11/08/2024
The trouble with ‘training tools’
Force free trainers are firmly opposed to using training tools that are aversive in nature, including slip leads, electric collars and prong collars as some of the most widespread that are seen.
Proponents of their use will point to how well they ‘work’ – for example we’ll often see people proclaim that using a prong collar has completely revolutionised their walks with their dogs and they go on to say that ‘used correctly’ it’s an excellent training tool. So let's use that as an example to see what the issue is with these tools.
The problem is that it’s not actually really training the dog.
Look at how positive reinforcement is used to train a cue in dogs. When the dog makes the right choice, does the right thing then they get a reward. They like the reward and so are more likely to do the same thing again in an attempt to get that same reward.
Once the association is firmly made and the dog is able to reliably respond to the cue in the way we’d like, we start to fade out the use of the reward. If using treats, the dog might start getting a reward every second time, third time, then randomly so they are never quite sure when the reward is coming (but it might be the next time they do that thing, so they will keep trying). Eventually we are using the reward very little, but the dog is still responding to the cue in the desired way.
Ok, you might say, how is that different to the prong collar?
The prong works by contact of the prongs on the skin of the dog’s neck (remember that a dog’s skin is 3-5 cells thick compared to the human’s at least 10-15 cells thick). This is uncomfortable. Some people will say they tried it on themselves and it was fine – look at the difference in skin, and also remember that the dog has no way to know when the collar is going to be tightened.
I’ve had people tell me that the dog’s neck is the strongest muscle in their body equivalent to the human thigh. Not only is this physiologically incorrect (to say the very least!) it is also dangerous. Think about the delicate structures in the human throat.
The windpipe.
Oesophagus.
Lymph Nodes.
Carotid artery.
Jugular vein.
Thyroid.
All of these are in the dog’s neck as well and are very vulnerable to injury. The result of pressure on the dog's neck, especially firm and rapid pressure like a 'lead pop' (even from a flat collar) can be potentially catastrophic.
Danger and discomfort aside, the fact is that, while these collars might stop pulling while being worn, they fail as training devices because no actual training takes place. Take that prong collar off of the dog, put a normal flat collar back or a harness back on, and see how long it takes for the dog to realise they are able to pull again without the pain?
What the slip lead, prong collar (or electric collar if used to shock the dog when they pull) does is suppress the behaviour in that moment. It does nothing to show the dog what they should be doing or deal with why the dog is actually pulling - which is generally because they have not been taught properly to and so don't really understand what we want from them. And also dogs often naturally move faster on their four legs than we do on our two, so again they need to be taught how to match themselves to the pace that's needed.
The absolute best way to do that is to reward the dog when they do what they want, when they are in the right place for loose lead walking. Yes, this can take time and so the 'quick fix' can seem appealing, but the danger of using anything that the dog actively seeks to avoid is that it could damage their trust in the people around them and have serious consequences for the relationship between you.
Teaching them what we would like them to do and how we can both be comfortable during the walk is so much more effective than trying to just stop a behaviour, and using positive reinforcement and force free methods build their confidence and trust in us.
And no, I’m not expecting people to immediately take off the tools, but what you can do when you become aware of the problems of relying on aversive measures that cause discomfort, pain and fear, is find a force free trainer who can help you see how to show your dog where to walk nicely and comfortably for you both, or find other tools that are not aversive, for instance a harness with 2 points of attachment so the dog can be walked from the back clip but the front clip allows for steering the front end if needed while training is ongoing.
