You Have to Read Dog Trainers’ Websites Closely, Study Says

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Dog training isn’t regulated—and you have to read websites closely to spot aversive trainers, according to research published in Anthrozoös. The study also shows that positive reinforcement trainers are more likely to have a certification and more likely to be female than trainers who use aversives.

It matters because studies have shown that aversive methods—such as shock collars, prong collars, and leash corrections—pose risks to dogs’ welfare (e.g. Ziv, 2017; Vieira de Castro et al 2020). The scientists studied the training philosophies of 100 dog trainers, after identifying the top 10 trainers (as per positive Yelp reviews) in 10 cities across the United States including Atlanta, Boston, New York City, and San Francisco.

If dog guardians can’t easily identify the methods used by dog trainers from their websites, it’s a problem.

Anamarie Johnson, Ph.D. candidate at Arizona State University and one of the authors of the study, told me:

“More work needs to be done by practicing trainers to make their field more accessible to those that benefit from their work. By describing basic learning principles behind proprietary and confusing language, owners may be at a loss to what training really involves and what to look out for. Given that many of the trainers in this sample did not provide solid information to their education background yet were highly sought after and rated by owners, there continues to be a lack of awareness by owners that they should hold trainers to higher expectations just like they do for their hair stylists.

Connected with this, trainers also need to hold themselves and others accountable and push for at least minimum education or experience requirements to practice. This goal for education and experience should go beyond differing methodologies; the more basic education trainers have, the better awareness trainers can have for the owners and animals they work with.”

Decoding dog training philosophies

Dog trainers typically describe their training methods on their websites. The scientists analyzed these training philosophies to identify the words and phrases used by trainers to indicate different methods. Because 56 percent were ambiguous, they also looked at the tools used and at reviews. They classified the trainers as non-aversive (i.e. reward-based) or aversive. 55 percent of the trainers were classed as aversive, meaning they used aversive methods at least some of the time.

The results showed that some words or phrases were pretty much only used by one kind of trainer, and never or rarely by the other. The exception was sometimes when a non-aversive trainer mentioned that they did not use a particular method. Aversive trainers sometimes described a “balanced approach” while non-aversive trainers wrote about positive reinforcement. Some words were used by both types of trainers but in different ways; for example, when aversive trainers referred to “tools” they meant concrete things like shock collars, whereas non-aversive trainers more often used this word to describe skills or knowledge that the dog’s guardian would develop.

Some phrases seem to always indicate an aversive trainer: electronic or e-collar, pack leader, and mother nature. And phrases that indicated a non-aversive trainer were shock collar (as in, they don’t use them) and science. The words “electronic” and “shock” give different impressions of the same device.

Research shows that shock collars pose risks to dogs’ welfare and are potentially less effective than reward-based training methods (Cooper et al, 2014; China et al, 2020). The American College of Veterinary Behaviorists and the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior both recommend against the use of aversive methods. References to pack leader and mother nature are based on outdated ideas (after all, you aren’t a dog) and are typically linked to aversive methods. Modern approaches include the idea that dogs’ happiness (i.e. good welfare) is important.

Most trainers in the study (66 percent) did not include any evidence of either education or certification in their training philosophy. This shows that even when people go to some of the most popular dog trainers, they are likely to get people with no certification.

Women were more likely than men to have a dog training certification (e.g. from CCPDT, IAABC, or PPAB). A limitation is that the scientists only looked at the head trainer and could only ascertain gender from their website, so the results don’t necessarily reflect people’s gender identity or the whole team. But these results are in line with other studies (See gender roles, dominance, and caring for pets).

Choose a dog trainer carefully

These results will confirm what many reward-based trainers already suspect, but it’s helpful to be able to put figures on the lack of certification and to know which words to look out for when searching for a good dog trainer. (You can also read about what to look for in my book, Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy).

This study shows how important it is for dog trainers to list their education and certification on their website to help people identify reward-based trainers. The paper notes that some certifications are available in aversive methods, so clarity is essential.

The results also show how important it is for dog guardians to learn more about dog training and behavior, and that more accessible resources are needed. When dog trainers don’t have clear descriptions or are using the same words despite different training methods, it’s hard for ordinary people to work out what they mean. Always ask a dog trainer what methods they will use to train your dog—and if the answer isn’t that they will use food, look very closely at what they will do. As attorney and dog trainer Kristin Lucey puts it, when hiring a dog trainer:

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“a deeper dive might be needed to ensure both that the company will treat your dog humanely and that its trainers are knowledgeable about scientifically-sound dog training principles.”

This study suggests that a lack of credible information about a dog trainer’s education is a warning sign that they might not be using modern training methods.