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by Lisa Mullinax, CPDT

Since writing The Dog Whisperer Controversy, I have received emails from fans who vehemently disagree with what I have written. In an effort to dispel many of the myths viewers have about the show, I have responded to the most common arguments below.

I HAVE NEVER SEEN HIM HURT A DOG

The majority of the critics are not referring to physical abuse, although some of the methods used on the show could be classified as such. In the episode Fondue, Chip, Hope & JoyJoy, small dogs are lifted several feet off the ground and swung by the scruff of their neck. In Teddy, a Lab's feet are pulled off the ground by hanging him from the leash. Most dog owners would not allow a person at the dog park to treat their dogs in this manner, regardless of the dog's behavior.

JonBee, muzzled, is lifted off the ground by a choke chain, a procedure known as "stringing up". Prior to this, the dog had not only shown no signs of aggression but had been attempting to avoid interaction with the star completely.

Ruby shows frequent multiple signs of stress during this episode. Shortly after this, she is offered a treat, which she does not take. Refusal of food in an otherwise healthy dog is a common sign that a dog's sympathetic nervous system has engaged, shutting down the digestive system in preparation for fight or flight.

What critics are primarily concerned with, however, is the psychological stress that dogs are placed under during the show. Many dogs that offer avoidance behaviors at the start of the show are often pushed to the point of aggression.

One disturbing example is JonBee, a Jindo who is forced to lie on his side. After a significant and dangerous struggle (during which the dog appears to have urinated), the dog finally gives up and allows himself to be rolled over. However, the dog is not relaxed. Quite the opposite. The dog exhibits all of the signs of stress listed in the previous article, and is exhibiting a phenomenon known as learned helplessness, sometimes referred to by trainers as "shut down."

Learned helplessness was originally observed by scientists who placed dogs in a box with no escape and shocked them through the floor. The dogs first tried to escape and then, exhausted and finding no exit, simply lay down on the floor, despite continued shocks. The dogs weren't enjoying the shocks more than they were in the beginning, they had simply given up.

It does not take physical injury to traumatize a dog. While some dogs can recover from traumatic experiences, others will have lasting behavioral problems as a result.

Just as in humans, chronic stress causes serious medical problems in dogs such as weakened immune systems, digestive diseases and heart disease. Acute stress can sensitize the dog to specific environments and people, creating a more negative association than before and escalating behavior problems in the long run.

So repeatedly stressing a dog does, in fact, hurt the dog.

HAVE YOU EVER WATCHED THE SHOW?

In fact, most of the professionals who have spoken out watch the show regularly. Andrew Luescher, a Veterinary Behaviorist at Purdue University, viewed tapes of the show sent to him by National Geographic before it aired. He voiced his concerns to the producers at that time.

I regularly watch the show and download the video podcasts. I first watch it without sound, so that I can observe both the dogs' behavior and the star's actions, as well as the dog's response to the methods used. I find that the dramatic music, the announcer and the star's explanations frequently contradict what is actually happening on the screen.

AREN'T CRITICS JUST JEALOUS OF HIS SUCCESS?

Many of the professionals who have spoken out against the show are immensely successful in their own right. They have the respect of their colleagues, are professors at universities and popular speakers and authors. Others include professional dog trainers and behavior consultants who successfully help dogs with serious behavior problems through shelters and other non-profit organizations that are dedicated to improving the welfare of dogs and other animals.

Second, the popularity of the show has not created a loss in business for professional trainers and behavior consultants. In fact, quite the opposite. We have seen a tremendous increase in calls as owners realize that behavior problems are not something they have to live with, which is the positive influence of the show. However, at least half of the households we visit watch the show regularly and have attempted the methods on the show without success or with negative results.

If the show achieved the same level of success with humane methods based on the current and ever-expanding knowledge of science and behavior, and not on one individual's personal interpretation of behavior, most professionals would be singing the praises of the show and the star. It is not jealousy behind the protests but concern for the safety and well-being of dogs and their owners.

BUT HE DOESN'T TRAIN DOGS, HE REHABILITATES THEM

While training for obedience and changing problem behaviors are not the same thing, they are not entirely separate, either. Successfully training a dog requires an understanding of how dogs learn and what motivates them to repeat behaviors. That understanding is also critical in being able to change behavior.

Dogs that don't have even a basic foundation of obedience are harder to control and less responsive to their owners, which can make behavior modification (or rehabilitation) much more difficult. One of the things I frequently observe about the show is that, while the dogs may not be reacting to whatever triggers the behavior (other dogs, people, skateboards, etc.), they are also not looking at or responding to the owner. Instead, the presence of a tight leash and frequency of jerks on the leash suggest that the dog would not be quite as "calm-submissive" if the owner were to drop the leash.

It is hard to imagine how one can rehabilitate a dog without a basic knowledge of how dogs learn or why they would want to skip this important step that encourages cooperation and puts the owner in a "leadership" position.

DO YOU THINK THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY TO TRAIN A DOG?

Not at all. However, what few people realize is that many of the top positive trainers (including "clicker trainers") started as traditional trainers 20-30 years ago and switched to reward-based methods after realizing the benefits in training for obedience, competition and behavior modification. So not only are they aware that there is more than one way, they have extensive experience using a variety of methods, including the compulsive methods used on the show. They also have extensive experience with the backlash that can occur after using such methods. On the other hand, there are few trainers who still use traditional methods today who crossed over from reward-based methods.

Yes, there is more than one way to train a dog. I think what owners should ask themselves is why choose to start with a method that could stress or hurt the dog without trying less aversive methods first.

Additional Reading
Traditional Training Methods

I HEARD THAT "POSITIVE" TRAINERS WOULD RATHER EUTHANIZE THOSE DOGS

Given the extensive number of books written by positive trainers on how to change serious behavior problems, including aggression, not to mention the ongoing continuing education through seminars and conferences regarding how to change aggressive behavior, it is clear that positive trainers do not immediately choose euthanasia over modifying the behavior.

An ethical trainer, positive or otherwise, knows that euthanasia is an option that is not to be recommended lightly, and never over the phone or internet. The ultimate decision should be made by the dog owner, after they have considered all factors including any disease or illness that may be causing and/or contributing to the behavior, extent of the behavior, available behavior modification options, ability to safely manage the dog while implementing a behavior modification plan, personal liability and the commitment of all household members.

If a dog owner receives this recommendation over the phone or internet or from only one professional, we strongly advise seeking additional opinions.

BUT IT WORKS

I have not seen changed behavior on the show. I do see dogs with suppressed behaviors; dogs walking on very tight leashes, dogs that are stiff and immobile after being rolled onto their sides by force, dogs that are in almost every case restrained or shut down in some form or another.

For me, as for many others who work with dogs on a daily basis, if the dog has to be restrained on a short leash to walk past another dog, to be groomed or to do any other task, the behavior has not been changed.

IT WORKED ON MY DOG

If the show's methods helped you and your dog and have not created additional behavior problems, then I can understand why it would be difficult to see the harm in them. However, in comparison to the limited number of dogs the average owner will own in their lifetime, professional trainers and behaviorists who speak out against these methods see thousands of dogs that develop significant behavior problems as a direct result of punitive methods.

One must also define "work." What I frequently hear is something along these lines:

"It worked on my dog. Every time he does [enter behavior], I just give him a correction and tell him "Tsssht" and he stops."

Note the words, "Every time he barks." This indicates that the dog is still repeating the behavior. The idea behind behavior modification is not that the dog simply stops the behavior momentarily, but that the behavior changes so that the dog's reaction in that environment is different, like looking at you instead of barking. Suppression of a behavior is not changing the behavior, itself. If the owner has to continually repeat the "correction" the behavior isn't changing.

SO WHAT IF HE DOESN'T HAVE A FORMAL EDUCATION? / HE ACTUALLY WORKS WITH DOGS AND DOESN'T JUST STUDY THEM IN A LAB.

There are a lot of professional trainers and behavior consultants who do not have a formal education or advanced degrees. However, these trainers do educate themselves and continue their education, staying abreast of the latest in dog training and behavior.

While it may be true that the scientists who work in laboratories studying behavior do not always work with problem dogs, the information that they provide is invaluable to those of us who do work with problem dogs.

Ignoring over a century of research about animal behavior and learning furthers the ignorance of dog owners, the leading cause of behavior problems in dogs.

DO YOU THINK PEOPLE SHOULD TREAT THEIR DOGS LIKE CHILDREN?

Responsible parenting involves providing required nutrition, education, and rules and boundaries without the use of physical violence. All of those principles are also consistent with raising a healthy, well-mannered dog. So if more dog owners treated their dogs as they are expected to raise children, there should be fewer problems, not more.

In 1992, The Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science published a study1 of more than 700 dog owners which tried to determine whether or not anthropomorphic attitudes or activities were related to problem behaviors:

"....dogs whose owners interacted with them in an anthropomorphic manner, 'spoiled' them in certain ways, or did not provide obedience training were no more likely to engage in behaviors considered a problem by the owner than were dogs not viewed anthropomorphically, 'spoiled' by their owner, or given obedience training. ("

Dogs do not develop behavior problems simply because people view them and/or treat them as child-substitutes. Many other factors such as genetics, early socialization (or lack thereof), and trauma all contribute to behavior problems in dogs.

While it is not advisable to view a dog as a human, neither is it advisable to view them with an inaccurate and flawed interpretation of wolf behavior.

POSITIVE METHODS DON'T WORK ON "RED ZONE" DOGS

Once again, many of the professionals who focus on force-free methods started using aversive methods similar to those used on the show as many as 30 years ago. Over time, they found that compulsive methods posed a significant risk of increased problem behavior in many dogs.

When a dog is in a situation where the sympathetic nervous system is engaged (also called fight or flight), the digestive system shuts down to divert all energy to the muscles for survival. This is what is known as over-threshold. So, if one tries to feed a dog treats when they are over-threshold, the dog will not eat. This means that the owner or trainer has moved too quickly into an environment in which the dog is already reacting and unable to learn.

To use positive methods effectively to change behavior, one needs a basic understanding of how dogs learn. If they lack that understanding, they won't be successful. However, when one is unsuccessful with positive methods, there is no change in behavior. When one is unsucessful with punishment-based methods, there is often an escalation in the problem behavior.

CONCLUSION

Because one doesn't understand a method doesn't mean it won't work. Because one doesn't follow-through with training at home doesn't mean the methods failed. Because a method contradicts one's long-standing personal beliefs about behavior does not mean they are inaccurate. Because one has had success with a certain method doesn't mean other methods are ineffective.

There was a time when I, too, believed, based on information gleaned from friends and well-meaning dog lovers, that serious aggression in large dogs was the result of a dominant personality trait and that the only solution was through physical, aversive means. Fifteen years ago, I would have been a fan of the show, myself.

Much to the relief of Mac, my large, powerful and what the show would refer to as a "red zone" dog, I discovered the many benefits of reward-based methods. From that point on, the shock collar and prong collar collected dust while we enjoyed many long walks and off-leash adventures.

When it comes to working with dogs, the alternative to aversive is not permissive. Overly permissive dog owners are just as damaging at times as abusive owners. Reward-based trainers and behaviorists have extolled the benefits of exercise and boundaries for well over a decade. The difference is not in what we do or the results that we get, it is in how we get results.

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1. Voith, V.L., Wright, l.C. and Danneman, P.l., 1992. Is there a relationship between canine behavior problems and spoiling activities, anthropomorphism, and obedience training? Appl. Anim. Behav.Sci., 34: 263-272.

RECOMMENDED VIEWING
	IT'S ME OR THE DOG on Animal Planet If you want to see a show about changing problem behaviors in dogs that focuses on positive methods, watch this entertaining show on Animal Planet!Victoria Stillwell does not cut dog owners any slack and shows them how to change their behavior while at the same time changing their dog's behavior. We give this show a big 4 Paws up!
	THE LANGUAGE OF DOGS DVD   If you would like to learn how to spot the signs of stress that professionals see on the show (and in other dogs with behavior problems), we highly recommend this 2 DVD set which also includes some very impressive footage of aggressive dogs.
RECOMMENDED READING
	CULTURE CLASH - Jean Donaldson Considered a staple in every dog trainer's library, Culture Clash breaks down the myths about training and behavior and explains how dogs learn in clear, straightforward language.
Visit the 4Paws University Bookstore for other recommended titles