The APDT Chronicle of the Dog Summer 2018 | Seite 28

FEATURE | PUPPY HOLD
the puppy eventually gives up and is very still, it may
be an effect of learned helplessness, which doesn’t
guarantee the puppy will be easier to handle in the
future, and may in fact cause more problems later on.
Furthermore, sensitization is often a (very unwanted)
side effect of a flooding attempt 2 , resulting in a puppy
that is even less tolerant of restraint and handling. the dog, likely in the home) is different from that of a hold in
puppy class, so direct extrapolation is not appropriate. However,
it is a starting point to consider potential ramifications of
holding one’s dog against their will. It’s also important to
remember that our good intention (a “good-for-you” training
exercise versus a punisher) does not necessarily mean the dog’s
perception will be positive.
Consider your dog’s emotions first, always.
Behavior is secondary.
It’s critical to respect the dog’s personal space, physical
needs, and emotions. In fact, the focus of behavior
modification is to cultivate positive emotions so the
dog is physically and mentally able to exhibit what we
consider desirable behavior 3,4 . Building predictability
and controllability into training situations and daily
life is a central tenet of my approach to working with
serious fear, anxiety, and aggression. Holding down
your dog until he stops squirming is the opposite of
anything empowering and respectful, and certainly
builds no positive affect into the learned behavior. Dr.
Susan Friedman summarizes all of these effects in her
article “What’s wrong with this picture? Effectiveness
is not enough.” The human end of the leash matters.
Certainly, there are some dogs that get through the Puppy Hold
and are “just fine” – so what’s the harm? Like every training
exercise, the Puppy Hold isn’t just about the dog, it is also about
the human. Everything we teach in puppy class becomes a part of
the client’s approach to interacting with their dog: the “lifestyle”
as Dr. Friedman phrases it.
“When an animal’s attempts to escape aversive events are
blocked they tend to give up trying even when their power
to escape is restored. This phenomenon, called learned
helplessness, has been replicated with a wide variety of
animal species... Response blocking is associated with
additional pathological effects such as depression, learning
deficits, emotional problems and suppressed immune
system activity. An animal’s functional behavior is made
ineffective whenever we ignore its fears, force it to go
where it resists going, and coerce it to do things against its
will… When a lack of control becomes a life-style, it may
result in the aberrant behaviors dogs do such as excessive
barking, repetitive licking, and phobic behavior. 5 ”
We don’t have data on the specific effect of Puppy
Holds on development of future behavior problems,
so the next best thing is to review what we do know
and use this to inform a working theory. We do
know that in a survey of training methods and their
outcomes, researchers found that dogs who were “alpha
rolled” responded with aggression in 31 percent of
observations 6 . The context here (human “punishing”
26
Building Better Trainers Through Education
What did I teach my students when I coached the Puppy Hold?
• They should ignore their puppy’s requests for space and signs
of distress.
• Physically dominating their puppy is an appropriate training
method.
• It is expected they “make their puppy behave,” rather than
choose a more appropriate situation and develop a stepwise
training plan.
Most trainers who advocate for the use of positive reinforcement
techniques would stand with me that these three points above
are contrary to their goals and methods. These same, dedicated
trainers do fabulous daily work to improve the communication
and relationship between their human and canine students—and
a second look at the Puppy Hold reveals it is not in alignment
with their values. When we teach the Puppy Hold, not only do we
trainers run the risk of short-term damage to the bond between
client and puppy, the greater damage may be in the lasting effects
of this overall approach to training. In contrast, when we build
our training foundations on the concept of consent, our positive
impacts can be exponential, as Kate Anders described in “A
Butterfly Effect” for the Winter 2017 Chronicle of the Dog.
I can’t fault trainers for teaching the Puppy Hold because that’s
what we learned from revered senior lecturers and experts. But
as we learn more, we have an imperative to turn a critical eye
upon every training exercise we use, including the Puppy Hold.
Professional trainers need to periodically evaluate if their training
is progressive, dog-centered, and matches their ethics.