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States Overall (2015): “Dominance theory has shut off scientific research and has crept into medicine to the point where we think we can do things to animals whereby we are asking them to ‘submit.’ In pop psychology, dominance theory is insidious and has crept into everything we do with dogs and it’s wrong. It has gotten in the way of modern science and I’ve just about had it. Every single thing we do with dogs hurts them because we don’t see them as individuals or cognitive partners…” aversive stimuli intended for pet care, management, or training by eliciting a “startle response,” and/or an alarm reaction. These pieces of equipment are promoted and sold to prevent, barking, jumping up, growling, or any other problematic behavior but are not advisable because using the startle response to correct behavior can be perceived as highly threatening by a pet and quickly create fear, not only towards the specific piece of equipment but also to the operator or any other stimuli present at that time. For example, using an aversive sound such as an air horn to interrupt barking risks pairing the owner or trainer with the unpleasant stimulus and, in particular, the hand or arm that is reaching out while using the tool. Repeated instances may generalize to the pet attempting to flee. If the pet feels that flight is not possible or a safe or reliable course of action, he may instead have no other alternative action to protect himself than to exhibit aggressive behaviors towards arm or hand movement, or any approach behavior. Ramirez-Moreno and Sejnowski (2012) define the startle response as a “largely unconscious defensive response to sudden or threatening stimuli, such as sudden noise or sharp movement” that is “associated with negative affect.” According to Lang, Bradley, and Cuthbert (1990), the startle response (or aversive reflex) is “enhanced during a fear state and is diminished in a pleasant emotional context.” This equipment through its design and intended application operates using fear as motivation. (Pet Professional Guild, 2017).
A Word on Dominance
The idea that humans should exert physical control over animals was first widely-popularized in the 1970s in the book How to Be Your Dog’s Best Friend by the Monks of New Skete, which recommended the infamous “alpha roll” to deal with undesired behaviors. The alpha roll, in which a human flips a dog onto his back and pins him until he shows “submissive” behaviors, was founded on 1960s studies of captive wolves kept in an area too small for their numbers and composed of members that would not naturally be found together in a pack in the wild. These conditions resulted in increased numbers of conflicts in which one wolf would appear to pin another wolf. However, current scientific knowledge has recanted the findings of these studies, acknowledging that this behavior is not typical of wolves living in the wild (Mech, 1999). Despite these findings and the great disparity in behavior between wolves and dogs, dominance theory became applied to pet dogs, popularized, and remains a widely-propagated training style. In fact, “dominance theory is an obsolete and aversive method of interacting with animals that has at its foundation 22
BARKS from the Guild/January 2019
incorrect and misinterpreted data which can result in damage to the animal-human relationship and cause behavioral problems in the animal.” (Pet Professional Guild, 2018). States Overall (2015): “Dominance theory has shut off scientific research and has crept into medicine to the point where we think we can do things to animals whereby we are asking them to ‘submit.’ In pop psychology, dominance theory is insidious and has crept into everything we do with dogs and it’s wrong. It has gotten in the way of modern science and I’ve just about had it. Every single thing we do with dogs hurts them because we don’t see them as individuals or cognitive partners… Unfortunately, the dominance, discipline and coercion approach has affected every aspect of how we interact with dogs from basic training to treating troubled dogs. We MUST abandon these cruel, scientifically unsupported labels and approaches and replace them with a humane, scientifically-based approach that is dog-centric and attempts to understand situations from the viewpoint of the dog.” Indeed, in the 21st century, can there really still be a debate over the issue of using pain and fear as “methods” of animal training? The good news is that, no, we do not need to use any training or behavior modification protocols that utilize escape or avoidance behavior, or that cause fear or pain. Instead, we can reference the growing body of knowledge and findings from the scientific community which advocate for humane, positive reinforcement-based protocols. These are known to promote a positive emotional state and therefore improve an animal’s ability to learn new things. In addition, they set an animal up for success, build his confidence, allow him to think for himself, and empower him to make good choices (O’Heare, 2011).
A Behavior or an Emotion?
It is important to be aware that behaviors are voluntary or involuntary. They are either shaped by their environmental consequences or through the association with environmental stimuli. Voluntary behaviors are known as operants and are strengthened or weakened by their consequences, a process known as operant conditioning (Tudge, 2009). Operant conditioning occurs when a voluntary behavior is changed. Involuntary, or respondent, behaviors, meanwhile, are elicited from an emotional reaction to a situation. In a process known as respondent (or classical) conditioning, the presence of one stimulus begins to reliably predict the presence of a second stimulus (Tudge, 2017). This is not a consciously learned process; it happens automatically and without thought. (Note: in respondent conditioning, we are managing and changing emotions; in operant conditioning we are managing and changing behaviors.) An animal’s behavior can be overt (voluntary) or covert (involuntary).
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