The Dog Whisperer

Controversy
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 JonBee, muzzled, is lifted off the ground by a choke chain, a
abuse, although some of the procedure known as "stringing up". Prior to this, the dog had not
methods used on the show only shown no signs of aggression but had been attempting to
could be classified as such. avoid interaction with the star completely.
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.
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 Ruby shows frequent multiple signs of stress during this episode.
isJonBee, a Jindo who is Shortly after this, she is offered a treat, which she does not
forced to lie on his side. take. Refusal of food in an otherwise healthy dog is a common
After a significant and sign that a dog's sympathetic nervous system has engaged,
dangerous struggle (during shutting down the digestive system in preparation for fight or
which the dog appears to flight.
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 EVEN WATCHED THE SHOW?
Yes. 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.
YOUR ARTICLE WAS BIASED
To be clear, I am quite biased on this subject. Just as a nutritionist would not write an article
equally weighing the pros and cons of junk food, I am not compelled or obligated to present a
balanced view of the show. I have, however, presented a factual argument.
The show gives an inaccurate representation of dog behavior that ignores everything we know
about animal behavior today. My bias also stems from years of personal experience, along with
the combined experience of my colleagues who have personally seen the results of these types
of methods used to suppress problem behaviors.
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, as they are aboutIt's Me or the Dog, which features solutions for equally problematic dogs
and airs on Animal Planet.
It is not jealousy behind the protests but concern for the safety and well-being of dogs and their
owners.
HE TELLS PEOPLE NOT TO TREAT DOGS LIKE HUMANS
Well, there's nothing wrong with that ...except if the alternative is to treat dogs like wolves...not
based onactual wolf behavior, but an inaccurate interpretation of such. Ambiguous terms like
"pack leader" are supposed to refer to the way canine animals act in a pack. Except the
explanations and recommendations on the show have very little to do with the
way actual wolves behave in an actual pack. So, treating a dog's behavior with false theories of
wolf pack behavior is no better than treating a dog like a human and could have the same
problematic outcome.
One problem with the punishment-based methods used on the show is that they assume the
dog will learn what it is doing is "wrong," thereby attributing dogs with the humanlike ability to
determine right from wrong. Until dogs form the capability to speak and tell us what they are
thinking at any given moment, assuming that dogs are driven by their
conscience is anthropomorphic - using human explanations for dog behaviors.
Don't treat your dog like a human, but don't treat them like fake wolves, either. Look to
existing, factual information about dog behavior, all of which shows that the theories of the past
don't hold up to how dogs and wolves actually behave.
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.
As for training, dogs that lack 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 responding to the owner. Instead, the 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
WOULD YOU 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 seminars and conferences
regarding how to change aggressive behavior, it is clear that positive trainers, including myself,
do not immediately choose euthanasia over modifying the behavior.
If a dog owner receives a recommendation to euthanize their dog for behavior problems, we
strongly advise seeking a second opinion to remove any doubts. Any professional who
recommends euthanasia via phone or email should immediately be disregarded, as a verbal or
written description of a behavior problem is not enough to determine whether or not a dog's life
should be ended.
BUT IT WORKS/IT WORKED ON MY DOG(S)
I have not seen much in the way of changed behavior on the show. I do, however, 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. If the dog is unable to perform without being restrained by a
tight leash or otherwise, the behavior has not been changed, it has been suppressed.
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. 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."
"Every time he barks" 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.
Do aversive methods work? By the laws of operant conditioning, positive punishment and
negative reinforcement do work. However, what the average viewer sees on the show is not
changed behavior, with a few exceptions. What the average viewer sees on the show
is suppressed behavior. Just because the dog is not barking, lunging or growling does not mean
that it is rehabilitated.
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 about dog behavior, including
aggression, is invaluable to those of us who do work with problem dogs every day.
Ignoring over a century of research about animal behavior and learning only furthers the
ignorance of dog owners, the leading cause of behavior problems in dogs.
DO YOU THINK PEOPLE SHOULD TREAT THEIR DOGS LIKE CHILDREN?
Dogs and children are not the same. However, responsible parenting involves providing required
nutrition, education, and consistent rules and boundaries without the use of physical violence,
all principles which are also consistent with raising a healthy, well-mannered dog. So if more
people raised dogs as they are expected to raise children, there should be fewer problems, not
more.
In fact, 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.
POSITIVE METHODS/COOKIES DON'T WORK ON "RED ZONE" DOGS
This common myth stems from a lack of understanding of stress in dogs. When a dog is in a
situation where the sympathetic nervous system is engaged (fight or flight), the digestive
system shuts down to divert all energy to the muscles for survival. This is what is known as the
animal being over-threshold. So, if one tries to feed a dog treats while 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.
Experienced professionals understand the importance of keeping a dog under-threshold, which
involves exposing the dog to the person, dog or object that triggers the problem behavior. This
allows trainers to use positive methods to change the dog's association in that scenario.
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, for better or for worse.
When one is unsuccessful with punishment-based methods, there can be an escalation in the
problem behavior which can be difficult for the dog owner to overcome.
CONCLUSION
Aggression and other behavior problems are not a mystery. We now understand what triggers
aggressive behavior and how to change it and no longer need to rely on ambiguous
interpretations of a few individuals. That knowledge continues to grow as scientific discoveries
and further research provide a greater look into behavior, whether in dogs, wolves or humans.
When it comes to working with dogs, the alternative to aversive is not permissive. Modern
trainers and behaviorists have extolled the benefits of exercise and boundaries for well over a
decade. These common-sense guidelines to raising a dog are not the basis of the criticism of the
show. It is the dangerous methods and the misinformation about dog behavior that has caused
so many professionals to speak out.