Traditional dog training is based on correcting misbehavior through punishment rather than reinforcing good behavior through through prizes or caresses. For this, the use of choke collars, spikes or anti-bark collars is accepted, which can cause physical damage to the animal if not used correctly or its use is exceeded.
With this training technique based on negative reinforcement, it is possible to control the dog's behavior for fear of being punished if it is used improperly or is not carried out by a professional. In this way, it is not possible to stimulate the motivation for wanting to learn new commands or tricks, quite the opposite. If you have just adopted a dog and you are undecided about the training method you should choose for its education, in this article on our site we explain why traditional dog training is not good, what it consists of and what are its main disadvantages.
Origin of traditional dog training
Traditional training has its roots in the training of military dogs during the First World War. After World War II, this form of training spread to the civilian environment, and became the most widely used means of training a dog.
Possibly the pioneer and creator of this technique is Colonel Konrad Most, who is considered by many to be the father of modern dog training. However, it was William R. Koehler who gave the technique the greatest impetus, through his bestseller "The Koehler Method of Dog Training" ("The Koehler method of dog training"), first published in 1974.
This form of training was developed empirically, without the scientific bases that currently govern the training of animals. However, it seems that in 1910 Konrad Most already understood the principles of operant conditioning, which had not yet been published, and the technique can be explained by those same principles.
The choke collars, spiked and electric, are common tools in traditional training and all its variants. In addition, this type of training tends to focus mainly on obedience exercises, giving less importance to behavior problems.
Proponents of traditional dog training often argue that this technique provides very reliable results. They also argue that using choke or spike collars is not harmful to the dog, since dogs have a high resistance to pain. For their part, detractors of traditional dog training often argue that both the technique and the tools used are cruel and violent. In addition, they often bring up the fact that this technique can have negative side effects, such as dogs that bite out of fear or tracheal damage from the use of choke collars
How traditional dog training works
In traditional training negative reinforcement and punishment predominate as a means of teaching. Negative reinforcement is the process by which a behavior is strengthened because the consequence of said behavior is the disappearance of some unpleasant situation. For example, if you push your dog's shoulders down, this will cause an unpleasant sensation for your pet. Therefore, if you stop pushing when your dog lies down, he will lie down more and more often to avoid the pressure you put on his shoulders. So, you will be using negative reinforcement to teach him to lie down. On the other hand, a punishment is something unpleasant that occurs as a consequence of a certain behavior, and that makes that behavior disappear at that moment. However, punishment can have unintended consequences and does not necessarily reduce the frequency of that behavior in the long run.
An example of punishment would be yelling at or hitting a dog when he gets on the couch. This may get the dog off the couch at that moment, but it doesn't teach him that he shouldn't get back up. Some unforeseen consequences of this hypothetical punishment could be that the dog bites for hitting him, that he freaks out every time he sees the owner, or that he acquires a phobia of armchairs. Therefore, traditional dog training consists of physically forcing the dog to perform the desired behaviors. For this, you have to manipulate it with the strap and with your hands. Thus, the main teaching method in this technique is modeling (physical manipulation of your dog).
Advantages of traditional dog training
This technique allows great control over the dog from the start, that's true, but is it real control? The truth is that no, since the animal does not internalize orders out of interest or to achieve a goal, in general it does so out of fear and fear of being punished. In this way, traditional dog training, carried out through negative reinforcement and using tools that cause pain in the dog does not present any advantage over other methods teaching.
Disadvantages of traditional dog training
As we discussed in the previous section, the first disadvantage of traditional dog training is that the dog will learn out of habit and not because it pursues an objective. Then, Learning will last a short time if it is not practiced and, therefore, the punishments meted out will have been useless. In addition, the dog's interest in learning new exercises is not encouraged, quite the contrary.
Another disadvantage is that you need to physically handle the dog. If you do not have experience in dog training, this manipulation can become a punishment and, as a consequence, you can generate fear or aggression in your dog.
In those cases in which the dogs already show symptoms of aggressiveness or dominance, applying this training technique will only enhance said aggressive attitude.
Despite arguments in favor of choke, spike and anti-bark collars from advocates of traditional training, dogs feel the painjust like us, and therefore these tools do more harm than good. In both cases, the dog suffers stress and anxiety because it does not fully understand the reason for the electric shock or the sensation of suffocation. At the same time, you may experience nervousness from not controlling the situation, fear and physical injuries to the trachea and thyroid area, among other negative consequences, which could end the life of the animal.
Should we use traditional dog training?
After reviewing what traditional dog training consists of and what its main disadvantages are, we can state that we should not opt for this technique With it we will only be able to produce physical and psychological damage in the animal that will end up resulting in an unhappy and mistreated dog. If you still have doubts, we encourage you to carry out the following exercise: put yourself in your dog's place and ask yourself if you would like to learn through that method.
Of course, with this statement we do not mean that professionals and specialists in dog training who use this method without harming the animal do not obtain good results. But, we repeat, these are professionals who do not exert pain on the dog. Therefore, without a doubt, the best way to train a dog to learn basic commands as well as to correct behavioral problems is through positive trainingUsing this method not only excellent results are achieved, but the dog's motivation to learn is also increased, its mind is stimulated and the bond between owner and dog is strengthened. If they treat us with kindness and recognize a job well done, we all learn much better.
