{"id":2638,"date":"2020-07-20T07:00:33","date_gmt":"2020-07-20T07:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fearfree.com\/2020\/07\/as-seen-on-tv-a-brief-discussion-of-punishment-and-dominance-part-2\/"},"modified":"2024-09-04T20:00:54","modified_gmt":"2024-09-04T20:00:54","slug":"as-seen-on-tv-a-brief-discussion-of-punishment-and-dominance-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fearfree.com\/2020\/07\/as-seen-on-tv-a-brief-discussion-of-punishment-and-dominance-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"As Seen on TV? A Brief Discussion of Punishment and Dominance (Part 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Rachel Lees, RVT, KPA CTP, VTS (Behavior)<\/strong>We\u2019ve all seen the many animal-training programs on cable TV and streaming networks. Some of the concepts depicted in these programs are appropriate for veterinary behavior cases and some are questionable. This article will discuss the learning theories and training philosophies demonstrated in these programs and review why veterinary behavior professionals are using alternative protocols.<\/p>\n

Whether you are a veterinary team member working in general practice or interested in behavior, it is important to recommend up-to-date Fear Free information for patients and clients. Giving outdated information can potentially damage the human-animal bond and potentially end with the patient being rehomed or even euthanized.<\/p>\n

The first part of this blog post<\/a> looked at punishment. Punishment is not recommended in treatment as it can slow learning and cognition, suppress behavior, increase fear and fear-based aggression, create damaging and unintended associations with owners and other environmental stimuli, and damage the human-animal bond.<\/p>\n

This blog post discusses \u201cdominance<\/a>\u201d theory,\u00a0 a commonly used training philosophy recommended by many traditional trainers. We will dive into the origins of this concept and discuss current recommendations.<\/p>\n

Do You Really Need to Be Alpha?<\/h3>\n

The word \u201cdominance\u201d is one of the most misunderstood terms in veterinary behavior. The dictionary defines dominance as \u201cthe predominance of one or more species in an animal community.\u201d The word predominance is defined as \u201cpossession or exertion of control.\u201d When reviewing these definitions, it is hard to imagine that some trainers use them to describe how to train domestic animals. When an owner shows \u201cexertion of control\u201d over a pet, it increases the likelihood of behavior suppression, increased fear and anxiety, and can make owners and their actions conflicting to the pet.\u00a0 This can damage the human-animal bond and even increase owner-related aggression.<\/p>\n

Here is the question veterinary professionals and owners have asked for years: If this training is so aversive, why did we start using it in the first place? In 1947, a Swiss scientist, Rudolph Schenkel, published a paper suggesting parallels between domestic dog behavior and that of wolves. In 1970, wildlife biologist L. David Mech built on that notion in his book \u201cThe Wolf: The Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species,\u201d reinforcing the \u201calpha wolf\u201d idea Schenkel had promoted (a concept Mech recanted later in his career after studying wolves in the wild). The adapted theory had gone as far as to assume that the human family makes up the dog\u2019s pack, and if behavior problems are present, it is because dogs are working to raise their social rank in the \u201cpack.\u201d But as science has advanced, so has our understanding of canine behavior.\u00a0 Schenkel\u2019s and Mech\u2019s research had significant flaws, including the following:<\/p>\n