The State of Dog Training in the United States and Evaluation of Efficacy and Welfare of Contested Training Methods

This dissertation examines dog training in the United States to see how it is implemented and practiced and the potential ramifications for our pet dogs. In Chapter 2, word-based analysis compared the words practicing dog trainers use to describe their work and examined how gender and experience differ between methodologies. Given both the vast history of dog training and the variety of training information available to dog owners, in Chapter 3, I surveyed undergraduate students to determine where dog guardians obtain their information and how they might tackle dog problem behavior. Of 100 practicing dog trainers, only 20%, mostly female trainers using non-aversive methods, were certified. When asked who they asked for dog training advice, most dog guardians reached out to friends, family, or online sources and only about 20% ever attended a formal dog training class. In Chapter 4, dogs were walked on four different types of leash walking equipment which were attached to a strain gauge to assess if these equipment were any better or worse at reducing a dog’s pulling force; dogs pulled most on a martingale collar and there were no statistically significant differences among the other equipment types to each other. Through behavior analysis, none of the dogs in our study showed impaired welfare. In Chapter 5, I compared e-collar training to non-aversive methods in the ability to stop chasing of a lure. Dogs experiencing e-collar stimulation were successful in stopping chase of the lure both during training sessions and in testing. None of the dogs in either non-aversive group was successful in the tests. The findings did not indicate that dogs in the e-collar group, or the non-aversive groups, differed in welfare. As in Chapter 4, despite the lack of immediate negative welfare effects for the dogs experiencing aversive methods like the e-collar, given the demonstrated evidence for Chapters 2 and 3 that individuals who use these aversive tools, either practicing trainers or the general public, may lack the foundation to properly implement them, I recommend caution in their public sale and do not advocate for their use.