There is a common phrase in the animal training world, especially in the horse training world, "don't let them win". This is usually said when an animal refuses to do something it has been told to do. For example, let's say there is a human walking a horse into a trailer. The horse is doing great, as it usually does, until it is about to enter the trailer, then it stops. The person pulls on the lead, and the horse pulls back. The trainer tells the person holding the lead, "don't let him win", meaning keep pulling until he does what you told him to do. They might even say, “He has been in the trailer many times; he is ‘just being stubborn’". The situation suddenly goes from a simple walk into a trailer to being only about who wins and who loses. But it doesn't have to be this way.
Training is Not War...Unless We Make It So
Sadly, we often choose to approach training (whether it is with a dog, a horse, or some other animal) like it is war. Someone wins and someone loses. But just as it happens in all wars, both sides lose in one way or another. One side might ultimately win, but they were often severely damaged in the process. In training, the human may win, but based on personal experience and hearing others’ stories, they often must compromise their beliefs to do so (e.g., "I don't want to yank on the horse’s lead rope over and over again, but that is what I am being told to do by others, so I guess I have to do it"). If we do this for long enough, we either end up being constantly uncomfortable with how we interact with animals, or we learn to develop a need to be the one that “wins”. This is not often done out of spite or a desire to hurt, but when all we focus on is power and getting things to work the way we want, others get needlessly harmed.
Training Should Be About Sharing Knowledge
When we "train" it should not be a power grab. It should be a knowledge exchange. A knowledge exchange, in terms of “training”, needs three things: communication, education, and collaboration. Let's go back to the example of a horse refusing to follow someone on lead into a trailer. Start with the first word, communication. What could a horse in the situation described in our example be trying to communicate? Any time I see an animal flat out refuse to do something, especially if it was previously doing the behavior in what I would call a "normal" manner, that tells me something is wrong from the animal's point of view. In the example we are discussing, there is a huge possibility that the animal is fearful.
The next thing is education. We need to educate ourselves about the type of animal, it's breed, and the individual with which we are working. We need to ask ourselves, what would this type of animal and its breed be paying attention to in this situation? Does this individual have a negative history with something in its environment? For example, many horses dislike going into unfamiliar, enclosed spaces. Such horses will commonly stop and refuse to enter a space that goes over their head, such as a trailer. This is a very “horse” thing to do. As a prey animal, feeling enclosed is usually not something the animal likes. But if it were a different animal, like a dog, being in a cave like setting may be comforting (especially if it was bred to go into small spaces). However, the individual’s experiences in life also play a role. Going back to horses, some horses have learned to be comfortable in a trailer. So, if the handler is dealing with an individual horse who is known to be comfortable in a trailer, but it refuses to enter one, then there is something else bothering the horse, something the horse finds very important. This concept applies to all animals. If an animal refuses to do something, they probably have a very good reason.
The third thing is collaboration. This is the part where many people need to give up control and power. The animal is telling the handler something that it finds important. In our example of the horse entering a trailer on lead, the horse is most likely trying to communicate to the handler that something is making it feel unsafe. Responding to the horse’s actions based on a hypothesis that the horse is afraid, the handler would need to let the horse back way and take a breath. Then the handler should let the horse help the handler discover what the horse dislikes or fears. The handler could take the horse on a walk around the space so it can see things from multiple angles, all the while watching how the horse responds. The handler needs to absorb the information or “knowledge” that the animal offers, then use it to help the animal learn from what the handler knows (this could be the handler finding a way to communicate “this space is safe” or “Oh I see what you mean, let me show you the shiny thing and help you understand that it will not hurt you”). Think of it like a simple conversation. When the animal talks, the person listens. When the human talks, the animal listens, and the two go back and forth. But remember, part of collaboration is the willingness to follow through and do as the other requests. If the animal asks the handler to stop telling it to approach something, the handler should stop telling it to approach that something. Stop and have a conversation.
Closing Thoughts
Training is not war. If it is, we are doing it wrong. Training is a knowledge exchange. It is where we take what we know and teach it to someone else. In this case an animal. While there are times where we do not have the opportunity to stop and talk things through (usually due to immediate safety concerns) that is not training, it is management. Learning will still take place during management, but “training” is an opportunity for “structured learning” to take place. And to do it right, one needs communication, education, and collaboration. Those words are what training is about. Those three words can be put into action and carry with them an exchange of knowledge, back and forth, between two or more individuals. And if done right, can result in new behaviors learned in a manner that is enjoyable for both the handler and the learner. So, the next time training happens with you and an animal, remember to communicate, educate, and collaborate.
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