31/01/2024
It can sometimes feel like force-free trainers are fighting a losing battle which can be disheartening. But we have to keep advocating, for both the welfare of the dogs and to promote actual scientific fact!
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/jiRRpR7wpinh1kKR/
Given the statement that was read out on a morning TV show here in the UK, it's time to share this one again. As well as the red flag for ill-informed people of 'positive only', the statement trotted out the old misunderstanding that all we do is toss cheese at a dog when they do something right and ignore everything else.
Successful force free training involves SO much more than that. It needs a deep understanding of learning theory. Of what the dog's welfare needs are and how to make sure they are met. How to manage situations so that the dogs don't carry out the undesired behaviours and perhaps get an internal reward for doing them. How to train other behaviours the dog can do in that situation that will be rewarded so that the undesirable behaviour is no longer the best choice for them in that situation.
The factors involved in getting force free training right are too many for me to list on the image, but these are the things that a good force free trainer is doing every time they are working with a dog and their humans. It's so much more than just lobbing food at a dog.
