tiva wrote:Recent peer-reviewed research does support the AVSAB's concern that physical punishment increases aggression in dogs:
Herron et al. Survey of the use and outcome of confrontational and non-confrontational training methods in client-owned dogs showing undesired behaviors. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 2009; 117 (1-2): 47 DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2008.12.011
That survey falls under the "no crap" category of training. Here is a quote from the abstract:
http://www.appliedanimalbehaviour.com/a ... 7/abstractPrior to seeking the counsel of a veterinary behaviorist many dog owners have attempted behavior modification techniques suggested by a variety of sources. Recommendations often include aversive training techniques which may provoke fearful or defensively aggressive behavior. The purpose of this study was to assess the behavioral effects and safety risks of techniques used historically by owners of dogs with behavior problems.
A 30-item survey of previous interventions was included in a behavioral questionnaire distributed to all dog owners making appointments at a referral behavior service over a 1-year period. For each intervention applied, owners were asked to indicate whether there was a positive, negative, or lack of effect on the dog's behavior, and whether aggressive behavior was seen in association with the method used. Owners were also asked to indicate the source of each recommendation. One-hundred-and-forty surveys were completed. The most frequently listed recommendation sources were “self” and “trainers”. Several confrontational methods such as “hit or kick dog for undesirable behavior” (43%), “growl at dog” (41%), “physically force the release of an item from a dog's mouth” (39%), “alpha roll” (31%), “stare at or stare [dog] down” (30%), “dominance down” (29%), and “grab dog by jowls and shake” (26%) elicited an aggressive response from at least a quarter of the dogs on which they were attempted. Dogs presenting for aggression to familiar people were more likely to respond aggressively to the confrontational techniques “alpha roll” and yelling “no” compared to dogs with other presenting complaints (P<0.001). In conclusion, confrontational methods applied by dog owners before their pets were presented for a behavior consultation were associated with aggressive responses in many cases. It is thus important for primary care veterinarians to advise owners about risks associated with such training methods and provide guidance and resources for safe management of behavior problems.
So, in other words,
don't hit, kick, alpha roll, stare down, grab by the jowls and shake or growl at your aggressive dog or it might get more aggressive back at you. Well... uh.. no crap Sherlock. I could have told you that without spending a few million dollars on a study, peer reviewed or not.
When you meet aggression with aggression you get more aggression. And if one of those aggressions has fangs and a lot of attitude, you're in trouble.
In reference to the "position statement" I don't know what you're expecting me to say. It's written by people who don't train dogs, advising people who don't train dogs. Some of it is sound advise, some of it makes good logical sense and some of it, frankly, in my
opinion is PC nonsense and scare tactics.
VERY long standing studies on learning have proven over and over and over that the best learning comes from the use of
all four quadrants.
BTW my only point from the beginning was that a trainer that may not have "positive only" (or something similar) on their website / business card is not necessarily a no-go just because that's not there. There are other ways of dealing with problems, and not everyone who will use a prong collar on a dog is a "yank and crank" trainer