Hi,

I’ve been watching a dog training show on TV, and although I’ve tried doing some of the things this trainer does, my dog hasn’t stopped pulling (among other bad habits). So now I’m wondering if his methods really work or is this just a trick?

Thanks if you can answer my question!

VK

 

Hello VK,

Thanks for asking your question. For all the times I’ve been asked about TV dog training shows, yours is the first time anyone asked if it’s a trick and the answer is yes and no, so let me explain the mystique of the technique…

 

It may appear like a trick only in the sense that you are not privy to what goes on behind the scenes of the show. This is TV, so there are cameras, a script, out-takes, editing and so on to produce a show that has some entertainment value. But make no mistake, in order to motivate behavior in an animal you are either working with rewards or punishments to varying degrees. That said, with positive reinforcement techniques, we pair the sound of a word or a clicker with something the dog really likes (a treat for example) and when the dog offers an appropriate behavior, we click or use our word that communicates to the dog that he did the right thing and now he’s going to get a reward. In compulsion type techniques, they pair a sound (a hiss for example) with something the dog really wants to avoid, (like the pressure around his neck from a choke-collar) which communicates that if you don’t do what I’m forcing you to do, I will cause you even more pain.

 

If these shows were about parenting your child instead of your dog, you might be just a little horrified, but unfortunately for our dogs, the average person cannot read canine body-language, so what you are actually watching is a freaked out and shut down dog’s posture being described by the trainer as calm balance!

 

Some of these shows run a disclaimer across the TV screen to warn against using the techniques at home, so perhaps it’s better to heed their advice and watch these shows for the pure entertainment value they bring, but if you want a happy dog that actually wants to play the training game, then I’d suggest motivating without force and I’ll bet that’s a trick your dog will enjoy!