{"id":2338,"date":"2016-10-06T18:03:50","date_gmt":"2016-10-06T16:03:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/illis.se\/en\/?p=2338"},"modified":"2025-09-20T10:44:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-20T08:44:08","slug":"punishment-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/illis.se\/en\/punishment-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"20 problems with punishment in animal training"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"20-effects\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Revised February 2023 – original written in 2016 . <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently there was a video post in my Facebook feed that caught my attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Typically, on Facebook, I\u2019m a bit of a lurker. I\u2019m not very active, and when I do watch videos I often don\u2019t share, like or comment \u2013 even when perhaps I should.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This time, I watched, feeling my jaw gradually dropping in disbelief, and then I actually left a comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wrote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m speechless\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that was it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know, kinda lame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I didn\u2019t have time for an essay, and then I was flooded by the rest of the FB flow, so the film slipped to the back of my mind \u2013 where it\u2019s been festering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few weeks ago, I wrote that I was speechless. But in the time that\u2019s gone by, I\u2019ve realized that I should do the opposite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I should speak up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

I figure, if people don\u2019t realize that using punishment in animal training has the potential of being extremely problematic, they need to be informed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jump straight to the 20 problems. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am by no means the first to voice my concerns, but this obviously needs repeating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The video<\/a> I watched proposed an automatic correction feature of an \u201con-collar training and tracking device\u201d for dogs. Apparently, it\u2019s a thing that you attach to a collar that can track your dog\u2019s activity and also deliver electrical stimulation (a euphemism for shocks), noise or vibrations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What was suggested in the film was that when the dog does anything that we don\u2019t like, such as barking or trespassing in forbidden areas, it can be zapped, automatically, without us even being present. And so the dog would stop barking or trespassing, allegedly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the ad, this was referred to as the New Standard of Dog Training<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, it\u2019s Completely Outdated Not to Mention Potentially Harmful.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The thing is, punishment works \u2013 unwanted behaviour is eliminated. At least sometimes. So people keep using punishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, here\u2019s another thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a price to be paid for using punishment. It may be a very small price, almost imperceptible. Or it may be very large.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is the potential for serious fallout<\/em> that worries me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using punishment in animal training is the equivalent to taking medication that only works sometimes and has humongous, not to mention common, side effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if you’ve ever read the little well-folded leaflet that comes along with your prescription medication, you’ll know that some side effects are common, affecting almost everyone, and some are extremely rare. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some are benign, and some are excruciating or even lethal, ranging from dry mouth<\/em> to kidney failure<\/em>, perhaps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And often, those side effects are like Russian roulette, you never know whether you’re in for black urine<\/em> (Flagyl) or serious birth defects in your unborn child<\/em> (Thalidomid).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frankly, I wouldn\u2019t risk it unless there were no other option.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the very least, people should be aware that there are<\/em> potentially serious side effects, rather than stumbling blindly into a punishment scenario.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, people should be aware of the alternatives, so that they can make an informed choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And yes, in a way I\u2019m living under a rock. I\u2019m not a dog owner, and such gadgets are not allowed in Sweden. I realize that in many other places they\u2019re the norm, and nobody raises an eyebrow, let alone drops a jaw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perspective shift<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s take the animal\u2019s perspective for a minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imagine you\u2019re a dog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Come on now. I know you want to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medium-sized, brown, long hair. Goofy ears. Not being a dog persion, I\u2019m unfamiliar with the different breeds, but the dog that\u2019s in my mind\u2019s eye looks sort of like Lady in that old Disney film. You know the one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imagine Lady\u2019s standing on the doorstep to the kitchen, and there\u2019s a chicken on the counter, as depicted in the video that caused the jaw-dropping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"garmin-setting-up-to-fail\"<\/a>
Setting Lady up to fail: a chicken on the counter.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The smell is delicious. And it\u2019s within reach, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OK Karolina, but why are we doing this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bear with me. We\u2019re imagining that we\u2019re Lady so that we can get an understanding of her:<\/p>\n\n\n\n