Monday Myth: Reward Based Training and Behaviour Modification are not Good Enough for Treating Serious Problems such as Aggression You hear this over and over again: treats are OK for teaching basic obedience exercises such as “sits” and “stays” but when it comes to aggression (or Red Zone dogs as some like to call these cases) reward based approach is not enough and you need to introduce harsher methods such as choke chains, electric shock collars, Alpha rollovers and other forms of physical punishment. At Pets in Practise we believe there is no excuse for using this sort of training aids and methods. A Red Zone dog is just a name, under which you will find a plethora of behaviour problems ranging from fearful to adrenaline junkie dogs. Training methods relying on physical punishment do stop the inappropriate behaviour – after all who wouldn’t stop what they’re doing if you applied an electric shock to their neck – but they do not address the root cause of the behaviour, i.e. WHY your dog is displaying the behaviour in the first place. So, for example, if your dog reacts towards other dogs out of fear and you yank him on a prong collar just as he goes to lunge and bark at another dog, chances are your dog will stop in his tracks as he’ll be more interested in stopping the horrible pain you’re causing him. However, it does not mean your dog is any less fearful of other dogs – quite the contrary; his fear might even increase as now he will associate the sight of another dog with the pain you applied to his neck. If you ever forget to put the prong or shock collar on your dog and encounter another dog when out and about, you will very likely see a very much the same reaction you were getting at the beginning of your “training”. With reward based training, we address the cause of the behaviour – the fear – and through the process of desensitization and counter conditioning, we gradually work towards changing your dog’s perception of other dogs and teach him alternative behaviours (such as looking at you) when there are dogs around. With time, your dog will become less fearful, and as a result his behaviour will change, too. It’s a gradual and lengthy process, so doesn’t make good TV, but it has long lasting results, doesn’t involve inflicting pain on your best friend, and actually addresses the problem at hand rather than just suppressing the symptoms.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Jul 2013 14:31:16 +0000
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