The quiet excellence of humane dog training

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Social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube are packed with resources for dog owners. Rapid, visually dramatic dog-training transformations are easy to notice, while humane training and behaviour work can be less visible.

Part of that lies in the work itself. Behaviour work is often quieter because the aim is to support learning before a dog becomes overwhelmed or starts rehearsing the very behaviour we are trying to change. But that is only part of the picture. Public perception, social influence and the psychology of what professionals feel comfortable sharing may also help explain why some approaches are more visible online than others.

Humane training versus the flash and dash

Humane training draws on learning theory alongside ethology, cognition and animal welfare science. The four quadrants of operant conditioning describe how consequences can influence behaviour, but they do not, by themselves, tell us whether a training choice is necessary, proportionate or appropriate for the animal in front of us. In practice, ethical decision-making also means considering what the dog may be experiencing, the function of the behaviour and whether the same learning goal can be pursued with less risk of fear, pain or conflict (Ziv, 2017; Blackwell et al., 2008). This often means arranging the environment so the dog is more likely to succeed, using reinforcement strategically and introducing new cues, tasks or environments at a level the dog can manage. And while that may look fairly uneventful on camera, that is the point: the dog remains able to process information and learn.

In contrast, social media frequently features training that produces rapid, visually striking changes in behaviour. Some of these approaches involve aversive techniques, including positive punishment or negative reinforcement (Todd, 2018). Such changes can look instantaneous and impressive to the layperson, yet greater use of aversive-based methods has been associated with poorer welfare indicators, including more stress-related behaviour (Ziv, 2017; Vieira de Castro et al., 2020), while confrontational techniques have also been associated with aggressive responses in some dogs (Herron et al., 2009).

Another argument I hear is that punishment-based methods are necessary in severe cases because the alternative may be euthanasia. However, as my friend, peer and fellow lecturer said recently: “If these trainers can provide me with scientific evidence that punishment in practice works and doesn’t have unexpected fallout, and if they can present an ethical case for its use, then I’ll listen.” And to date, the evidence has not made that case convincingly.

A common argument is that positive reinforcement has already been tried and did not work. Yet a failed attempt can reflect the strategy used, the criteria set, trainer skill, reinforcement, rapport or the circumstances in which the animal was expected to learn. Although written for behavioural research and teaching rather than companion-dog training, the 2018 edition of the Animal Behaviour guidelines makes a relevant point:

Practical animal motivation and training is a highly specialized skill. The failure of positive reinforcement methods to motivate an animal may reflect only the strategy or tactic used, the skill of the research staff and level of rapport with the animal. Failure to properly motivate an animal does not necessarily indicate that it would be impossible for a skilled trainer to motivate the animal with positive reinforcement.

Animal Behaviour (2018)

The unspoken fear of online scrutiny

So why might some trainers using humane, welfare-led approaches be quieter online? There is unlikely to be one simple reason. Professional scrutiny, fear of criticism and the risk of a short clip being stripped of its wider context may all play a part. Several areas of psychology may help explain some of this.

One is social proof: the tendency to use other people’s behaviour as information about what is credible, accepted or worth our attention (Cialdini, 1984). On social media, visible popularity can become part of that judgement. Where dramatic training attracts attention, quieter methods may appear less persuasive simply because there is less spectacle to watch.

Then there is the ‘spiral of silence’, which may also be relevant here. The theory proposes that people may withhold an opinion when they believe it is unpopular, particularly when they fear isolation or ridicule (Noelle-Neumann, 1974). And we mustn’t miss out that negative ninny, imposter syndrome; self-doubt and the fear of being exposed as a “fraud” may add another layer of hesitation when professionals put their work under public scrutiny (Clance and Imes, 1978).

There is a practical issue too, in that the complexity of humane training techniques may not translate well in short videos, leading to potential misinterpretation or poor application. For example, techniques like systematic desensitisation involve gradually exposing a dog to a situation, stimulus or cue they find frightening, starting at a low intensity and increasing it as the dog becomes more comfortable. By its very nature, systematic desensitisation is a slower, incremental process. When applied appropriately, it can be effective, but it doesn’t make for “clickbait” or dramatic viewing. The absence of drama can mean the criteria are right and the dog remains able to learn, yet audiences may dismiss the approach because the progress is less visually striking, missing the nuance and the behavioural change developing over time.

For dog owners, it is worth remembering that fewer dramatic videos tell us little about the quality of the work. A lot of humane behaviour work happens before the dog reacts: managing the environment and exposure, adjusting distance and criteria, reading body language, teaching new skills and keeping the dog able to learn. A method can be effective without being “Instagrammable”. Quieter progress is harder to capture, and some ethical trainers may post less because short clips lose context and invite scrutiny. Look beyond the spectacle to what is happening to the dog, how learning is being supported, and whether welfare is being protected for both the dog and the human.

A call to action

If you’re a trainer or behaviourist reading this and hesitate to share your work online, I get it. Short clips can lose context and invite scrutiny. Yet if social media helps shape what owners expect from dog training, we also need to show the quieter work: appropriate criteria, dogs remaining able to learn, handlers developing their skills, and welfare being protected at both ends of the lead. It may be less dramatic to watch, but it gives owners a far clearer picture of humane behaviour change in practice. And if more of us share that work, we give the algorithms more of it to surface.

References

• Guidelines for the treatment of animals in behavioural research and teaching (2018). Animal Behaviour, 135, I-X. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.10.001.
• Blackwell, E. J., Twells, C., Seawright, A., & Casey, R. A. (2008). The relationship between training methods and the occurrence of behavior problems, as reported by owners, in a population of domestic dogs. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 3(5), 207–217.
• Cialdini, R. B. (1984). Influence: The psychology of persuasion. New York: William Morrow.
• Clance, P. R., and Imes, S. A. (1978). The imposter phenomenon in high achieving women: Dynamics and therapeutic intervention. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice, 15(3), 241-247.
• Herron, M. E., Shofer, F. S., & Reisner, I. R. (2009). Survey of the use and outcome of confrontational and non-confrontational training methods in client-owned dogs showing undesired behaviors. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 117(1-2), 47-54.
• Noelle-Neumann, E. (1974). The Spiral of Silence: A Theory of Public Opinion. Journal of Communication, 24(2), 43-51.
• Todd, Z. (2018). Barriers to the adoption of humane dog training methods. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 25, 28-34.
• Vieira de Castro, A. C., Fuchs, D., Morello, G. M., Pastur, S., de Sousa, L., & Olsson, I. A. S. (2020). Does training method matter? Evidence for the negative impact of aversive-based methods on companion dog welfare. PLOS ONE, 15(12), e0225023.
• Ziv, G. (2017). The effects of using aversive training methods in dogs—A review. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 19, 50-60.