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As a forum, our position is that there is no place for aversive tools and techniques in dog training. In this reference guide, we explain the reasons why.
What are aversives?
Aversives are basically anything that a dog finds to be unpleasant and will therefore try to avoid. It's important to remember that different dogs will find different things aversive but generally speaking, an aversive will be something that the dog finds frightening, uncomfortable or painful.
Examples include the following things:
• Rattle cans - cans filled with coins or pebbles, that the handler shakes to give the dog a fright.
• Citronella collars - these collars spray citronella in the dog's face when he barks. The powerful scent is even more unpleasant because a dog's nose is far more sensitive than ours, and will linger long after the dog has stopped barking. And, of course, it could be triggered by a different dog barking, so the dog in question is punished for something he didn't do.
• Vibration or shock collars - these vibrate or deliver an electric shock when the handler presses a remote control.
• Prong collars - prongs on the inside of the collar dig into the dog's neck if he pulls.
Aversives don't have to be tools - the handler can use aversive behaviours, including the following techniques:
• Jerking hard on the lead, to stop the dog pulling.
• Using body language such as shouting, raising hands, or pointing at the dog. Even a hard, eyeballing stare can be aversive as dogs can find direct eye contact intimidating.
But they seem to work!
Well, yes and no. In the short term, they may well stop an unwanted behaviour. However, they are far more likely to be suppressing the behaviour rather than addressing the cause. So that means the dog will find another outlet and the consequences of that are likely to be even worse.
For example, if a dog chews on a table leg, and the owner coats it in chilli paste, the dog will chew something else, maybe the carpet.
Using aversives is also more likely to stop the handler from looking at the root cause of the problem. Was the dog chewing because he is bored, teething, frustrated, anxious or in pain?
We have a saying in dog training that if you want a dog to sit in a particular corner of a room, you can either reward him for going to the right one, or beat him with a stick for going to any of the other three. The end result will still be that the dog sits in the right corner, but you would have two very different dogs.
Have a look at this video. These two collies were trained loose lead walking; one with aversives and the other with positive reinforcement. There are no prizes for guessing which was which.
Would you rather have a dog that complies with your cues because he wants to, or one that complies because he is afraid of the consequences if he doesn't?
We talk about engagement being the foundation of good training. Using fear and intimidation is no way to build a bond with your dog.
So what's the alternative?
Reward based training has been shown many times over to give consistently better results. In simple terms, we all want to do our best for the right motivation. Think of it like this, if you had a boss who was an outright bully, how hard would you work for them? You'd probably do the minimum needed to avoid punishment. But if you had a boss that really motivated you and rewarded you with praise, extra pay, flexibility or whatever else is important to you, you'd be far more likely to pull out all the stops and go the extra mile to meet a deadline.
The other benefit to reward based training is that there is no harm in escalation. Continuing to reward good behavior continuously reinforces it. But if you have to escalate the use of your aversive tool, at some point you will reach the last setting on the shock collar. What do you do then?
'Punishment callous' is another risk - some dogs become so accustomed to the punishment, it loses its effectiveness. And that raises the question - if the aversive was effective, why is it even needed after that first time; why did the behaviour not just stop?
On the other hand, reward never loses its value. A dog that gets excited when he sees you put on your hiking boots, because he knows that means he is going on a great walk, will always get excited; even when he is older and can't go so far.
Okay, but how do I correct my dog if necessary?
I think we'd be kidding ourselves if we didn't admit to telling our dogs to knock it off when they are being a dork.
But instead of punishing them for making wrong choices, our job is to prevent them from doing that wherever possible, redirecting them on to a more appropriate choice where we can, and taking a LIMA (least intrusive, minimally aversive) approach everywhere else.
But my dog is challenging and occasionally aggressive, I need to use a firmer approach.
This is a misconception. If your dog's emotions are so heightened that he may resort to aggression, the last thing you want to do is suppress the behaviour without addessing those emotions. Otherwise, one day your dog will no longer be unable to suppress his urges and EXPLODE, and it won't be pretty. It is far safer to help the dog feel safe and happy in the situation instead, and to want to do what you ask.
In conclusion.
The use of aversives has no place in modern dog training. Far more can be achieved with reward based training, and studies consistently back that up.
Further reading -
Does training method matter? Evidence for the negative impact of aversive-based methods on companion dog welfare
The Sneaky Aversive...
What are aversives?
Aversives are basically anything that a dog finds to be unpleasant and will therefore try to avoid. It's important to remember that different dogs will find different things aversive but generally speaking, an aversive will be something that the dog finds frightening, uncomfortable or painful.
Examples include the following things:
• Rattle cans - cans filled with coins or pebbles, that the handler shakes to give the dog a fright.
• Citronella collars - these collars spray citronella in the dog's face when he barks. The powerful scent is even more unpleasant because a dog's nose is far more sensitive than ours, and will linger long after the dog has stopped barking. And, of course, it could be triggered by a different dog barking, so the dog in question is punished for something he didn't do.
• Vibration or shock collars - these vibrate or deliver an electric shock when the handler presses a remote control.
• Prong collars - prongs on the inside of the collar dig into the dog's neck if he pulls.
Aversives don't have to be tools - the handler can use aversive behaviours, including the following techniques:
• Jerking hard on the lead, to stop the dog pulling.
• Using body language such as shouting, raising hands, or pointing at the dog. Even a hard, eyeballing stare can be aversive as dogs can find direct eye contact intimidating.
But they seem to work!
Well, yes and no. In the short term, they may well stop an unwanted behaviour. However, they are far more likely to be suppressing the behaviour rather than addressing the cause. So that means the dog will find another outlet and the consequences of that are likely to be even worse.
For example, if a dog chews on a table leg, and the owner coats it in chilli paste, the dog will chew something else, maybe the carpet.
Using aversives is also more likely to stop the handler from looking at the root cause of the problem. Was the dog chewing because he is bored, teething, frustrated, anxious or in pain?
We have a saying in dog training that if you want a dog to sit in a particular corner of a room, you can either reward him for going to the right one, or beat him with a stick for going to any of the other three. The end result will still be that the dog sits in the right corner, but you would have two very different dogs.
Have a look at this video. These two collies were trained loose lead walking; one with aversives and the other with positive reinforcement. There are no prizes for guessing which was which.
Would you rather have a dog that complies with your cues because he wants to, or one that complies because he is afraid of the consequences if he doesn't?
We talk about engagement being the foundation of good training. Using fear and intimidation is no way to build a bond with your dog.
So what's the alternative?
Reward based training has been shown many times over to give consistently better results. In simple terms, we all want to do our best for the right motivation. Think of it like this, if you had a boss who was an outright bully, how hard would you work for them? You'd probably do the minimum needed to avoid punishment. But if you had a boss that really motivated you and rewarded you with praise, extra pay, flexibility or whatever else is important to you, you'd be far more likely to pull out all the stops and go the extra mile to meet a deadline.
The other benefit to reward based training is that there is no harm in escalation. Continuing to reward good behavior continuously reinforces it. But if you have to escalate the use of your aversive tool, at some point you will reach the last setting on the shock collar. What do you do then?
'Punishment callous' is another risk - some dogs become so accustomed to the punishment, it loses its effectiveness. And that raises the question - if the aversive was effective, why is it even needed after that first time; why did the behaviour not just stop?
On the other hand, reward never loses its value. A dog that gets excited when he sees you put on your hiking boots, because he knows that means he is going on a great walk, will always get excited; even when he is older and can't go so far.
Okay, but how do I correct my dog if necessary?
I think we'd be kidding ourselves if we didn't admit to telling our dogs to knock it off when they are being a dork.
But instead of punishing them for making wrong choices, our job is to prevent them from doing that wherever possible, redirecting them on to a more appropriate choice where we can, and taking a LIMA (least intrusive, minimally aversive) approach everywhere else.
But my dog is challenging and occasionally aggressive, I need to use a firmer approach.
This is a misconception. If your dog's emotions are so heightened that he may resort to aggression, the last thing you want to do is suppress the behaviour without addessing those emotions. Otherwise, one day your dog will no longer be unable to suppress his urges and EXPLODE, and it won't be pretty. It is far safer to help the dog feel safe and happy in the situation instead, and to want to do what you ask.
In conclusion.
The use of aversives has no place in modern dog training. Far more can be achieved with reward based training, and studies consistently back that up.
Further reading -
Does training method matter? Evidence for the negative impact of aversive-based methods on companion dog welfare
The Sneaky Aversive...
