We are supposed to be the intelligent species.
The people who say this obviously don’t see what I see.
I’ve talked to other balanced trainers who get a lot of business from “purely positive” failures. PP is very idealistic, not very practical. You can’t just ignore all bad behaviors, sometimes it’s dangerous. Does it work for some, even most, sure.
Do we ignore bank robbing, assault, drunk driving? No, of course not! But jaywalking, you’ll almost never see a ticket for that.
Consequences are important. We learn thru consequences and failures as well as pats on the back. If you never fail, you can’t get better. Positive reinforcement obviously is the way to increase desired behaviors (find right motivator for that animal for that task),
Does this mean you should get a life sentence for a DWI? No, of course not. Do we need to punch or kick a dog because he doesn’t sit when we tell him to? Hell no (and to be clear, this consequence is NEVER needed- it’s an extreme example, and usually causes worse behavior). The consequence should be least aversive to stop the undesired behavior. Does everyone learn by the same consequence for the same undesired behavior? Of course not. How learned is the unwanted behavior? A lot of variables we intelligent ones need to take into account – we shouldn’t ignore the variables should we?
Training an animal (I include us humans as “animals”) is teaching what’s not wanted as well as what is. Factors in deciding what and how severe a consequence to consider are : the pups age, temperment, disposition, and energy; a person – his/her knowledge, experience, personality. Practically the same, right?
Here’s another place we need to be careful. Humanizing dog’s. I don’t think anyone can question my love for each and every dog, but in this love there is also the thought of what is best for that dog. If I treat a dog like a human, I’m not doing what’s best for they dog.
As trainers/leaders we CAN’T be idealistic. This is the real world with real relationships and animal’s lives in our hands. Instinct is a major part of how humans became the top of the food chain. How can we just throw instinct to the wind for ideals? Does that sound intelligent?
Any motivator can become a crutch. So many people use food, food, food. I use food, but we can’t discount somethibg as simple and impkrtant as our energy and confidence.
In a wild pack, the pack members give each other consequences – vocal, touch, ignore – it’s how each animal learns and knows their role.
Know your role! You are your dog’s pack leader. Use your intelligence, use your instincts, use all tools available properly for the situation (if it doesn’t feel right, it isn’t), use fair and proper consequences (when needed, it’s not needed often, but it’s needed) as well as, not just, positive reinforcement!
