Welcome back to Pawfit and Pals, a series where we get together with pet experts to find out more about their areas of expertise and get the answers to some FAQs.
This time, we’re bringing you part 2 of our conversation with Rachel, a Force Free trainer based in Liverpool and owner of Dog at Heart.
Click here to watch part 1 of our conversation with Rachel about puppy and dog training.
Here at Pawfit, we are big advocates about the importance of dog training but with the overwhelming amount of information online, it can be very confusing for beginners.
In this episode of Pawfit and Pals, we get the low down on the Force Free training method, as well as finding out about Cooperative Care, which aims to help your dog overcome their handling fears.
What is Force Free Training?
Force Free Training (FFT) is about training our dogs without the use of pain intimidation or force. It is also known as Positive Reinforcement training.
What is the difference between Force Free Training and other methods?
Traditional training methods often involve punishing a dog for behaviours you don’t like through various degrees of harshness and trying to stop bad behaviour. The dog learns to do things or rather not do things because he is scared of what will happen to him.
On the other hand, modern FFT is about teaching our dogs alternative behaviours, teaching them what we’d prefer them to do and then rewarding them for doing so through positive reinforcement.
This is different for each dog and might be treats or toys or the opportunity to do something they enjoy.
We then get dogs who are excited and happy to do what we want them to do – there’s just never a need to use punishment or threats.
We also get dogs who are curious and creative and not afraid to try learning new behaviours.
FFT also looks at how the dog feels. For example, if you have a dog who lunges and barks at other dogs, this could be something that is based on fear. So, instead of punishing our dog for their behaviour, we look at how we can make them feel better about other dogs by creating positive associations with other dogs at an intensity our dog can handle.
Your dog is reacting to get other dogs to move away and if we think from a worried dog’s point of view, that’s perfectly valid and adding more pain and intimidation when your dog is already scared isn’t going to help.
A big aspect of FFT is also understanding how behaviour works from a scientific point of viewing and then applying this knowledge in a manner that is ethical and looks after the welfare of the animal.
What are the benefits of Force Free Training?
The biggest benefits is that you have a really strong bond with your dog and your dog can learn to trust you. It’s a relationship built on safety and mutual trust and positive association.
You’ll also get a dog who enjoys doing what you ask them to do and that feels good.
For people as well, when you train force free, you never have to feel bad about what you’re doing to your dog. People have unknowingly brought their dogs to punitive trainers and will understood how it feels to see someone harm their dog by choking them or scaring them in the name of training which can be really traumatic. With FFT you will never have to feel this way!
Are there any negatives to Force Free Training?
There aren’t really any negatives to FFT when you’re doing it right, which is the great thing about FFT!
In terms of taking longer, a lot of people would say yes, and I’d agree that in some cases, especially when it comes to more serious cases. When you’re supressing the behaviour through fear and punishment, that can appear to be a quick fix, but in actual fact you haven’t really changed how the dog feels. The dog is holding all these big feeling inside him and eventually he’ll explode or just shut down.
With FFT, it can seem to take longer but that’s because we’re working on changing how the dog feels as well as working on alternative behaviours. We also have good management in place, which means setting up the right environment and having training mechanisms in place, sometimes the results can show up quite quickly as well.
Here’s the thing, do we want a quick fix that nobody’s happy with and where the issues might show up again further down the line or do we want good results that take a little bit of time to work on?
Can Force Free Training work for every breed?
FFT works for all breeds because all animals learn in the same way. They behave in ways to get what they want and need, and they avoid what they’re scared of and what might cause them pain.
We can teach all breeds through positive reinforcement, helping them feel safe and meeting their needs.
Some breeds have different motivation, maybe they prefer chasing something over food, so we have to look at what we can use to reward them and reinforce them with.
What are some of the misconceptions about Force Free Training?
One misconception is that people think FFT is just about giving treats to your dog or just about treating them for good behaviour and ignoring bad behaviour.
There’s so much more to it including different techniques, its just that none of these methods involve the use of pain or intimidation.
Another misconception is that FFT is only good for things like tricks or basic things when actually, it’s important to use FFT for more serious behavioural issues like reactivity, aggression or separation anxiety. When were dealing with more serious behavioural issues, there can be a lot of underlying emotions and sometimes physical health issues that the dog might be experiencing so it’s not kind to scare or hurt them when they’re already going through so much.
Another one is that because FFT uses a lot of treats, it’s going to make your dog overweight when what we actually do is set aside a portion of your dog’s meal so in the end your dog isn’t really overeating.
What is Cooperative Care?
Cooperative Care is about helping our dogs feeling more comfortable during husbandry and handling procedures, whether that’s at home or at the vets or the groomers, and actually giving the dog a way to have a say in what’s happening to them.
So, it’s not just about them tolerating what’s happening to them, it’s about them actually being a willing participant in what’s happening to them.
When we work on Cooperative Care, our dog has a way of telling us to stop what we’re doing and either go back to an easier step or give them a break. Its about having that two-way communication with our dogs
For example, if your dog is scared of having their paws touched or nails clips, you’re not just going to go straight into that. We might start by just hovering our hand over their paw and not even touching it and giving them a treat after we hover and gradually building up the intensity of this.
Throughout though, our dog has a way to say, “I’m ready” or “I need a break”, and we let them have that break. We as people control so much of our dogs lives as it is and that’s not necessarily a bad thing but having control and having choice is an important part of any animal’s welfare.
I always use this example: imagine you go to a dentist who doesn’t care how you feel and just goes straight into what they have to do. You might be experiencing a lot of pain or discomfort, but you can’t make them stop until it’s over and then you finally get to rinse your mouth. And then you have another dentist who says if you need a break, raise your hand and I will stop. Which dentist would you prefer to go to?
So, when we get that choice in what happens to us, it makes us feel safer so you know you have some way of stopping what is happening or taking a break, and that’s the same for our dogs.
How quickly can Cooperative Care help dogs get over their fears?
It can take a little bit of time and it really depends on the dog and how sensitive they are. If the dog is really sensitive, then I would recommend that owners take their dog to a vet, as their dog might be experiencing pain somewhere that we can’t see.
For things that don’t hurt as much, like general touching or for example using a stethoscope, that can be a lot quicker.
Does Cooperative Care need a lot of reinforcement?
Cooperative Care is something that you continually work on. Personally, I work on it every day with my dog, because there are so many aspects within grooming or vet procedures that our dogs need to have done to them. Being able to regularly practice all these little things is really important as you never know when your dog will need to have them done.
What I find through Cooperative Care is that dogs willingly participate in the handling and husbandry procedures a bit quicker in the end.
Every dog will need to see the vet at some point in their lives and it’s so important that they feel good at the vets. As humans, when we see our dogs in distress at the vets, when they’re ill we might put off taking them because we’re worried about the stress it will cause them. If we knew our dogs could be less stressed at the vets, we’d be quicker to take them there when they need it.
Is Cooperative Care a part of Force Free Training?
I would think of it as one aspect of FFT. FFT is about meeting our dogs needs and helping them safe. Cooperative Care does that by giving our dogs more of a choice and some control over their lives so they can feel empowered and safe.
It involves something called ‘Start Button Behaviours’ which is a way for our dogs to tell us theyre ready before we proceed with doing what we need to do.
I find the chin rest useful here. So, when your dog puts their chin on your hand it means they’re ready and when they take it off it means they need a break, so you stop what you’re doing. When they return their head, you can carry on.
I find these start button behaviours really helpful for dog owners to know when their dog is comfortable and ready.
I also recommend that if possible, you work closely with other dog professionals like vets and groomers so that we can help them feel comfortable in those situations and with different people as well.
You can find Rachel and Dog at Heart on Instagram, or by visiting her website, www.dogatheart.co.uk.
Got any training advice you can share with our Pawfit community? Let us know by sending us a DM on social or by emailing PawfitPals@Pawfit.com
