ICAWC 2013 - Caretaking Vs Ownership - Michal Piotr Pregowski

caretaking vs. ownership: towards new

philosophy of dog training?

Michał Piotr Pręgowski, Ph.D.

Warsaw University of Technology

[email protected]

dog training: the beginning

Kynegetikos / Cynegeticus (gr. Κυνηγετικόν; eng. On hunting; Hunting

with Dogs) – a treatise by Xenophon (ca. 444-362 BC), ancient

Greek philosopher and military leader

the birth of contemporary dog training

Abrichtung des Hundes – training manual for military and police dogs, by

Prussian colonel Konrad Most (1910).

military roots of modern dog training

• Carl Spitz – student of Konrad Most; owner of Hollywood Dog

Training School in California (1927)

• later: author & supervisor of the US war dog program during WWII.

military training gone popular: the

Koehler method

• William Koehler - The Koehler Method of Dog Training (1962)

• „one of the most influential dog training books of all time” –

Amazon.com

• ex-soldier, experience in war dog training, heavily influenced by Most

• top-down, correction-heavy training

• if the dog runs the other way on a 15-foot long leash, run the other way: „he’ll

come with you, if only to be near his head” (Koehler 1962; reported by Schaffer

2009)

• master-servant (owner-slave) relationship

the new wave: science rules!

• Ian Dunbar, Ph.D. – lure-reward training, based on Burrhus F.

Skinner’s radical behaviorism (1982)

• Karen Pryor – Don’t Shoot the Dog (1984), operant conditioning and

clicker use in dog training

• scientists instead of ex-soldiers / policemen

• methodological change:

• scientific and research-based (since 1950’s)

• focused on positive reinforcement – tuning out corrections and

intimidation (empirically verified fact: stress inhibits learning)

• clicker as a new, effective training tool

the other new wave: outdated

scientific data, misinformation

• Monks of New Skete – How To Be Your Dog's Best Friend (1976;

2002)

• dogs as wolves in our homes

• interspecies dominance

• mild antagonism of dogs and humans

• living with a dog as a zero-sum game

• introduction of alpha rolls


information and „esoterics”

• Jan Fennell - The Dog Listener (2000) and other books

• pack theory



• dogs seen as creatures forced to take responsibilities in a family

• trainer’s ability to „speak dog language”


information and „esoterics”

• Cesar Millan – Cesar’s Way (2007), Be the Pack Leader (2007), other

books and a TV show

• pack theory



• natural antagonism of dogs and humans

• living with a dog as a zero-sum game

• „dog whispering” skills

myths debunked

• dogs’ behavior is very similar to that of wolves

• wolf pack is a field of constant fight for dominance • wrong assumption: family of wolves in the wild behaves like non-related wolves in a zoo

• dogs & people form an interspecies pack

• dog-human „pack” is a field of constant fight for dominance (pack

leadership, alpha status)

• punishment is as important in education as reinforcement

• alpha roll shows leadership

…fixation on control?

B. Eaton (2002, 2005, 2011), Dominance: Fact or Fiction, Barry Eaton Publishing (2002), Dogwise (2005, 2011)

L. David Mech (1999), Alpha status, dominance, and division of labor in wolf packs, Canadian Journal of Zoology 77:1196-1203

K. Sdao (2012), Plenty in Life is Free. Reflections on Dogs, Training and Finding Grace, Dogwise

scientific & non-scientific approach to dog training share one notion on

anthropomorphism*

* - attribution of human characteristics to anything (beings, objects) other than humans

…according to both, it is plain wrong

behaviorism „esoterics”

animal behavior should not be interpreted in

terms of human emotions – it limits our ability to

understand animals

dogs live in harmony as animals –

anthropomorphism destroys their peace and

causes behavioral problems

anthropomorphising animals may burden them

with expectations we hold for humans

anthropomorphising dogs may burden them with

expectations we hold for humans

feelings, states of mind and introspection – not

overly important, if scientifically treatable at all

dogs may have their own language or energy fields

that resonate with ours, but they aren’t like

humans anyway

animals don’t have sophisticated emotional lives,

they are driven by environmentally-induced

stimuli [so-called neo-Cartesian approach]

the black box metaphore

(nothing is known about what goes on inside

animal’s mind. However, that knowledge is not

necessary for understanding behavioral changes;

Driscoll 2000)

the four-legged little human metaphore

what sociology says

• Clinton R. Sanders: attribution of human characteristics to other

animals is natural, as interactions with dogs and other companion

animals are very common & emotionally significant (Sanders 1999:2)

• between 70% and 99% of pet caretakers defined their animals as members of

the family (Beck & Katcher 1983, Voith 1983)

• people share social rituals with dogs: celebrate their birthdays, buy them gifts

for Christmas

• dogs are seen by caretakers as thoughtful, reciprocating, emotional beings with

individual tastes & personalities

what sociology says

• dogs are co-actors in our everyday lives, they are cast in the roles of

persons:

• they listen

• they offer affection

• they offer support

• they make people feel valuable and individual (Sanders 1999: 15)

• certain dog-human relationships are based on significant

interdependence: guide dogs are experienced as extension of blind

person’s self (Sanders 1999:57)

emotions are not uniquely human

• „it's not being anthropomorphic to attribute emotions to other

animals. In fact, it's bad science not to do so because we're not

inserting something <uniquely human> into animals.

Instead, we're identifying commonalities and then using

human language to communicate what we observe” (Bekoff

2013)

the rise of cognitive ethology

• attention to planning, consciousness, will, purpose & other subjective

phenomena in nonhuman animals

• intentionality is evident when the animal encounters problematic

situation and displays novel (adaptive) behavior

…but how does that relate to dog

training?

• the focus should switch from shaping behavior by external agent

(human) to understanding animal’s intentionality and responding to it

• anthropomorphism is not necessarily bad – there is sentimental

(„bad”) and critical („good”) anthropomorphism.

Q: is this groundbreaking change of

perspective present in the dog training

community?

A: yes…

A: …but it’s only starting to happen

researching the newest wave

• qualitative research

• step 1 - content analysis: training philosophies and trainers’ manifestos

in books, DVDs and websites [01-11.2012]

• step 2 – semi-structured interviews with chosen progressive trainers

• step 3 – in-depth analysis of data

the newest wave: behaviorism as academic

background is not enough

the newest wave: behaviorism is

not enough

• progressive dog training philosophies still benefit from

operant conditioning, clicker training and positive

reinforcement – but go beyond

• cognitive ethology

• social learning theory

• „It is not enough to know the principles of behaviorism, if you don't

know what behaviors the species does and what social structure they

have, because everyday life with a sentient being is more than

response-reward.” – Grisha Stewart (interview)

the newest wave: scientific

background revised

• behaviorism is prone to objectificating

• e.g. NILIF: all of the positive reinforcers are to be strictly controlled by humans

Kathy Sdao:

• communicating via two-way flow of information rather than

simply controlling (2012: 31)

• reciprocal reinforcement: training can be a reward – not just a task –

for both sides (2012: 88)

• „eye” instead of „I”

http://www.kathysdao.com

the newest wave: humane, dog-

oriented training

Kathy Sdao:

• beyond chaining and shaping

• dog has real choices, human becomes choice architect: dog is

responsible for making his own behavior happen (although the options

are set by the human, just like mother sets options for children)

• STILAF program (2012: 73)

http://www.kathysdao.com


oriented training

Grisha Stewart:

• Behavior Adjustment Training (BAT), rehabilitates dog reactivity by

looking at why the dog is reactive and helping him or her meet his

needs in other ways

• BAT is a dog-friendly application of „functional analysis” that gives the

dogs a chance to learn to control their own comfort level

through peaceful means

http://functionalrewards.com/


oriented training

Emily Larlham:

• Progressive Reinforcement Training (PRT) Manifesto – form of

training that „furthers an evolutionary progress towards harmonious

relationship between humans and the animals who live with them”.

• canine (also) chooses what is rewarding, not (only) the trainer

• „humane, respectful training based on latest scientific evidence” – a

commitment to PRT means 100% time spent with animal, not

just sessions

http://dogmantics.com


oriented training

Emily Larlham:

• criticizes selfish or uncompassionate goals for training

– physical and psychological intimidation without timing, consistency etc. is nothing

more than abuse

• trainer is a benevolent leader and guide

http://dogmantics.com

to sum up

new approach to dog training

• seeks supplemental scientific knowledge beyond behaviorism

• does not use the animal rights discourse overly often

• focuses on mutual relationship

• facilitates choice-based training

• considers trainer a leader and a partner of dog in training context

• sees training as an opportunity, not a chore

training as mutual profit

• „Besides being fully deserving of dignity in their own right, dogs can

help us figure out how to get along with other beings, human and non-

human (…). They are ideal <lab partners> for humans desiring to

develop new skills to become better parents, spouses, siblings and

friends.” (Sdao 2012: 82)

thank you!

[email protected]

this presentation is based on findings discussed in detail in my article „Your dog is your teacher:

Contemporary dog training beyond radical behaviorism” [in press; academic journal „Society

& Animals”, early 2014]

mailto:[email protected]

ICAWC 2013 - Caretaking Vs Ownership - Michal Piotr Pregowski

Lifestyle

Transcript of ICAWC 2013 - Caretaking Vs Ownership - Michal Piotr Pregowski