Humans have been training dogs for centuries, ever since they domesticated them to become companion animals and working dogs. In France, dogs were trained to sniff out truffles. In agrarian societies, dogs guarded the livestock. Today, we train dogs to function better in society, including our homes.
Modern dog training didn’t begin to evolve until the late 1800s, when the American Kennel Club, founded in 1884, began to implement training standards for basic commands. Unfortunately, these training methods relied heavily on punishment and reward, a system that is no longer accepted by most modern trainers.
Traditional Training
Colonel Konrad Most, a military dog trainer that many people feel is the father of modern traditional dog training, published Training Dogs—A Manual in 1910. William Koehler, another military dog trainer, published The Koehler Method of Dog Training in 1962. Both trainers advocated dominance training, which was intended to show your dog that you are in charge.
Although Most’s practices were the standard for many years, most trainers today find his techniques abusive because they rely upon punishment and dominance. Practitioners of this model often hit and kicked their dogs as a form of “training.”
Koehler’s philosophy was that dogs are able to choose; when they are rewarded, they will repeat the “good” behavior, but when they receive punishment, the “bad” behavior will cease. Koehler advocated “alpha rolling,” which involves rolling the dog onto his back and holding him in place to assert your dominance. Although a few trainers, like Cesar Milan, still practice alpha rolling, it’s not recommended for the average dog owner. Performing the action incorrectly could harm your dog or make him afraid of you.
Unfortunately, Most and Koehler’s training models spread, especially during WWI and WWII, when training military dogs became a priority. It wasn’t until Barbara Woodhouse published “No Bad Dogs” in 1978 that dog training techniques became more humane.
Although Woodhouse’s training model was based on the correct use of a choke chain, her methods were humane as compared to Koehler’s and Most’s. Her book was the first “popular” dog training book, purchased and used by a wide population of dog owners, revolutionized the way people trained their dogs.
Although traditional training methods are still in use, most trainers and behaviorists agree that some form of operant conditioning, like positive reinforcement training, are the most effective.
Operant Conditioning
In 1903, Pavlov conducted his famous bell-and-drool study, showing that animals have a physical response to repeated stimulus, a process he dubbed “operant conditioning.” B.F. Skinner built on Pavlov’s research in the late 1930s, developing a learning model based on stimulus-response.
Operant conditioning training for dogs became widely used in the 1990s, as trainers moved away from the punishment-based training model. Based almost entirely on positive reinforcement techniques, operant conditioning rewards dogs for good behavior and ignores unwanted behavior.
Clicker Training
In the 1940s, bird trainers Marion and Bob Bailey created clicker training, a form of operant conditioning, to train animals for shows and commercials. A decade later, Marineland hired them to train their marine mammals using clicker training, a system that dolphin trainers use to this day.
The basic philosophy behind clicker training is teaching animals to respond to commands when they hear the sound of a clicker. Initially, animals are rewarded with a treat and a click; as the training develops, animals learn to respond to the clicker even if there’s no edible reward.
Because it incorporates Pavlov’s stimulus-response theory and positive reinforcement techniques, clicker training is the most frequently used form of behavior modification with trainers today. It’s simple to perform and reinforce, which makes it a great option for people training their dogs themselves.
Positive Reinforcement Training
Positive reinforcement training, although not popularized until the 1980s, actually began in the 1880s, which Edward Thorndike developed a stimulus-response training model that reinforced good behavior by rewarding the dog.
Around the same time, S.P. Hammond, a writer for Forest and Stream magazine, began advocating positive reinforcement training in his book, Practical Training, the basis of which is that dogs should be rewarded with food when they perform a task correctly.
Although positive reinforcement training was praised by dog trainers at the time, Most’s wartime military training model became the popular training method for almost 50 years. It wasn’t until 1985, when Karen Pryor published Don’t Shoot the Dog: the New Art of Teaching and Training, that positive reinforcement was accepted as the most effective form of training.
Pryor’s book focused on positive reinforcement and shaping behavior, building on the work the Baileys did in the 1940s. She taught dog owners how to clicker-train their dogs and refrain from using punishment, relying instead on positive reinforcement to shape desired behaviors.
Negative Reinforcement Training
Negative reinforcement is not punishment, but the interruption of unwanted behavior by providing a negative stimulus. The idea is not to hurt the dog or inspire fear, but to teach him to associate negative responses with unwanted behaviors. When your dog realizes that bad behavior yields an unpleasant experience, they are more likely not to repeat the behavior.
An example of negative-reinforcement training is making a loud noise or squirting the dog with water when he is engaging in inappropriate behavior, particularly barking. Shaking a soda can filled with pennies is also an effective method.
Negative reinforcement is not a useful training model when used on its own. However, in conjunction with positive reinforcement training, the two methods are a humane, effective method of behavior modification.
21st Century Training Methods
Dog training has developed tremendously over the last century, allowing more dog owners to enjoy better-behaved dogs. But today obedience training is just a stepping stone to greater things, like agility, conformation, rally and therapy or service dog work, all of which rely on positive reinforcement methods.
Although not all dogs will take to formal training, every dog should know a few basic commands, like sit, stay, down, off and come. If you’re just beginning training, start with basic obedience and progress from there if your dog seems to enjoy the work.
