effective dog training: why context matters.

A fellow K9 Fempreneur made a post in our group this morning about how sad it was there was so much division, judgment, criticism, and harshness in the dog training industry. Indeed, there is. And it's so very sad; especially between the 2 "main camps" of "dog training": "positive" (aka "purely positive"; single quadrant approach) and "balanced" (multiple quadrant approach). Both approaches are important, both exceptional - *especially* when working in tandem...... and when applied in the most appropriate *context*. Understanding where each approach performs best can be a matter of life and death for a lot of dogs, as well as getting bounced around, losing their homes, living in isolation, spending the rest of their days (if not taken from them) in a cold, wet, stale shelter cell, unfair labels and stories that get attached to them and follow them wherever they go, humans spending thousands of dollars and moving through various trainers (as I once did years ago), people feeling hopeless, people and dogs not getting the *type* of support they need, and so on.

This post is to help the general public understand and navigate this landscape as there's a lot of biases and misinformation out there. This can make finding the most *appropriate type of trainer* for you, your individual dog, and individual scenario overwhelming and challenging. I know, as I experienced this personally many years ago: https://www.packfit.net/lobos-story . What happened with me and my dog is very, VERY common, and was the impetus behind why I do what I do~ and also how I do it.

Somewhere along the way, "obedience training" became the "end-all-be-all" in the "pet dog world". "Obedience" and "dog training" becoming synonymous with one another in every context. But this belief is like saying the only type of development children need in life is just going to school. ALL they need to navigate "life" is what they learn in the classroom: algebra, the periodic table, the difference between "their, there, and they're", what happened in 1776, etc. There are *far more* aspects of both a child and a dog that need to be nurtured and developed.

I refer to "obedience training" as "brain training". It speaks to the mental body of the dog. All it is is subscribing meaning to verbal cues and directives. *THAT'S IT. "Sit" means "butt on the ground". "Down"~ "belly on the ground". "Place" ~ go to this specific place and remain until otherwise notified. "Come"~ come to me from wherever you are. "Let's go"~ we move together in the same direction.... and so on. **Compliance*, on the other hand, is a much different thing, and is connected to other things that need to be developed and spoken to. This is an important distinction to understand.

The most popular and common quadrant is positive reinforcement, and this is excellent for teaching new and building upon existing skillsets, tasks, and directives. Great for "obedience training", and also performance and task-based things. But, when not working in conjunction with its other counterparts, has limitations and restrictions in terms of "behavior".

Now I'll speak to what I mean when I write about "quadrants" and also "behavior". When I write about "quadrants", I'm referring to "the 4 Quadrants of Operant Conditioning" in terms of "behavior" (positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, and negative punishment) developed by psychologist B.F. Skinner in the 1950's. I won't get too "science-y" here, but it's, essentially, the strengthening or weakening of behavior through consequence. Some consequences bring pleasure and relief and will inspire, strengthen, and build behavior (positive and negative reinforcement); others displeasure and discomfort and will deflate, decrease, and weaken behavior (positive and negative punishment). But all are connected, meaning one cannot be in existence without its counterpart; so they all very much work together.

I break "behavior" down into 2 different categories: "Classroom Behavior" (brain training; performance based; task and purpose oriented) and "Real World and Functional Behavior" (how to coexist and share space, self and world concept, relationship, communication, social skills, impulse control, state of mind conditioning, etc). And it's the latter where there's the most struggle, and necessitates a more holistic approach.

Like humans, dogs are a social, multi-dimensional species of animal. And they're very much individuals. Complex in nature, as is behavior. In this context, we define "behavior" as a "manner of expression" or the "external manifestation of an underlying, internal driving force". With problematic behavior, what we see externally is the symptom of what actually needs to be addressed internally. It's not enough to address the symptoms of behavior. We need to peel back the layers and address its source; and, outside of anything health or medical, this can be linked directly to one or more of their needs not being met and provided for by us. This can also, oftentimes, be the result of an *excess* of something or the *not enough* or *absence* of something.

You see, just as humans have needs that must be met and provided for to foster security, safety, connection, healthy attachments, a healthy self and world concept, balance, comfort, etc..... dogs do, as well. They also have different "bodies" that need to be "trained" and developed in life: the mental body, emotional body, physical body, and the energetic body. What we often see is the mental and physical bodies being trained and developed in a dog, and not so much the others.... hence the imbalance, hence the frustration, hence problematic behaviors.

At PackFit, this is what we specialize in. *Behavior*, but in the "Real World and Functional" sense. We take a "whole dog" and "whole scenario" approach, making it "holistic" in nature. There are countless ingredients that contribute to, impact, and influence behavior; all of which we look at, address, and speak to. And empowering, equipping, and educating the *human end* of the dog's leash is an absolute must, as any dog's human is their primary source for information, guidance, and perspective.

Oftentimes, folks either have a "well trained" (task; "doing") OR a "well behaved" (coexisting; "being") dog; rarely is it both.... but we can have both.

There are a number of terms in the dog training world that really need to be redefined. "Punishment" being one of them ("socialization", "discipline", "obedience"... even "love" being others. Many dogs are literally being "loved" to the point of frustration, anxiety, insecurity, instability, and imbalance... none of their actual needs as *dogs* being provided for). And somewhere along the way over the last 100 years or so, the word "punishment" started to be thought of as "physical abuse"... and that's simply not the case (*there is a difference between "punishment" and "abuse"*).

How we define "punishment" is creating a level of discomfort that's meaningful enough to the *individual* to inspire them to change course. That's all. This can be pressure on the leash, a water bottle spray, banging on a pot or a pan, making a sound from a compressed air unit..... of course, different things will carry different weight with each individual dog. So, just like we need to find what inspires and motivates a dog to want to do something (food, affection, praise, favorite toy, favorite game, etc), we also want to inspire them not to do something if it's creating problems or putting themselves and/or others at risk.

This is the yin and the yang of learning. There has to be both "yes-es" and "no-s". Permissions and restrictions. Agreeing and disagreeing.... in order for us to effectively teach the difference between okay and not okay behavior.

Learning how to effectively agree with great choices, states of mind, and behaviors, and also disagree with not-so-good choices, unwanted states of mind, and not-so-good behaviors is necessary in shaping a dog's "behavior". Just like raising a child. We learn through consequences of choices made, actions taken, states of mind practiced... through joy-filled and comfortable, and also the not-so-joy-filled and uncomfortable consequences.

Very much like raising children (having a cupcake, earning an allowance each week, staying up late to watch tv on friday night, having a sleep over at a friend's house, getting a new bike VERSUS having their phone taken away, getting put on restriction for a week, having their video game taken away, late night privileges taken away, having to sit with a bar of soap in their mouth, etc. due to certain choices or behaviors that were practiced).

*Context* is so very important for everyone to understand when it comes to training, as is getting crystal clear on what it is we're trying to develop.

In regards to the different camps.....if both camps actually took the time and made the effort to actually try and understand one another, and watch each other work ***in their contexts*** and in their respective lanes.... I feel the stories they carry about one another would be much, much different. And maybe... just maybe.... they'd realize they had more in common than what they think sets them apart ?