I think one of the big barriers to accessing ethical training, is dog owners wanting easy solutions to complex problems.  Without a thorough understanding of something, it’s natural to underestimate its complexity, so this is totally normal, it’s not a criticism or judgement it’s just a fact.  Many dog owners lack an awareness and understanding of dog behaviour and think that if their dog is doing something they don’t want them to do, training is just about stopping that unwanted behaviour.  It seems simple, it seems easy.

Let’s look at a common problem: someone says their dog is jumping up on people, how do they stop it?  Suggestions from various trainers may include:

• Get the dog to sit instead
• Turn your back on your dog
• Knee them in the chest

My response would be more questions, because we don’t know from that simple question WHY the dog is jumping.  It could be:

• Excitement (the most common reason)
• Because they’re worried/concerned (more a scrambling for reassurance than jumping)
• Aggression (jumping AT rather than jumping UP), ie a precursor to a bite which is significantly less common, but I have experienced it, (the jumping not the bite, and it was VERY clear what the dog’s intention was)

You can imagine how any of those responses to jumping could backfire without knowing the reason for the jumping, I mean kneeing in the chest is NEVER OK.  The other responses could be OK in some situations, but turning your back on a scared dog is totally inappropriate, and the same response for an aggressive dog could get you bitten.

I’d be asking:

• Who are they jumping on (family members, visitors to the home, people in the street)? 
• When are they jumping (greeting at the front door, first thing in the morning, when playing)?
• What does the jumping look/feel like?  Is it forceful and likely to knock you over, or gentle and polite, is it vertical jumping or putting paws on people?
• How do you respond when they jump (what’s the reinforcement/punishment history)?

All these factors will determine the approach that’s taken.  But some people aren't happy with being asked questions in response to their question, they just want a quick solution.

Owners are often asking for and expecting simple answers to deal with behaviours that require a thorough understanding of the how, why and when, but they don’t realise there is more to it.  Why would they?  They aren’t professional trainers; that’s our job to educate them.

But what seems to be happening, is some trainers are simply giving OWNERS WHAT THEY WANT.  They’re not giving the DOGS WHAT THEY NEED. 

There’s a huge difference.  And it’s the dogs that are paying the price.

Some trainers will skip the “educating the owner” bit because it’s inconvenient OR they don’t understand it themselves, so can’t explain it to someone else.  Take separation anxiety for example.  I’ve seen videos of dogs shut in crates and isolated away from the owners, punished for barking to shut them up.  I’ve seen videos of dogs locked in crates wearing shock collars being shocked for “looking” anxious.  The treatment of dogs in the name of training can be despicable.

We could say that’s giving OWNERS what they want - a silenced dog out of sight.  But I’ll be honest and say I don’t really think that’s what (most) owners do want.  I think they want to help their dog, not silence them.

In the case of separation anxiety, what the DOG NEEDS is the owner to learn the skills, gain the knowledge and take the time to truly help them feel comfortable home alone, but owners are not even being given this option by some trainers; I really believe many would, given the choice. 

And this is across the board with all behaviour issues, not just separation anxiety, that was just an example.

I KNOW that many owners would prefer the option to truly help and understand their dog, because I see many people who’ve experienced the so called “quick fix” trainers and when they realise what’s happened, they’re devastated about what they subjected their dog to.  They just weren’t told about what was really going on, either because the trainer didn’t tell them or the trainer didn’t understand it themselves.

Informed choices are crucial for the sake of dogs’ welfare.  I’m not suggesting every training and behaviour issues is complex, there are certainly things that are simple and easy.  But most of the more serious behaviour issues are emotion based, and that’s not fixed in one session; suppressed yes; but not resolved.  

Let’s not reduce complex things to convenient soundbites.