07/09/2025
K9 Manhunt & ScentWork Scotland
Yesterday at 1:40 AM ·
Confirmation Bias in Dog Training: The Invisible Barrier to Progress
In the world of dog training, where emotions run high and opinions run deep, there lurks a powerful psychological phenomenon that quietly shapes what people believe, how they argue, and which methods they support. It’s called confirmation bias, and whether you’re aware of it or not, it’s affecting the entire landscape of how we train, teach, and talk about dogs.
What is Confirmation Bias?
Confirmation bias is the tendency for individuals to favour, seek out, or interpret information in a way that confirms their pre-existing beliefs, while disregarding or dismissing evidence that challenges those beliefs. In essence, it’s a form of mental tunnel vision. Rather than approaching new information with objectivity, the brain filters it through the lens of what it already believes to be true.
Psychologically, it’s a way for the mind to maintain stability and avoid discomfort. Changing your mind is hard. Admitting you were wrong is harder. So instead, we cling to “evidence” that reinforces what we want to believe and push aside anything that makes us question it.
It happens in politics. It happens in science. And, perhaps most controversially, it happens in dog training.
How Confirmation Bias Shapes the Dog Training Debate
Few debates are as emotionally charged in the dog world as the one between positive-only trainers and balanced trainers. Both camps claim to act in the best interest of dogs. But when confirmation bias takes the wheel, reason and open dialogue often get thrown out the window.
The Positive-Only Echo Chamber
In the positive-only world, confirmation bias is alive and well. Many within this camp passionately believe that any form of punishment, correction, or aversive tool is cruel, abusive, and outdated. This belief becomes a cornerstone of their identity as trainers or dog lovers. So, what happens when they come across a balanced trainer who uses a prong collar or an e-collar with care, skill, and remarkable results?
They dismiss it.
They don’t question the methodology or look at the results with a curious mind. Instead, they focus only on horror stories, poorly used tools, unqualified handlers, or extreme cases of abuse. These examples, though real and regrettable, are used to confirm the narrative that all use of such tools is wrong. It’s a textbook case of confirmation bias.
The result? The positive-only trainer strengthens their belief that balanced training is inherently harmful, while ignoring countless examples of successful, humane, and effective training that incorporates correction as part of a wider structure of communication.
The Other Side: False Flags in Balanced Training
But let’s be clear, confirmation bias isn’t exclusive to one side, and neither is poor practice. Just as there are positive-only trainers blinded by ideology, there are also those who misuse the label of “balanced trainer” to justify outdated or even abusive practices.
These so-called trainers are not balanced at all. They don’t assess the dog in front of them. They don’t prioritize relationships or communication. Instead, they lean heavily, and too often exclusively, on correction, pressure, and force. The old-school “yank-and-crank” types who now wear the badge of balanced training to hide from scrutiny.
Let’s be clear: these people have no place in modern dog training.
They damage dogs. They damage owners. And they damage the reputation of genuine, thoughtful balanced trainers who use all four quadrants of learning responsibly, ethically, and with the dog’s best interests at heart.
Real Balance Means Individualized Training
True balanced training isn’t about choosing a tool and using it on every dog. It’s about recognizing that not every dog needs tools, but some do. It’s about having the skillset, knowledge, and experience to know when to reach into the wider toolbox and when not to.
If you’ve got a dog that responds beautifully to food, praise, play, or engagement, brilliant. Crack on. Use what works.
But when a dog’s behavior is putting itself or others at risk, when it’s highly driven, reactive, or shutting down, positive-only methods may simply not be enough. At that point, a responsible trainer with access to additional tools and techniques can help that dog succeed where others have failed.
That is what balanced training is: being fair, flexible, and dog-centered, not tool-centered or ideology-centered.
This Isn’t About Picking Sides
Let’s be clear, this isn’t about anti-positive or pro-tool rhetoric. Positive reinforcement is a powerful part of any training program and should be used extensively. It builds trust, motivation, and enjoyment.
But positive-only approaches must acknowledge their limitations, particularly when it comes to serious behavioral issues that require more than treats and toys.
And equally, those who use tools must recognize that not every dog needs them. Slapping an e-collar on every dog out of laziness or lack of creativity is no better than refusing to ever consider one out of fear or ideology.
The answer lies, unsurprisingly, in balance.
The Real Victims of Confirmation Bias? The Dogs
When confirmation bias drives training choices, it’s not just reputations that suffer, it’s the dogs. A reactive dog may never improve if a trainer refuses to consider tools beyond a treat pouch. A frustrated owner may be ashamed of seeking help because their chosen method doesn’t fit someone else’s ideological framework. A dog on the brink of rehoming or euthanasia might miss its last chance because someone refused to open their mind.
Dog training should not be about tribes. It should be about outcomes, ethics, and individual needs.
Overcoming Confirmation Bias in Dog Training
The good news? Confirmation bias can be recognized, challenged, and minimized. It requires humility, honesty, and a willingness to learn.
Here’s how to start:
• Be curious, not combative. Ask questions. Observe other methods with a learner’s mindset.
• Seek out opposing views. Watch trainers you disagree with. Try to understand their reasoning.
• Focus on the dog. The measure of good training isn’t the method; it’s the result and the dog’s wellbeing.
• Challenge your own beliefs. Ask yourself: What would it take for me to change my mind?
• Engage in real conversations, not online echo chambers.
Final Thoughts
Confirmation bias is one of the biggest invisible obstacles in the dog training world today. It fuels tribalism, stifles progress, and ultimately, it fails the dogs we claim to care about.
Balanced training does not mean harshness. Positive reinforcement does not mean permissiveness. The best trainers, the truly great ones, move beyond bias and tool arguments. They focus on communication, clarity, and respecting the dog as an individual.
If we can recognize confirmation bias and step beyond it, the dog world might just become a little more united, a little more humble, and a lot more effective.
And that, surely, is something worth working towards.
“If you feel the need to put a label on me, then yes, I’m a balanced trainer, but in my eyes, I’m simply a dog trainer. In truth, I’m a human trainer, doing what I believe is the most ethical and effective way to help the dog, or dog team, in front of me.”
www.k9manhuntscotland.co.uk
K9 Manhunt & Scentwork Scotland Your Premier Choice for Expert Dog Training and Specialised K9 Service in Fife and Central Scotland What we OfferView our training schedule Welcome to K9 Manhunt & ScentWork Scotland Based at our training centre in Glenrothes, Fife, we provide an extensive array of bo...
