As science has revolutionized the world of dog training

I was about a month in a new puppy Border Collie raising Alsea when I came to a painful conclusion: had to make one person my dog ​​that does not look like me. I read several books on a dog collection, and all agreed at least one thing: the proper socialization of puppies, especially during the critical period of eight to 20 weeks a means to introduce them to as many people as I could. Not only people, but several people: people with beards and sunglasses; People felt hats and sombreros carry; The people jogging; The people in Halloween costumes. And critically, people of different ethnicities. Do not do it, and your dog inexplicably people wearing straw hat barking or big sunglasses. This emphasis on socialization is an important element for a new approach to increase the modern dog. Avoid the old, dominant, Cesar Millan style methods and suspected of flawed studies were based hierarchies in wolf packs. These methods make sense if I grew my last dog Chica, in the early aughts. I read dominance-oriented classic books of the prestigious US state of New York to the monks of New Skete trainer to teach, among other things, was I of their pack leader, even if the stern correction understood as the neck shaking. Chica was a well-behaved dog, but it was easy to get discouraged when looking for something new to communicate. I do not mean suggest best option had; It was then used throughout a growing movement for dog owners to teach on early socialization and the value of basic training awards and many coaches, the only positive reinforcement. But in those days the subject of debate and ridicule approach was: treat trained merchants could do whatever you want if you know that a cookie is hidden in the palm of your hand, but they might otherwise ignore. I taught my dog ​​proud tough love. This time with the help of a new class of educators and scientists, I completely changed my methods and I shocked booming lines of the puzzle products, funny toys, workshop and “Dog-enrichment” The resources for the modern disposal for discover dog “parents” who gain helped the US pet industry to $86 billion-year sales. Choke collars, collars, the word is not everything-but-NOT. It ‘a new dog training day. The science upon which these new techniques, it is not a novelty: is rooted theory and operant conditioning in the learning process that includes positive negative (addition) or (redemption) of gain. It also includes the reverse: positive or negative punishment. A brief introduction: Petting a dog to bring about positive reinforcement head of the newspaper because you are (positive) action to promote as part of a behavior (to strengthen). Scolding a dog to stop unwanted behavior is positive punishment because it is an action to discourage a behavior. A choke collar whose voltage is obtained when the dog stops pulling on them is negative gain since the desirable behavior of the dog (unscrewing) involves the removal of an undesirable consequence. Under a Frisbee dog away because he is barking negative punishment because he retired a stimulus to reduce the unwanted behavior. Much has changed in the way science is used today. How dog training obedience from the old-driven model for show dogs to an approach based on the relationship of assistance dogs taught headed coach shifted found that the use of negative reinforcement and positive punishment actually slow progress dog because they give confidence and, more importantly, his relationship with a manager. Dogs that too much correction especially hard physical correction and narrow-minded get “Bad dog!” Reproach-start trying new things to pick from. These new methods are a growing number of science and supports a rejection of the old way of thinking, the wolves (and their descendants, dogs) and dominance creatures defined. The origin of the so-called theory of “Alpha” comes from a scientist named Rudolph leg that has carried out a study of wolves in 1947, in which the animals were forced from different packs in a small package, without interaction. They fought, of course, plays the leg mistaken for a struggle for supremacy. The reality was then forced to admit leg was that wolves were stressed, not alpha stage aiming for. A study published last fall by Portugal in the pre-digital printing BioRxiv database (which means it is not yet reviewed) evaluated dozens of dogs from selected schools, has made the use of collars, leash corrections and other adverse techniques, or both busy ‘T Stick entirely or almost entirely (treated) to the use of positive reinforcement, the behavior that they wanted to obtain. The dogs of good schools generally better at tasks, the researchers conducted set before them, and the dogs of aversive schools displayed significantly more stress, both losses observable way, yawning, pacing, whining and cortisol levels in saliva swabs measured. These new findings are particularly relevant this year. Dog Adoption has ballooned in COVID-19 was probably because Americans are isolated new company looking for and why working from home makes at least the idea of ​​raising a puppy can. Before the pandemic, was young inhabitants of the boom towns of the demand and supply of dog trainers go to dealing with positive methods, and an explosion in the spread of professional instructors from around the world. Often because they Millennials and Generation Z spending than of sumptuous delayed money for pets or children decided: toys, food, puzzles, fantasy harnesses, waterproof jackets, life vests and training. And the professional coach from Guide dogs renowned organization manager Denise Fenzi formed a legion of investigators. They report that the negativity generally less they use in training, learning faster than their dogs. Over the past 15 years, manager with guide dogs for the blind to be the assistants trains dogs for the blind, almost all of them negative and dried technical training with dramatic results. A new dog is ready can lead to its owner in half the time, took a turn, and can last for another year or two, living with an owner, because they are so much less stressed out from work, says Susan Armstrong, Vice President of the client organization, training and operations of animals. Even bomb sniffing dogs and see military more positive reinforcement, which is why you may have noticed that dogs that work in well (such as airports) seem to work to enjoy the most severe environments more than in the past. “I do not think you imagine,” says Armstrong. Love “These dogs work. They love rewards for good behavior. And ‘serious, but it can also be fun.” Susan Friedman, a psychology professor at Utah State University, the world of dog-training has entered a 20-year career in special education, an area where they have a doctorate. adopted in late 1990, she had a parrot that most of the advice available to find out which shocked to raise a well-behaved bird involved just might find difficult fixes: when it bites, falls abruptly, the bird on the ground. If it makes too much noise, enclose the cage in complete darkness. If you try to escape, the flight feathers of the bird clip. Friedman applied their own research and experience to his parrot training and found out about the behavior of materials. “No species on the planet involves no reason,” he says. “What is the function of a parrot bite the hand? Why could throw a kid in a toy aisle? What is the purpose of a behavior, and more open to environmental awards and also to adverse stimuli?” Friedman article in the initial phase animal positive reinforcement training met a skeptical audience in the early aughts. Well, thanks to what she calls a “trainer swelling of animals”, new concerns about the ethics of animal husbandry, Friedman has called on zoos and aquariums around the world to consult. Some of her advice centers on two fundamental principles now widely appreciated in dog training. The first is the arbitrary gain uses the same principle of addicted players to slot machines. If awarded on an intermittent program it is likely to keep trying, and trying to make them consistent awards. The same is true for dogs: If you are rewards for good behavior in a seemingly random rhythm, are in an effort to maintain good behavior to make them more regularly rewards. Friedman Another goal is to understand how to better analysis of an animal’s needs could help coach less punishing. Last year they produced a manifesto of “hierarchy march” table designed for owners to help identify known causes and conditions of behavior, and the most likely address influencers disease before as they are for other hypotheses. This is not to suggest that it might be the old school dog trainer, ignoring a disease, but it may be too early to jump to a punishment before it considered the causes of unwanted behavior that could be addressed with less invasive techniques. The field is changing rapidly, says Friedman. Even last year, new bus routes discovered to replace an aversion technique with a win: If a dog scratching to be let out (instead of sitting politely) at the door, many coaches came had in recent years, the owners who ignore scratching, not to reward behavior. You’d hope “extinction” for the dog finally stop doing the bad thing is that the results of any reward. But this is an inherently negative approach. What if you could be replaced with something positive? Now, most of the coaches would now recommend dog scratching to behave better diversion, come one or a sit rewarded with a treat. Bad behavior is not only dead, but the dog learns better performance at the same time. The debate is not completely abolished. Mark Hines, a coach with the company’s products for pets Kong who works with dogs across the country, said that while the positive reinforcement certainly helps dogs gain knowledge at the fastest rate, there is still a feeling among trainers military and police dogs, a bit ‘of correction that is needed is an animal preparing for service. “Leash corrections and pinch collars are scientifically based, as well,” says Hines. “Positive Punishment is a part of science.” The key, Hines says, is hard and avoid unnecessary kinds of positive punishment, not to avoid damaging the relationship between dog and handler. Dogs too often is threatened constantly the range of things that restrict seek out because obviously reduce that to maybe get them a chance shouted. The world of The Cesar Millan does not disappear. But the title entirely or mostly positive grow faster. Hundreds of buses visit “Clicker Measure”, an annual event put on in different cities of one of the dog training positivity structures made prominent in the world, the Karen Pryor Academy in Waltham, Mass. And Fenzi, another of coach the most successful in the world, teaches her positive reinforcement techniques on no less than 10,000 students per semester. While there are some lingering arguments about how much positivity to negativity is to be introduced in a training program, there is next to zero the debate about what the most important component to be raising a new dog socialization. Most coaches now teach dog owners in a period of between eight and 20 weeks, during which it is important to introduce a dog to all kinds of images and sounds that can occur later in life. Most behavior “bad” is actually the product of poor early socialization. For two months, I took Alsea weekly “puppy socials” in Portland Shop At where experts of the puppies monitor manager, how they interact and play together in a romper room full of stairs and hula hoops and Playhouses strange surfaces otherwise they might develop fear to meet. there were no such classes, until a few years ago. I also Alsea in the dog training courses in another company, Wonder puppy. In the first session, coach Kira Moyer reminded the human students that the most important thing we must do for our dogs, is a lawyer with offices also in a renewed appreciation of science. Instead your dog complains for correction, for example, stop for a moment and reflect on why this is happening? What do you want? You may or you give them the opportunity to them, what they want, and learn good behavior, at the same time to earn? Enrichment is another field in the strong expansion of the world of dog training. I Alsea not been for the first six months of a dog bowl regularly feed them with me because it was so much more mentally stimulating for them to eat from a food puzzle, a device that is just a little ‘makes it a challenge for a breakfast acquire animals. These can as a flat round plastic to be so simple, with croquettes between a series of fins that need to be sailed, or as complex as the suite of Swedish entrepreneur puzzle Nina Ottosson developed. At the highest level it could be dog must move a block, turn the lid upwards to remove a barrier or a launch to earn food. Another common cause of what we consider “bad” behavior in dogs is really just an expression of boredom, a dog that needs a job and decided to give themselves a: dig through the trash to bark at the mailman, puzzle Eating make dinner out of a job. If Ottosson started before, “als, die me crazy Hundedame.’Niemand believes dogs would eat out of a food puzzle,” he says. “Today, no one calls me that.” If Alsea was 4 months of age (she is now 12 months), I traveled south from Portland to the Willamette Valley’s Ian Caldicott introduce a farmer, dogs and handlers, such as stoves teaches sheep. First, we saw one of his students their dogs to work. Since the Border Collie made mistakes, tension has intensified its owner with his voice and his corrections were always difficult. “Just turn your back and listen,” Caldicott said. “You can panic in his voice in goose bumps.” Dogs are intelligent and can read this uncertainty. And ‘their faith in their manager application does and, in some cases, they decide to learn more. educating a good shepherd is to build trust between the dog and the handler Caldicott says. This requires a certain correction of a “Hey!” When the dog is left instead of right, but sometimes, above all, confidence in both the dog and the handler. In the old days were pastor left and right transmits physical force. Now they are just enough to bring, as you discover the right path alone. “We try to get an animal that thinks for itself. A good herding dog thinks he knows better than you do. Your job is to teach you to listen to it,” said Caldicott. “Those who are born they think the king of the universe, all you have to do is accept that will not go away.”
Image copyright Holly Andres for TIME