@nauma I agree with you that withholding food can be aversive, especially if the dog has a really low tolerance for frustration.
But, I would argue that if we are talking about tools needing to be properly fit, conditioned, and used, we should also be talking about proper use of rewards - like food - because using food correctly is in no way aversive while tools are designed to be aversive.
A magnet hand isn't supposed to have a behavior requirement from the dog. No food management system should - it's just management. The dog gets the food (via magnet hand, scatter, rapid fire treats, whatever) no matter what they are doing in the moment because the purpose of the food in those situations is to redirect and calm the dog down, not to reward any behaviors.
It's important to consider because people will say they "tried force free" and it didn't work, but when you dive deeper in most cases they weren't implementing it correctly. Like all training, it has to be done well.
But, I would argue that if we are talking about tools needing to be properly fit, conditioned, and used, we should also be talking about proper use of rewards - like food - because using food correctly is in no way aversive while tools are designed to be aversive.
A magnet hand isn't supposed to have a behavior requirement from the dog. No food management system should - it's just management. The dog gets the food (via magnet hand, scatter, rapid fire treats, whatever) no matter what they are doing in the moment because the purpose of the food in those situations is to redirect and calm the dog down, not to reward any behaviors.
It's important to consider because people will say they "tried force free" and it didn't work, but when you dive deeper in most cases they weren't implementing it correctly. Like all training, it has to be done well.