Dossier: What is positive education? Educate his dog

What is positive education, what are the tools to educate a dog in a positive way, but also what are the limits of this educational method? So many questions that find their answer here!

Educating your dog is important, but it is sometimes difficult to find the effective, respectful method of your dog and in agreement with you! For some years now new ways to educate his dog are emerging and in general our vision of the dog evolves and our sensitivity too. So to help you better understand what positive education is, or at least what is my vision of positive education, here are my answers to the most common questions on this exciting topic!
One of the biggest difficulties in the job of canine educator is that every professional has a vision of the dog of his own. Because of this, it is sometimes difficult to find one's way when one can read on the same subject everything and its opposite. In reality, we all understand the dog with our own filters. So our sensitivity and affect "prevent" us from being completely objective about the dog's functioning and his emotional states. It is important to understand this point before reading the rest of this file, because my vision of the dog that I am going to expose you here is in direct link with my course and my experiences. I have evolved a lot over the years and I have of course refined my understanding of the dog directly related to my understanding and knowledge of myself.

Positive education what is it?

Positive education, even if it is very reductive to define it in this way, is an educational approach that will focus on the dog's motivation in order to guarantee the dog's good emotional state in his learning process.

Indeed, to understand this point it is always interesting to bring it back to oneself. If I want to teach a child, for example, a basic rule of thumb, as to look well on both sides of the road before crossing, I will have two options:

Either I anticipate the error of this child and I explain before crossing how to behave in order to secure and once the action done I congratulate him on his good behavior.

Either I wait that it misses being overthrown to make him understand how to behave.

In the first case, I will have to be careful and of course repeat this learning each time the situation arises to ensure a solid teaching, the child will be in a calm emotional state and he will be especially happy to have had good behavior.
In the second case, the bad experience, stressful, even traumatic, that the child will have lived will surely have him instantly learn the possibility of danger and therefore the behavior to have in this situation, but his stress level will be high and if this individual is of a sensitive nature, it is possible that this stress is represented each time a similar situation presents itself to him.

In summary, in the first case I will focus on the motivation of the child to do the right thing for the right reasons, and in the second case I will focus on the behavior to be avoided to avoid a discomfort or danger. On the other hand, in both cases the final learning will be the same and the negative consequence learning will be faster to put in place. The difference, however, will be the emotional state of the learning individual and the quality of the relationship between the "educator" and the "student".

So, negative reinforcement learning is faster as we have seen and it makes great sense, but at what cost? Indeed, stress exists for a good reason, whether for us Humans or for animals. Stress helps to ensure our survival. If we were completely devoid of this emotional state we would put ourselves in constant danger and it is highly likely that our species would simply not have survived. Stress allows us to put ourselves in a state of reactivity and this emotion is so strong and unpleasant that it encourages us not to put ourselves in the same type of situation to protect us. It is for these reasons that a situation causing stress will mark us and we will therefore tend not to forget it easily.
For our dog friends, the operation described above is strictly identical. The major difference lies in the fact that the dog is not able to conceptualize an idea and so he can not understand a verbal explanation, in short he can not understand an abstract idea (ie something that he did not live). To learn, he will have to experience it concretely and his learning will be related to the present moment. We can not explain to him what behavior to have, we must "make him do" so that he understands and learns.

In summary, teaching a dog can be done either through a so-called positive approach, so I will emphasize the anticipation and congratulation of the dog when he has had the right behavior, either through an approach more "negative" or uncomfortable consequence for the dog will be present if the bad behavior is presented. In the first because I emphasize the motivation of the dog to perform the right behavior, in the second case I emphasize the will of avoidance of the dog to not have this behavior.

So to get back to the basic question of what is positive education: Well positive education is an approach that will take into account the emotional state of the dog when he learns and insists on his motivation to perform an action.

The traditional method in opposition to the positive method?
As we have seen above, to teach my dog ​​a behavior, I can either motivate him to perform an action, or teach him to avoid a behavior to avoid an inconvenience. And all existing educational techniques summarize to be more or less in one of these two processes. This is why it is important to understand that everything is a question of (good) dosage and constant and permanent adaptability.

Without saying that the traditional method comes in opposition to the positive method, I would say that it is a different approach, and that, sometimes, is based on a rather obsolete vision of the dog, and I will explain to you why in the following point .

In addition, traditional education, to generalize, is often based on the concepts of avoidance and constraints (remember the example of the pedestrian crossing) whereas the positive method will focus more on the cooperation between a child. master and his dog.

The traditional method, what is it:

The traditional method is often based on a vision of the controversial dog, namely the dog "pack leader". According to this approach, the dog is an animal descended from the Wolf, living in a group, organized in an established hierarchy and managed by a dominant / pack leader. This approach puts forward a dominant / submissive relationship of the dog with his group whether he is canine or human. Thus, for educators advocating this vision of the dog, a lot of annoying behaviors are caused and explained by the fact that the dog considers himself the dominant of his group and this confers on him thus certain liberties, as jumping on the people for the dogs. host to show that he is the manager of his group, fly to the table to indicate that he is in possession of the food resource, etc.

The main criticism of this method is based on two points: First, no study validates the principle of an existing hierarchy between the human and the dog. In addition, relying on this theory of an interspecific hierarchy (between two species) encourages the dog to understand through a duality with his master, which has the direct consequence of the validation of sometimes violent and stressful educational techniques for the animal. (submission, ground plating, throttling, etc.)

In summary, the traditional method, considering the dog as an animal to submit, is sometimes equated with an old method that has no more place to be today. Indeed, to think that the dog functions according to a hierarchical model leads to find techniques in agreement with this vision. Yet in dog training, there is an important rule that is to do the right thing for the right reasons! I am not saying that all the educational techniques of these canine educators are fundamentally bad, but they are all based on an erroneous view of the dog and its functioning and therefore potentially inappropriate.

The positive method: education without constraints?

Just as there are many prejudices about traditional education (founded or not), positive education is also not spared by a mountain of ideas about it.

And it turns out that the idea that positive education implies no constraint is one of the most entrenched ideas.

At Nature de Chien, it is considered that, whatever the method used, it is essential to impose a certain frame on the dog, as soon as he arrives in his adoptive family. And imposing a frame does not mean submitting the dog, nor compelling it.

On the contrary, imposing a framework and setting limits from the beginning makes it possible to secure the dog, and especially to make him understand that as master, we are here to guide him and accompany him towards what will be good for him and for him. his good integration into his social group, namely you and your family.

So we do not talk about dominant / dominated but rather two individuals (master and dog), respecting certain rules of life to find a harmonious balance in their relationship.

And this does not mean absolutely that there is no limit, on the contrary. The limits will be put in place even before the problem arises to prevent and anticipate bad behavior rather than point fingers.

I give you a very concrete example for you to understand the importance of setting a framework:

My dog ​​steals food, if I respect the idea of ​​positive education and I do not limit my dog, it means that I let him do it, look at him, and that as soon as he stop I reward him. It's insane is not it? Well, that's what many "anti positive education" people think, and that's a shame.

To solve this problem of food theft for example, we will then set up rules of life at home, we will manage the space of the dog and we invite him to go to the basket when the masters will be at table, we will establish orders of renunciation, prohibition and return to calm, etc.

So the idea is not to never coerce, but always to prevent bad behavior and bad habits so that the dog learns another pattern of action, without going through violence, humiliation or submission.

What tools for positive education?

The rewards :

Positive education is very often associated with candy and is one of the main criticisms of this approach. In fact, candy is a tool to use with intelligence, just like the toy or the caress, etc. The rewards for educating your dog positively are to adapt to the dog and the exercise that you want to put in place. In reality, from the moment a dog reaches something he wishes, he is congratulated!

Example: If your dog barks to enter the house and you bring it in, the barking action is then valued and will be maintained afterwards because you have just rewarded your dog for barking. So, of course, if that's what you wanted to put in place, fine. But if the barking is not a behavior that you want your dog to repeat, it will further accentuate the reward on a return to calm: your dog sits in front of the door, he can return.

You will have understood to reward his dog is to motivate him to repeat a behavior that we want it to repeat. It is necessary to be vigilant to the good timing of the rewards as well as to their coherences. In addition, the rewards must be "special" enough to keep some value for your dog. Thus, the rewards should not be free because they would lose in effectiveness.

Here are the different possible rewards because, no, candy is not the only solution when you want to educate your dog positively:

The "voice" reward: which allows a direct and spontaneous interaction with your animal. Nevertheless, it is important to know how to play with different intonations so that the dog understands the nuance between a "is good" and a "no" for example. If the verbal reward is neutral, the dog will have no desire to reiterate the behavior that allowed him to get this intonation from you. On the contrary, it is necessary to exaggerate the treble (sorry gentlemen).
The reward "game": which is often complicated to put in place during an exercise of education for example because it will come to distract the dog. We will prefer to use this reward at the end of the exercise to let off steam after a session.
The reward "caress": which is perhaps the most used, but sometimes the most "risky". Indeed, some dogs are simply not tactile and do not like intrusive papouilles. Before stroking a dog, you have to ask him (palm extended towards the dog) and it is only if the dog sniffs your hand and stays close to you that you will be able to caress him always favoring a caress on the side or at the level the dog's neck (especially not on the head).
The reward "sweet" (the famous): which is often very popular with many dogs, including "cans on legs". However, it is necessary to be reasonable and not to "feed" his dog. Use quality products and possibly regulate with the daily ration of your doggie.
The problem with treats is timing, because often the time to get out of the pouch and give it, it happened a few seconds for us, but a thousand years for your doggie. So be sure to anticipate or use a marker (like the clicker) to reinforce good behavior.

The "get" reward: As we mentioned above, simply getting what you want is perceived as a reward for dogs. Nevertheless, it will be very important, as a master, to be at the initiative.
The clicker:
I mentioned it a little higher, the clicker allows a great precision in the reinforcement and the validation of the behaviors. Here are the basics to follow to start learning with the clicker:

The clicker training method was founded and democratized by Karen Pryor, an American specialist in behavioral and biological psychology of marine mammals. It will then decline this research and observations with pets.

Here are the 10 key points to remember to start the clicker training method:

1- The clicker is a plastic case with a metal tab on the inside. When pressed, it sounds a sound. This sound is neutral, precise and always the same, unlike a verbal reward for example.

2- Why adopt the method of clicker training?

This method allows to establish a communication with his dog
It's a positive method based on your pet's motivation
Clicker training validates and reinforces positively behavior
It is an activity that, in addition to strengthening the obedience of your animal, will allow you to spend it intellectually
3- The "Click" is only a secondary reinforcer, so it must be systematically associated with a primary intensifier. Often, it is the treat that is used: "Click" = candy!

4- The behavior you "click" is the behavior you want your dog to reproduce. Watch out for the timing! If you click too soon or too late, it will cause confusion in your dog's head.

5- There are 3 techniques to realize the clicker training method:

The lure technique: we accompany the dog with a treat for him to adopt a behavior (for example: the couché)
The technique of capture: onclick an attitude that the dog naturally adopts (for example: shaking, sneezing, barking, etc.)
The technique of shaping: we will split an exercise in several stages and click at each of the steps taken to reach the final goal (for example: the "key", first we click the fact that the dog looks at the object, then the fact that he moves forward, then the fact that he touches him)
6- The clicker sessions must be short (maximum 10 minutes) and repeated regularly.

7- We ignore bad behavior and we validate (click) and strengthens the good. The only punishment will be to ignore.

8- We speak very little (if not) to his dog, the only possible interaction will be made via the clicker.

9- You have to be patient and put your dog in a successful situation. If the dog does not understand, we change the exercise or technique.

Les limites de l’éducation positive ?
Selon moi les éventuels défauts de l’éducation positive ne viennent pas de la méthode en elle même mais de ce que l’éducateur en fera.

En effet, beaucoup (trop) d’éducateurs canin prônant l’utilisation de la méthode positive sont dans un extrême parfois dangereux. Ne souhaitant mettre aucune limite à leur chien et ne comprenant rien aux principes d’apprentissages canins et de récompenses, ils ont parfois des difficultés à obtenir des résultats.

L’éducation positive ne veut pas dire “éducation permissive” et votre chien à besoin d’avoir des limites et des interdits, c’est essentiel à la vie en groupe. Nous l’évoquions précédemment.

L’important n’est donc pas de savoir si le maître doit (parfois) se montrer ferme et intransigeant, l’important est de savoir comment imposer ses limites et comment les enseigner au chien. De plus, il ne faut pas confondre fermeté et brutalité. Dans toutes formes d’éducation, l’assurance, la confiance et parfois la fermeté de l’enseignant doivent être des notions mises en place, cela devra bien entendu être la encore adapté au cas par cas.

Disons donc que l’un des “défauts” de l’éducation positive est la tendance à tomber dans un extrême de “no limit” et de ne jamais poser de cadre à son chien de crainte de le stresser. Les limites vont, au contraire, stabiliser et rassurer le chien qui, au même titre qu’un enfant par exemple, a besoin de support et d’un cadre pour être serein.

De plus, l’éducation d’un chien diffère en fonction de beaucoup de facteurs, comme la race, l’âge, l’attitude du maître, le tempérament du chien, son vécu, etc. C’est pourquoi il n’existe pas de méthode unique et applicable systématiquement. Il faut donc avant tout comprendre le chien dans sa “vraie nature” et savoir s’adapter.

Ainsi plutôt que de parler de méthode positive, possiblement réductrice, je préfère parler d’approche éducative, reposant sur le fait de comprendre le chien de la façon la plus véritable qu’il soit et de savoir utiliser une multitude d’outils, de méthodes et de techniques afin de s’adapter au mieux au chien présent et au comportement à apprendre ou à modifier.

L’éducation positive, cela fonctionne sur tous les chiens ?
Oui, évidemment, car l’éducation positive repose sur un principe d’apprentissage universel à tous les chiens à savoir qu’un comportement récompensé sera valorisé et donc réitéré.

En revanche, oublier de poser des limites et un cadre, ne pas apprendre au chien des règles d’inhibition afin de lui apprendre à se calmer et donc être dans un extrême permissif de l’éducation positive fera que beaucoup de chiens ne seront pas réceptifs à cette méthode si elle est mise en place de la sorte.

L’éducation positive : ce qu’il faut retenir !
L’éducation positive n’est pas une éducation basée sur la permission absolue et la liberté totale du chien
L’éducation positive se traduit par le renforcement des bons comportements et le fait de dévier les mauvais comportements pour permettre au chien de changer de schéma d’action sans contraintes ni violence
L’éducation positive n’est pas une méthode unique à appliquer à tous les chiens, elle traduit davantage l’adaptabilité du maître ou de l’éducateur pour faire en sorte d’être dans une démarche de réussite avec le chien
L’éducation positive n’est pas nécessairement synonyme de friandises, d’autres type de récompenses existent et pourront tout à fait permettre la motivation du chien au même titre qu’une friandise