a band-aid on it
Why is it still used then? Corrective methods such as inflicting pain or intimidation through voice tone and body language are still used by well-known and lesser-known dog trainers, behaviorists, and even veterinarians. That’s not entirely incomprehensible: everyone can understand that it’s annoying for a dog owner when their dog lunges at people, barks at visitors, growls at its food bowl, guards its toys, and so on. This leads to frustration and embarrassing situations, visitors who no longer want to or dare to come over, embarrassment when passers-by shake their heads or even say to you: “You don’t have your dog under control!” With correction, it is possible to resolve 95% of undesirable behavior on the surface, or in other words, treat the symptoms. For the owner, it takes away the frustration and struggle. Stop all comments and opinions from others, because your dog no longer exhibits the unwanted behavior. But again, we cannot repeat it often enough: your dog’s emotion remains unchanged and the undesirable behavior has not been resolved. The behavior is only (temporarily) no longer expressed in a way that is annoying to the owner.
To fully understand dog training, it can be helpful to learn more about how dogs learn. Would you like to better understand how your dog learns? An article on this subject will be published shortly.
Learning in a specific situation or context
It is important to know that dogs learn in context. In other words: the dog incorporates everything in a situation into its learning experience. That is also a good reason not to use corrections. Imagine. You are walking down the street with your dog when a large black dog approaches you. Your dog starts barking, presumably out of fear or tension. Barking is a way to keep the scary dog at bay. If you correct this behavior by jerking the leash or tapping him on the flanks, there is a good chance that your dog will associate this with the approach of another dog and your presence. Approaching a scary dog is associated with physical pain and even more tension, which will cause your dog to bark at another dog sooner and/or more aggressively next time.
But… What then?
Don’t worry. There is an alternative. Let’s stick with the same example for a moment. You see the large black dog approaching and take your dog to the other side of the street, turn around, or turn off. Space has been created between your dog and the large, black dog, reducing tension and eliminating the need for your dog to bark. This teaches your dog that he has different options and how to deal with his fear: instead of barking, he can walk away from the scary dog! This makes it all the more powerful to reward desired behavior. The dog will find it increasingly easy to make good choices and exhibit more desirable behavior. And that without fear, pain, or other discomfort, but with many positive associations. This helps the dog develop self-confidence and self-learning skills. What’s more, it will strengthen the bond between you and your dog, and your dog will be happy to train with you next time!
Positive dog training from Van Stal
At Van Stal Dog Training School, we train in a positive way. We do not focus on unlearning undesirable behavior, but on redirecting, preventing, or ignoring this behavior. This requires a shift in thinking: what we humans perceive as undesirable behavior may not be undesirable for a dog at all. We don’t like it when our dog barks because it causes embarrassing situations and hurts our ears, but for the dog, barking is not necessarily undesirable; for him, it is simply a form of communication. Normal behavior, then. In this situation, we want to teach the dog that it can make a different choice instead of barking. For example, walking away from the situation. Of course, this takes time and training, but if we delve into how a dog learns and why it makes certain choices, we can help it make the right choice. This makes the dog feel more comfortable and secure, and we avoid embarrassing situations or painful ears.
When teaching (new) behavior, we use reward-based training. We teach you to pay attention to every good choice your dog makes, no matter how small, which ultimately leads to the behavior you want to see. The point is that the dog consistently experiences success through reward. This way, your dog will repeat the desired behavior because it yields something positive. Unlike training based on corrections, positive training results in a dog that dares to take initiative and is inquisitive. In doing so, we not only increase your dog’s thinking skills, but also yours as a handler! You learn to think consciously, solution-oriented, and creatively in terms of teaching, redirecting, preventing, or ignoring behavior.
Our courses focus heavily on learning to understand dog language and recognizing the individual needs of you and your dog: how can we work together to meet his needs as well as yours? Why does your dog exhibit certain behaviors, what is the underlying emotion, and how can you deal with it in a positive way? Together, we help the dog develop into a calm dog that feels good about itself. A confident dog that can handle the challenges of everyday life. Don’t you want that too?
Written by Vincent Oomen, Wouter van Wijk, and Nina van der Boon