Has anyone else noticed this?

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@ked91 It definitely can be the case. The same is true for balanced trainers when talking about +R only/FF trainers. I fell into that when I was starting. The truth is that are loads of trainers and philosophies that we can all learn something from, and I haven't ran into one that I completely agree with 100% yet.

Take what you like and leave what you don't. I think the training community across the board would benefit from open, respectful discussion across philosophies compared to the almost dogmatic tribalism present in some.

 

[tashi]

@ked91 Some of the dumbest conversations I’ve ever had were with R+ trainers.

 

[ked91]

@tashi i wouldn’t accuse R+ trainers of being dumb. there are lots of very good ones it’s just frustrating when the community as a whole has a tendency to be very judgmental of those who use aversives

 

[tashi]

@ked91 i wouldn’t accuse R+ trainers of being dumb.

...I didn't.

 

[bprice]

@ked91 Force free/positive reinforcement definitely has merit and I think it's where dog training should start in most cases. However, some people take it to the level of orthodoxy, and as someone else pointed out, that gets magnified in online spaces. I think digital gatekeeping about what is and isn't allowed on a certain forum spills over into moral gatekeeping about what should and shouldn't be allowed in the world.

Also, the definition of "force" gets completely distorted to mean any physical contact that isn't affection. It seems what some force-free advocates really want is "touch-free" and I think this is unrealistic and silly. Dogs are physical creatures and there are ways to interact with them physically that are not forceful, let alone being harmful, painful, or abusive; merely a physical stimulus or sensation to make their sense of touch your training ally. In fact, that physical interaction is a way to build more trust with your dog. If you can get to a place with your dog that they can give up some physical control to you, knowing that you're not going to use that control to hurt them in any way or allow anything bad to happen to them, that's a deeper relationship. If you're using force in the traditional sense of the word, chances are you're not communicating effectively with your dog.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@ked91 People think just because it worked for their dog, or because it's works well for most dogs they train, that it is the only way to train. Everyone wants to believe that they're 100% right ask the time so even when their way doesn't work, they either deny it or just say "oh we're still working on it." Rather than just accepting that in stone cases another method works better.

It's just more told in your toolbox. You can keep using your flathead screwdriver for everything you ever do, but you're gonna have a hard time turning an Allen head screw.