A FORCE FOR POSITIVE CHANGE

c o n s u l t i n g A Force for Positive Change

Anna Bradley discusses advancements in training and behavior over the 20 years she has been practicing, highlighting the positive changes she has seen and their contribution to an improvement in dog welfare

Although I’ve been completely surrounded by animals of all varieties all my life, I jumped wholeheartedly into the world of training and behavior as a career in 2001. In these intervening 20 years there have, thankfully, been seismic shifts in how we view our relationships with animals, how we treat them, how we interact with them, how we relate to them, and our perceptions of them – over really quite a short space of time. In a lot of respects, there’s still a long way to go, but changes for the better have at least been kickstarted.

I have always been surrounded, from my very early days, by what others around me have termed “awkward” animals. At the outset, these were horses who were attributed labels such as “difficult,” “willful,” “belligerent,” and even “bad” or “nasty,” sometimes with a few expletives thrown in for good measure. But even at the early age of 10 years, I felt empathy towards these animals and knew that something must be causing them to behave in a certain way. I knew they were not worthy of such simplistic tags and that there was a reason for why they did what they did, and when they did it. I went no further in my exploration at that time but I could, at least, distinguish between me wondering why an animal would behave in a certain way and the majority of others who, it seemed, found it appropriate to ascribe a descriptive label and then punish the behavior without bothering to consider a cause.

It always upset me to be told to “bully” or “get the better” of a horse, but I wasn’t one to hang the tack up and leave. I liked to spend time hanging out and making friends, long after the horse riding had finished. This is where my initial listening and learning took place, although I didn’t know it back then. I have always said that these early experiences, that included a lot of tears and struggles – but also a lot of just watching at field gates, observing behavior and, above all, listening to and respecting the animals – were the reasons why I got into this profession. Those animals were, and still are, my greatest teachers.

Mindset

I started my own training and behavior business in 2001. Coming into that from the late 1990s, there was very little talk of dog behavior in the UK media, no TV programs and, of course, social media had not yet been born. Certainly, in my geographical area, traditional aversive and punitive methods were prevalent, including water pistols, scent collars, shock devices, smacking, training discs, dominance methods (nose flicking, alpha rolls, pinning to the floor), etc. Commonly encountered phrases were things like, “dogs must know their place,” and the owners “must be in charge” etc. Commonly, owners worried that their dogs

There is also a fine balance between riding roughshod over someone’s beliefs and the practical handling they have been instigating for decades, and handling the situation with sensitivity. You can’t simply go charging in and tell someone everything they have done in their 40 years of owning dogs is completely wrong.

© Can Stock Photo / cynoclub Author Anna Bradley has found a shift in mindset amongst dog owners in the years she has been practicing, with a growing focus on their pets’ mental stimulation and enrichment

were getting “above their station” and required “deranking.”

Outdated dominance theory was absolutely everywhere when I first started out. I sometimes felt like ripping out my hair the number of times I heard owners talk about their dogs “being dominant,” often thanks to certain individuals who were popularizing the theory at the time.

It was very hard, therefore, to try to change people’s mindsets. It was just me at the time, new, untested and someone to be skeptical of. My views were very different. I saw dogs as respected partners in a relationship. If there was a problem within that dynamic, for instance, if a dog had started to behave aggressively, my thoughts were not immediately to punish but to think what had happened to cause that behavioral change. Nowadays, we think of this as the norm but even just 20 years ago, based on my own experience, things were different. In fact, even now I still battle at times to help some owners understand this. Attitudes and beliefs can be hard to change (see also ‘Words Matter’ on pp. 24‐28).

There is also a fine balance between riding roughshod over someone’s beliefs and the practical handling they have been instigating for decades, and handling the situation with sensitivity. You can’t simply go

© Can Stock Photo / eldadcarin Enrichment has become something of a buzzword in recent years, with dog owners using food puzzles and toys to provide both physical and mental stimulation

© Can Stock Photo / semenovp Dogs today are often seen much more as part of the family than in the past; more than, simply, “the dog”

charging in and tell someone that everything they have done in their 40 years of owning dogs is completely wrong. Rather, you have to apply empathy. Pick out the positives where they are evident and carefully indicate where they might change aspects for the good of their dog and, crucially, show them how it will benefit both of them in the future and work better than what they did previously.

Old School

In the earlier years, I found that owners were less inclined to want to “do stuff” with their dogs. The onus was more on basic “obedience,” possibly with a followon course, and that was it. I deliberately use inverted commas there because the language of training has changed a lot. Personally, and like most of us as forcefree trainers, I no longer talk about “obedience,” or “telling a dog to do something,” or refer to “commands.” For me, that is real old school and smacks of coercion and force. I think it is much more progressive and representative of progression to talk about “starters,” or “manners,” as well as “asking a dog to do something” and referring to “cues.” The connotation is, obviously, completely different (again, see also ‘Words Matter’ on pp. 24‐28).

Nowadays, I find that dog owners are often much more focused on their dog’s mental stimulation and enrichment, i.e. what they can offer him in addition to basic physical and/or mental exercise (e.g. sensory courses such as nose work, agility, flyball, dog sports etc.). I think this has been a real shift. Enrichment has become a buzzword, if you like, over the last few years. Certainly, in my behavior practice we talk a lot about the different types of enrichment that can be offered, as well as complementary additions that complete a holistic behavioral package.

The language of training has changed a lot. Personally, and like most of us as force-free trainers, I no longer talk about “obedience,” or “telling a dog to do something,” or refer to “commands.” For me, that is real old school and smacks of coercion and force.

Family

Dogs today are often seen much more as part of the family and not just as “the dog.” For some of us, they are our “fur babies,” or “fur kids.” And we may be calling ourselves dog guardians or pet parents. These name tags didn’t really exist before. We are now more willing to exert the effort into solving behavior problems when they occur, in the form of onetoone training or behavior consultations. It upsets us when something does go wrong and it affects our family dynamic. If there is someone who can help, we are willing to take that opportunity. There is also a plethora of information out there on TV shows, social media, internet etc. This can help owners recognize potential behavior and training issues in their pets, whereas previously these may have gone unrecognized or simply ignored. For example, we now recognize that a dog becoming destructive or vocal when left alone may possibly be a symptom of separation distress.

But there are also negatives with so much information available. Everyone is an expert! The problem here is that the advice offered is sometimes conflicting and may not be very good. Although we now have the ability to garner so much information, a lot of it is not suitable for the individual dog for whom it is being sought.

Meanwhile, behavioral science, theory and techniques have developed massively. I don’t mind admitting that I would do things differently if I could work with my previous dogs again now. The same applies if I were to encounter cases I met with back in 2001. That’s the nature of progression and an evolution of thinking.

It’s sad in a way that I didn’t have the depth of knowledge I have now to help my own dogs and to progress my client’s dogs a little further, but that’s reflection and the beauty of selfevaluation. I wish I had had the tools, skills, and experience I have now when I think back to my previous dogs and their particular challenges. I went so far and achieved great things, but I know I could have understood them a little better. Sometimes I think back to their little foibles that perhaps didn’t quite make sense to me back then, but now I have a much greater understanding. If we don’t move with the times, embrace new developments and thinking that challenges our own, or be open to trying new things, it is absolutely no good for animal behavioral welfare, in my opinion.

Equipment

Matching the huge advances in scientific thinking has been the prolific growth of dog accessories. Certainly, 20 years ago there was not such a market. Nowadays, products that are kinder are easily available. Many manufacturers now consider dog comfort when walking and training, producing harnesses that do not pinch or work on pressure points. Softer material and padding are applied to products to avoid chafing; multiple support items exist to assist dogs with medical needs; there is a huge market geared towards dogs with dietary issues, and so on. Unfortunately, aversive products do still exist on the shelves but at the same time there has been an explosion in dogrelated paraphernalia over the last couple of decades aimed at providing comfort, care and support, and not just being practical and functional.

There is also a growing shift towards kindness and positive training methods, propelled by organizations such as PPG and others who are committed to consigning harsh and outdated theory and methods to history. In the U.K., attempts have been made for several years now to fully regulate the training and behavior industry so that individuals practicing can be fully vetted. For me, this is long overdue as a way to weed out those still practicing with no qualifications and implementing hopelessly outdated theory. Nevertheless, the advances that have been made, both in the industry and in dog ownership, can only benefit dogs and improve their welfare. While there are some who are still resistant to change, it is hoped that these will, in time, become a minority as the force for positive change prevails. n

Anna Francesca Bradley MSc BSc (Hons) is a United Kingdomebased provisional clinical, certified IAABC animal behavior consultant and ABTC accredited behavior consultant. She owns Perfect Pawz! Training and Behavior Practice in Hexham, Northumberland, where the aim is always to create and restore happy relationships between dog and guardian in a relaxed way, using methods based on sound scientific principles, which are both force-free and fun.