Does Force/Fear-Free Training Actually Work?

I choose positive training methods because they reflect my belief that, at the end of the day, our dogs are the same as any other animal...an animal that we have chosen to co-evolve with, selectively breed for thousands of years, and have invited into our homes as part of the family. Dogs are truly amazing animals with their intelligence, loyalty, and drive to please their human families. We want to give them the best lives possible, even treating them like they are furry little people. I'm definitely guilty of loving my dogs like they are part of my family because they are, but I failed to realize how unrealistic some of my expectations were when it came to their behavior until after I became a dog trainer.

I began working with dogs in the Spring of 1998 at a boarding facility and fell in love with everything about them. I had an insatiable thirst to absorb everything about all dog breeds and eventually decided to move to Colorado and become a certified veterinary technician. I had four dogs over the course of my nearly twenty-year career as a vet tech, and considered myself fairly knowledgeable in the subject. That is, until I adopted Mobius, shortly after I had succumbed to burnout in the veterinary field.

Mobi was anxious and fearful when he joined my family as a five-month-old puppy. On our first walk out of the cul-de-sac, he spotted a woman walking two greyhounds, and he lost his mind. I looked down at my usually quiet, timid puppy who was lunging, screaming, and urinating on himself in terror, and thought to myself, "Whoa, I may be in over my head with this one." I had had shy dogs, and I had always enjoyed training my dogs, but I had no idea how to help him or where to begin looking. I began researching anything I could find on canine behavior and started applying some distraction techniques and increasing distance when he encountered something scary, and as he learned that he could trust me to keep him safe, both of our worlds opened up. That's when I realized that I wanted to become a dog trainer!

Growing up, I learned some basic dog training skills from watching adults. Many of those methods included harsh corrections using the leash or pinch collar and intimidating or hitting the dog. I grew up believing that this was how it was done...and I was right...that's how it WAS done. As the science of behavior has progressed, we've learned more about how dogs think and learn, and some wonderful people have found that kindness, patience, and understanding go a long way when training an animal. Yelling, hitting, and harsh corrections don't create a well-behaved dog; they create a shut-down dog who fears the wrath of its so-called best friend. Of course, a dog is still happy to be around its human, amid the occasional punishment, because there is a history of positive interaction in there somewhere. But here's the thing...a dog isn't really learning from a punishment. They might be learning how to avoid a situation that results in pain or fear, but they do not and will never understand the concept of "right" and "wrong". What they know is what is safe vs unsafe and how to find food and shelter. Humans tend to place human characteristics on our dogs and how we train them. We have to remember, they are not children, so applying anything that requires logic is not likely to be effective.

One example of how a dog's thinking differs from our own is when a dog figures out that the trash can is a delicious buffet of scraps. When the owner gets home, the dog gets yelled at, maybe smacked, and has its nose rubbed in the mess. The next time it happens, the owner comes home to a mess and a dog who is in obvious distress, seeing the owner become angry, and we think that means the dog knows what it did was "wrong". In actuality, while the dog is digging through the trash, enjoying tidbits and leftovers, it is having a positive experience, and no one is correcting the behavior. Once the act is finished, it is over in the dog's mind...in the past. Then, when the owner gets home and becomes angry, yelling and hitting, the dog learns to associate the mess with an angry owner, but does not have the logic to connect that with the act of digging through the garbage. The correction needs to happen at the time the dog gets into the trash. Even then, yelling "NO" at a dog doesn't teach the dog not to get into the trash. As an animal, the dog will always be an opportunist, and if we do not manage their environment to prevent them from having access to the trash in the first place, they will likely continue to happily rummage through the trash can any time no one is there to stop them.

Another example is loose leash walking. As humans, we think that if we hold the leash tight so the dog has to stay next to us, or jerk the lead when they pull, they will eventually "get it" and walk nicely at our side. Unfortunately, this doesn't teach the dog anything; it just restricts their movement, creates tension and frustration, and usually leads to reactivity and more pulling. Correcting it with a pinch or shock collar teaches the dog to avoid pulling to avoid discomfort and should only ever be used as a training tool, not for your daily walks, and is unfortunately almost always misused, often causing injury to the dog. The key to successful loose leash walking is creating a positive association, and therefore a desire, to walk without pulling on the leash. Beginning inside, in a calm, distraction-free environment, I teach my dog, no matter the age, that walking with me earns them rewards and praise, and it can even be a game. A dog is going to choose what motivates it most, and the outdoors is a very motivating place! However, if I create a fun game where my dog and I are walking next to each other and reward my dog every time they are in position next to me or looking at me, I'm going to end up with a dog who finds it very valuable to be engaged with me. When we move this behavior to the great outdoors, the reward may start at a higher value, and the duration for which I ask my dog to focus and engage with me will be brief, with designated breaks governed by me, where my dog can sniff and mark. The breaks actually help to reinforce the heel position, so my dog might leave my side to sniff for a few steps, then realign themselves at my side as a default position. Sniffing is incredibly important for a dog's overall well-being, as it is the primary way they experience their environment, so walking should always include opportunities for your dog to sniff and explore. It might take a little more time for some dogs to learn, but the time it takes to be patient also grows the bond you have with your dog. Imagine the stimuli they are bombarded with the moment they step outside, with their powerful sense of smell, acute hearing, and hard-wired drive to chase little furry things that run, and then you can begin to understand why they struggle to listen to us!

My transition from vet tech to trainer was more difficult than I had imagined. After leaving my twenty-year career, I had very little self-confidence, and imposter syndrome had a grip on me that felt impossible to shake. During my studies, I constantly saw trainers online who used pinch collars, shock collars, and harsh corrections condemn the positive training community, stating there was no way you could train a dog only with positive reinforcement and environmental management. I was worried my new path would end before it could begin. I pushed through the discomfort and self-doubt and continued to educate myself, working with as many dogs as I could. Now, I can confidently say that yes, I can train a dog without the use of outdated, dominance-based methods, no matter the behavioral challenges the dog is facing. There are no quick fixes, whether it's a personal struggle or a frustrating behavior problem in your dog. Positive results grow from consistency and repetition, and only moving forward when you or your dog is ready for the next step.

Positive reinforcement, kindness, patience, and understanding are the foundation of the methods I have come to agree with. I do not have expectations that my dog will learn everything in a designated time frame and behave perfectly, because they are animals with their own genetically designed behaviors, not robots I can program. Some of them have had experiences in life that they may be unable to overcome. Some may not have had enough experiences to have the capacity to handle certain situations or environments. All behaviors can be worked with and modified over time. A wonderful trainer, whom I follow and respect, is Susan Garrett, and one of her many enlightening quotes is that "Our dogs are doing the best they can, with the education we've given them, in the environment we put them in". If we take the time to understand them and show them how, our canine best friends are capable of remarkable things, and we can have joyful, loving relationships with them without shouting, frustration, and fear.