Research & The Training Divide

Efficacy and Welfare - with recently released research on Stopping Chasing Behavior in Dogs, Jason Toy and I sat down to discuss what we got from this paper. Much of our conversation flowed into how research, among other things, can be misused as vindication. How we've gotten away from understanding what the scientific process is about and how we can extrapolate information from research. It's also been a while since I've recorded a podcast, and I was slightly overcaffeinated, so there are more words from me than needed in this one (sorry, Jason!). Furthermore, the general public needs to be better informed about how to interpret research, making it even more challenging for pet parents to decipher what it all means if anything at all. Whether fully engrossed in the scientific community or not, influencers (generally not) form and spread their opinions on what Jason and I discuss as "both sides of the fence"—the training divide between force-free dog trainers and balanced trainers. Jason and I may differ in our practices, as do many behavior and training professionals, and even in interpreting some of the information presented in the study. Still, we both respect one another professionally, and I feel comfortable speaking for both of us when I say there's something to be said for common ground. In a sea of grey that represents individual training practices and methodologies, forcing people into one of two camps of black or white, in my opinion, is detrimental to the industry as a whole. The labels have muddied the water. We can at least agree on the extremes to start. Jason is a balanced trainer, but he's not a shock jock causing dogs to turn on their owners. I'm a positive reinforcement behavior professional, but I don't just throw food at dogs to fix all the things. These are just two examples of the mislabeling that comes along with being associated with "sides." Dare I say, there's a cock on either side of the fight, and perhaps we let the hens solve this issue for once? You can read my extended thoughts on this topic HERE. You can find Jason HERE at Canine Scholars or on Insta HERE You can find me HERE at Whole Dog Behavior and Wellness or on Insta HERE. Thanks for listening!