As an Associate Certified Dog Behavior Consultant, I see clients whose dogs have a wide range of difficult to live with behavior problems. The worst cases I see come with emotionally exhausted humans. In my experience, owner burn out is caused by one of two things: they either waited too long to seek help or they chose the wrong trainer to work with. It breaks my heart when good owners seek help and work hard to resolve severe issues with poor results.
I have heard some startling recommendations over the years. My clients report that previous “professionals” told them everything from “only give your dog water twice per day” to “if you shock the dog once this behavior will never happen again” and “your dog will never bite”. Suggestions like these are not only highly inaccurate; they can be medically dangerous to both the dog and the owner. I have met dogs who were dehydrated instead of potty trained and that had extensive bite histories that could have been avoided. Sometimes dogs with extensive bite histories have to be euthanized for public safety.
Do a Google search for “dog trainer” and you’ll quickly get confused about whom to hire. If you search for a trainer in the NYC area, in less than one minute you’ll find a trainer with a Ph.D. in linguistics who calls himself a “dog behaviorist” and an “animal whisperer” who “has always been good with dogs”. Other trainers use words like “positive reinforcement”, “relationship based”, “humane”, “balanced” and “LIMA”. They all have different letters after their names and degrees in widely varied fields. To make matters more confusing, trainers with different certifications, no certifications, and divergent methods all show up on the same “best of” lists. It’s no wonder owners end up in the hands of poorly skilled professionals. I want dog owners to work with someone whose training decisions are guided by evidence so they have the best chance of a good outcome.
First, Do No Harm
Evidence-based (science-based) practices won’t make your dog worse. Just like medical doctors keep abreast on the latest research in order to treat their patients with the most effective drug therapies, science-based animal trainers stay up to date on the most recent research in order to provide their clients with the most effective behavior-change protocols. Information from the fields of comparative psychology, welfare, ethology, and applied behavior analysis contribute to a skilled behavior consultant’s recommendations, ensuring that the interventions they recommend for your dog are ethical, humane, and effective.
The primary science of animal trainers is applied behavior analysis, which developed and diverged from the field of psychology. Practitioners of applied behavior analysis modify behaviors that are socially significant. This means that applied behavior analysts help their clients learn behaviors that will help them succeed in their current environment. This applied field allows animal trainers to work with animals in zoo, shelter (11), and pet home settings. In order to change behavior, behavior analysts apply learning theory, operant conditioning, and classical conditioning. They look to a wide body of literature that informs best practice.
Most behavior analysts work with humans. They must become board certified before practicing and adhere to an ethical code that requires them to use only evidence-based therapies and remain up to date on the current research. Ethical dog trainers voluntarily comply with similar but less robust ethical codes.
Ethical codes are where the science of learning and the science of welfare intersect. In other words: First, Do No Harm. A key tenet of the ethical code states that practitioners must use positive reinforcement techniques before other methods and limit the use of harmful reinforcers and punishment (1). Ample evidence supports the use of positive reinforcement behavior-change programs over other methods in both the human and animal training world. Research indicates that training with common aversive techniques, such as using a shock collar, is stressful and detrimental to a dog’s relationship with their handler even outside of training scenarios (8, 9). This is amplified by evidence showing that dogs trained with aversive training methods have a higher incidence of both stress response and behavior problems (2). On the other hand, dogs who have been properly socialized and trained using positive reinforcement methods have lower incidence of aggression and fear-related behaviors (2, 8). In order to change behavior effectively without creating new problems, it’s necessary to teach humanely.
Use Behavior Change Protocols That Work
Without the ability to measure stress and welfare, it would be difficult to accurately assess how behavior-change programs affect an animal’s emotional state. Welfare scientists are rapidly improving techniques to measure animal welfare (4). As positive experiences make for happy dogs and happy dogs are well-behaved dogs, welfare should of the upmost concern to animal professionals and owners alike. A punishment protocol may be effective at eliminating a behavior problem, but the stress caused by the protocol may lead to the development of new behavior problems. This is not what good training looks like in 2018.
I meet with dog owners all the time that happened to hire me first without doing much research. I make immediate modifications to their environment and routine to increase the dogs overall wellbeing and look closely at the function of the problem behavior to create an individualized plan. The goal is to reduce stressors and teach skills. I don’t tell them to restrict their dog’s water, nor do I advocate for shocking their dog for growling or barking (otherwise known as: communicating). Growling is a dog telling you that they’re not comfortable. The last thing I want to do is further stress a dog that is already uncomfortable or take away a dogs warning signal leaving him no choice but to bite. Instead, I aim to help their dog feel safe around whatever is causing them discomfort, working in conjunction with our NYC veterinary behavior team when necessary.
Balanced trainers and punitive trainers argue that punishment is a well-studied principle of learning theory, and they’re right. A trainer who uses leash jerks and shock collars could say that they are a science based trainer who uses punishment. The problem here is the narrow scope of the argument. Trainers using punishment aren’t well educated on ethology, welfare, anthrozoology, and ethics. Animal training professionals must understand the theories and principles of multiple scientific disciplines and have the experience to know how to apply the most up to date evidence-based tools offered by these disciplines. Should they use clicker training (6) or social facilitation (7)? Are the dogs biological needs being met? Can the dog’s species-typical behavior in the wild* offer explanations for the problem behavior at home? Is the dog too stressed to learn? Could the behavior problem be a symptom of an underlying medical issue? What does the dog love that can be used to teach and maintain appropriate behavior (10)? A Ph.D. in Linguistics won’t give anyone the ability to answer these questions. Neither will a Ph.D. in Animal Behavior if the individual’s research focus was on the Bobwhite Quail.
In my experience, clients who hire me as their first professional are likely to have better outcomes. The reason for this is threefold. First, their dog has a smaller learning history, which allows us to make his or her life more predictable (predictability decreases anxiety). Second, the dog’s owners are less likely to have implemented harsh punishments that have broken the dog’s trust in the owner. Third, while the dog owners I meet may be distressed, they’re still willing to put in the hard, time-consuming work that can be necessary to fix severe problems.
A dog with behavior problems often isn’t a candidate for rehoming. Their best hope is their owner’s ability to seek professional help as soon as their behavior problem surfaces. To save you (and your dog) from the sometimes fatal stress of working with a less than stellar “professional”, hire a trainer or behavior consultant who is a proponent of LIMA (least intrusive, minimally aversive) and science-based training methods. It’s sometimes a matter of life and death.
Here are a few certifications to look for:
What do all those letters mean?
CPDT: Certified Professional Dog Trainer
This is the most basic certification you should look for. People with a CPDT must pass a multiple-choice exam. In order to sit for the exam, you must have 300 hours of training experience. For more information or to find a CPDT, click here. (http://www.ccpdt.org/)
CDBC: Certified Dog Behavior Consultant
ACDBC: Associate Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (less experience)
300-500 hours of behavior consulting work is suggested before applying in addition to 150-400 hours of coursework. Application consists of written questions, case scenarios, and case studies. For more information or to find a Certified Animal Behavior Consultant, click here. (https://m.iaabc.org/)
CAAB: Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (Ph.D. required)
ACAAB: Associated Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (Masters required)
Must have a degree in a biological or behavioral science with an emphasis on animal behavior and a research-based thesis. They must have two-five years professional experience and have their research published in a peer-reviewed journal at least twice. Please note that most CAABs and ACAABs, despite having the name “applied” in their title, do not work in applied companion animal settings. Please thoroughly review which species their research has focused on as well as their practical experience before hiring. To find a Animal Behaviorist, click here. (http://www.animalbehaviorsociety.org/web/applied-behavior-caab-directory.php)
DACVB: Diplomat of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorist
After attending veterinary school, veterinary behaviorists must complete an internship and residency in veterinary behavior. They must also publish original research and case studies before sitting for a two-day exam in order to become board certified. Our awesome NYC vet behaviorists can be found here: (http://www.nycvetbehavior.com/)
A note on schools that certify:
Karen Pryor Academy, Pat Miller Intern Academies, and the Academy for Dog Trainers by Jean Donaldson are all excellent training schools. Some of these schools “certify” their graduates if their graduates meet high criteria on both practical and written exams. As students are tested not only on their knowledge but also their practical abilities, some great trainers come from these schools. However – although these three schools are excellent, it is best practice to obtain certification from independent certifying bodies separate from the school you attended. And an extra word of caution: beware of copycat programs that are popping up.
*When talking about a domesticated species such as a dog, behavior “in the wild” refers to the behavior of free ranging (street) dogs, not wolves. Dogs and modern day wolves descended from the same wolf ancestor, but they are different species. Looking to wolf behavior to explain dog behavior is like watching Chimpanzees to figure out why Donald Trump throws twitter temper tantrums (wait, bad example!).
References
(1) Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (2017, July 6). Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts. Retrieved from https://www.bacb.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/170706-compliance-code-english.pdf
(2) Blackwell, E.J., Twells, C., Seawright, A., & Casey, R.A. (2008). The relationship between training methods and the occurrence of behavior problems, as reported by owners, in a population of domestic dogs. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 3, 207-217. doi doi:10.1016/j.jveb.2007.10.008
(3) Bonne, B., Matthijs, S., Jan, v. H., & Hans, d. V. (1997). Manifestations of chronic and acute stress in dogs. Applied Animal Behavior Science, 52(3). 307-319. doi: 10.1016/S0168-1591(96)01131-8
(4) Boissy, A., Manteuffel, G., & Jense, M. (2007). Assessment of positive emotions in animals to improve their welfare. Physiology and Behavior, 92(3), 375-397. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2007.02.003
(5) Cooper, J. O., Heron, & T. E., Heward, W. L. (second edition) (2014). Applied Behavior Analysis. London: Pearson Education Limited
(6) Feng, L., Howell, T., & Bennett, P. (2016). How clicker training works: Comparing Reinforcing, Marking, and Bridging Hypotheses. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 181, 34-40. doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2016.05.012
(7) Fugazza, C., & Miklosi, A. (2015). Social learning in dog training: The effectiveness of the Do as I do method compared to shaping/clicker training. Applied Animal Behavior Science, 171, 146-151. doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2015.08.033
(8) Schalke, E., Stichnoth, J., Ott, S., & Jones-Baade, R. (2007). Clinical signs caused by the use of electrical training collars on dogs in everyday life situations. Applied Animal Behavior Science, 105(4), 369-380. doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2006.11.002
(9) Schilder, M., & Van Der Borg, J. (2004). Training dogs with help of the shock collar: Short and long term behavioural effects. Applied Animal Behavior Science, 85(3-4), 319-334. doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2003.10.004
(10) Vicars, S., Miguel, C., & Sobie, J. (2014). Assessing preference and reinforcer effectiveness in dogs. Behavioral Processes, 103, 75-83. doi: 0.1016/j.beproc.2013.11.006
(11) Winslow, T., Payne, S., & Massoudi, K. (2018). Functional analysis and treatment of problem behavior in 3 animal shelter dogs. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 26, 27-37. doi: 10.1016/j.jveb.2018.04.004