ICAWC 2013 Barcelona, Spain - Michal Piotr Pregowski's presentation on Caretaking Vs Ownership

1. caretaking vs. ownership: towards new
philosophy of dog training?
Michał Piotr Pręgowski, Ph.D.
Warsaw University of Technology
m.pregowski@ans.pw.edu.pl

2. dog training: the beginning
Kynegetikos / Cynegeticus (gr. Κυνηγετικόν; eng. On hunting; Hunting
with Dogs) – a treatise by Xenophon (ca. 444-362 BC), ancient
Greek philosopher and military leader

3. the birth of contemporary dog training
Abrichtung des Hundes – training manual for military and police dogs, by
Prussian colonel Konrad Most (1910).

4. military roots of modern dog training
• Carl Spitz – student of Konrad Most; owner of Hollywood Dog
Training School in California (1927)
• later: author & supervisor of the US war dog program during WWII.

5. military training gone popular: the
Koehler method
• William Koehler - The Koehler Method of Dog Training (1962)
• „one of the most influential dog training books of all time” –
Amazon.com
• ex-soldier, experience in war dog training, heavily influenced by Most
• top-down, correction-heavy training
• if the dog runs the other way on a 15-foot long leash, run the other way: „he’ll
come with you, if only to be near his head” (Koehler 1962; reported by Schaffer
2009)
• master-servant (owner-slave) relationship

6. the new wave: science rules!
• Ian Dunbar, Ph.D. – lure-reward training, based on Burrhus F.
Skinner’s radical behaviorism (1982)
• Karen Pryor – Don’t Shoot the Dog (1984), operant conditioning and
clicker use in dog training
• scientists instead of ex-soldiers / policemen
• methodological change:
• scientific and research-based (since 1950’s)
• focused on positive reinforcement – tuning out corrections and
intimidation (empirically verified fact: stress inhibits learning)
• clicker as a new, effective training tool

7. © Lili Chin, http://boogiebt.files.wordpress.com & www.doggiedrawings.net

8. the other new wave: outdated
scientific data, misinformation
• Monks of New Skete – How To Be Your Dog's Best Friend (1976;
2002)
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dogs as wolves in our homes
interspecies dominance
mild antagonism of dogs and humans
living with a dog as a zero-sum game
introduction of alpha rolls

9. the other new wave: outdated
information and „esoterics”
• Jan Fennell - The Dog Listener (2000) and other books
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pack theory
interspecies dominance
dogs as wolves in our homes
dogs seen as creatures forced to take responsibilities in a family
trainer’s ability to „speak dog language”

10. the other new wave: outdated
information and „esoterics”
• Cesar Millan – Cesar’s Way (2007), Be the Pack Leader (2007), other
books and a TV show
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pack theory
interspecies dominance
dogs as wolves in our homes
natural antagonism of dogs and humans
living with a dog as a zero-sum game
„dog whispering” skills

11. myths debunked
• dogs’ behavior is very similar to that of wolves
• wolf pack is a field of constant fight for dominance
•
wrong assumption: family of wolves in the wild behaves like non-related wolves in a zoo
• dogs & people form an interspecies pack
• dog-human „pack” is a field of constant fight for dominance (pack
leadership, alpha status)
• punishment is as important in education as reinforcement
• alpha roll shows leadership
…fixation on control?
B. Eaton (2002, 2005, 2011), Dominance: Fact or Fiction, Barry Eaton Publishing (2002), Dogwise (2005, 2011)
L. David Mech (1999), Alpha status, dominance, and division of labor in wolf packs, Canadian Journal of Zoology 77:1196-1203
K. Sdao (2012), Plenty in Life is Free. Reflections on Dogs, Training and Finding Grace, Dogwise

12. scientific & non-scientific approach to dog
training share one notion on
anthropomorphism*
* - attribution of human characteristics to anything (beings, objects) other than humans

13. …according to both, it is plain wrong

14. behaviorism
„esoterics”
animal behavior should not be interpreted in
terms of human emotions – it limits our ability to
understand animals
dogs live in harmony as animals –
anthropomorphism destroys their peace and
causes behavioral problems
anthropomorphising animals may burden them
with expectations we hold for humans
anthropomorphising dogs may burden them with
expectations we hold for humans
feelings, states of mind and introspection – not
overly important, if scientifically treatable at all
dogs may have their own language or energy fields
that resonate with ours, but they aren’t like
humans anyway
animals don’t have sophisticated emotional lives,
they are driven by environmentally-induced
stimuli [so-called neo-Cartesian approach]
the black box metaphore
(nothing is known about what goes on inside
animal’s mind. However, that knowledge is not
necessary for understanding behavioral changes;
Driscoll 2000)
the four-legged little human metaphore

16. what sociology says
• Clinton R. Sanders: attribution of human characteristics to other
animals is natural, as interactions with dogs and other companion
animals are very common & emotionally significant (Sanders 1999:2)
• between 70% and 99% of pet caretakers defined their animals as members of
the family (Beck & Katcher 1983, Voith 1983)
• people share social rituals with dogs: celebrate their birthdays, buy them gifts
for Christmas
• dogs are seen by caretakers as thoughtful, reciprocating, emotional beings with
individual tastes & personalities

17. what sociology says
• dogs are co-actors in our everyday lives, they are cast in the roles of
persons:
• they listen
• they offer affection
• they offer support
• they make people feel valuable and individual (Sanders 1999: 15)
• certain dog-human relationships are based on significant
interdependence: guide dogs are experienced as extension of blind
person’s self (Sanders 1999:57)

18. emotions are not uniquely human
• „it's not being anthropomorphic to attribute emotions to other
animals. In fact, it's bad science not to do so because we're not
inserting something <uniquely human> into animals.
Instead, we're identifying commonalities and then using
human language to communicate what we observe” (Bekoff
2013)

19. the rise of cognitive ethology
• attention to planning, consciousness, will, purpose & other subjective
phenomena in nonhuman animals
• intentionality is evident when the animal encounters problematic
situation and displays novel (adaptive) behavior

20. …but how does that relate to dog
training?
• the focus should switch from shaping behavior by external agent
(human) to understanding animal’s intentionality and responding to it
• anthropomorphism is not necessarily bad – there is sentimental
(„bad”) and critical („good”) anthropomorphism.

22. Q: is this groundbreaking change of
perspective present in the dog training
community?

23. A: yes…

24. A: …but it’s only starting to happen

25. researching the newest wave
• qualitative research
• step 1 - content analysis: training philosophies and trainers’ manifestos
in books, DVDs and websites [01-11.2012]
• step 2 – semi-structured interviews with chosen progressive trainers
• step 3 – in-depth analysis of data

28. the newest wave: behaviorism as academic
background is not enough

29. the newest wave: behaviorism is
not enough
•
progressive dog training philosophies still benefit from
operant conditioning, clicker training and positive
reinforcement – but go beyond
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cognitive ethology
social learning theory
• „It is not enough to know the principles of behaviorism, if you don't
know what behaviors the species does and what social structure they
have, because everyday life with a sentient being is more than
response-reward.” – Grisha Stewart (interview)

30. the newest wave: scientific
background revised
• behaviorism is prone to objectificating
• e.g. NILIF: all of the positive reinforcers are to be strictly controlled by humans
Kathy Sdao:
• communicating via two-way flow of information rather than
simply controlling (2012: 31)
• reciprocal reinforcement: training can be a reward – not just a task –
for both sides (2012: 88)
• „eye” instead of „I”
http://www.kathysdao.com

31. the newest wave: humane, dogoriented training
Kathy Sdao:
• beyond chaining and shaping
• dog has real choices, human becomes choice architect: dog is
responsible for making his own behavior happen (although the options
are set by the human, just like mother sets options for children)
• STILAF program (2012: 73)
http://www.kathysdao.com

32. the newest wave: humane, dogoriented training
Grisha Stewart:
• Behavior Adjustment Training (BAT), rehabilitates dog reactivity by
looking at why the dog is reactive and helping him or her meet his
needs in other ways
• BAT is a dog-friendly application of „functional analysis” that gives the
dogs a chance to learn to control their own comfort level
through peaceful means
http://functionalrewards.com/

33. the newest wave: humane, dogoriented training
Emily Larlham:
• Progressive Reinforcement Training (PRT) Manifesto – form of
training that „furthers an evolutionary progress towards harmonious
relationship between humans and the animals who live with them”.
• canine (also) chooses what is rewarding, not (only) the trainer
• „humane, respectful training based on latest scientific evidence” – a
commitment to PRT means 100% time spent with animal, not
just sessions
http://dogmantics.com

34. the newest wave: humane, dogoriented training
Emily Larlham:
• criticizes selfish or uncompassionate goals for training
– physical and psychological intimidation without timing, consistency etc. is nothing
more than abuse
• trainer is a benevolent leader and guide
http://dogmantics.com

35. to sum up

36. new approach to dog training
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seeks supplemental scientific knowledge beyond behaviorism
does not use the animal rights discourse overly often
focuses on mutual relationship
facilitates choice-based training
considers trainer a leader and a partner of dog in training context
sees training as an opportunity, not a chore

37. training as mutual profit
• „Besides being fully deserving of dignity in their own right, dogs can
help us figure out how to get along with other beings, human and nonhuman (…). They are ideal <lab partners> for humans desiring to
develop new skills to become better parents, spouses, siblings and
friends.” (Sdao 2012: 82)

38. thank you!
m.pregowski@ans.pw.edu.pl
this presentation is based on findings discussed in detail in my article „Your dog is your teacher:
Contemporary dog training beyond radical behaviorism” [in press; academic journal „Society
& Animals”, early 2014]