![]() ![]() For example, imagine a rat in a black box at freezing temperature. Since 1975, various scientists have pointed out that learning events can rarely, if ever, be labeled solely as positive or negative (e.g. Snuffleupagus from Sesame Street a serial rapist. Problematically, BAT was designed to steer owners away from using harsh punishments and the method itself creates no signs of undue harm on the dog so, if the interpretation of the quadrants of operant conditioning cause trainers to conclude that BAT is unethical, then there is a serious problem with the convention because calling BAT unethical is like calling Mr. Because you repeatedly remove something (in this case, the thing the dog doesn’t “like”) to reinforce calmer behavior, many trainers label this type of training as negative reinforcement-and because negative reinforcement is claimed to be unethical, BAT must therefore be unethical. For those unfamiliar, BAT removes a stimulus (which a dog finds threatening) at a distance great enough for the dog to remain calm and not show signs of being overly agonistic (such as growling, snarling, barking, etc.). Skinner, this is a false attribution)įor example, many trainers claim that a technique called Behavior Adjustment Training (BAT) is unethical because they see it as negative reinforcement. This issue is so emotionally charged and emblazoned in the industry that often the supporting evidence for a claim about the ethical nature of a technique revolves solely around the interpretation of what quadrant of operant conditioning the technique relies on.Ĭommon illustration of basic learning concepts in a 2×2 grid often called “the Quadrants.” But to the point, the conversation that might be the least productive in dog welfare is the assertion that techniques which use positive reinforcement and negative punishment are ethical while techniques which use positive punishment and negative reinforcement are unethical. In the actual world, this is often a rare occurrence. In a perfect world, conversations are always productive. Many philosophers and scientists devote their entire lives to traversing the quagmires of non-human animal welfare issues and so I am not going to put all of my roulette chips down on 28 black and defend my choice in the never ending spin of the animal welfare debate wheel. Should our toes be pointing straight ahead or at an angle when doing a squat? Should we stretch before or after an activity? With dogs though, the question is even more convoluted because here the concerns are not just about performance: they are also about welfare.Īnimal welfare is a vast topic and one that cannot be approached from A-Z in a single sitting. After all, what is performance? Is it speed? Strength? Accuracy? Reliability? Chat up a few trainers involved in any professional sport (canine or human) and you will see that there are numerous beliefs both for which methods produce the best results for the desired performance as well as for what reasons. ![]() Often, these individuals will talk about a dog’s “performance,” yet this undoubtedly has a variety of interpretations. People become dog trainers for various reasons.
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