Dog Training Methods are Linked to Wider Beliefs about Animals
New research investigates the ethics orientations to animals that are associated with higher or lower use of positive reinforcement in dog training.
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| Photo: Carina Svardal/Shutterstock |
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Why are some people more drawn to one style of dog training over another? It’s an important question because we know that reward-based methods are better for dogs than methods like shock and prong collars, which have risks for dogs’ welfare. New research published in Anthrozoös looks at the relationship between dog training methods and wider ethical beliefs about animals amongst dog guardians in the US.
For example, if you think that dogs are sentient beings, and that non-human animals are just as important as humans, does that mean you are less likely to use punishment-based training methods? According to this study, the answer is yes. But interestingly, it doesn’t necessarily mean you will only use positive reinforcement; that is associated with an animal protection view that animals should be treated humanely and have a good quality of life.
Prof Peter Sandøe and Tracy Weber, two of the authors of the study, told me.
“What we have measured are not the moral qualities of our respondents in the normal meaning of the word, but their views about the moral status of non-human animals. These views range from “anthropocentrism”, which is the view that it is always acceptable to use animals for human goals, to “animal rights”, according to which animals matter as much and have the same rights as humans.
“We looked whether there are correlations between holding these views and the propensity to use methods of training dogs ranging from high use of physical correction to almost exclusive use of positive training. And we found some clear correlations. For example, those scoring high on anthropocentrism were more likely to use physical correction and less likely to exclusively use positive training. Conversely those scoring high on animal rights were less likely to use physical correction.”
These are really interesting findings that show links between choice of training methods and wider views about animals.
Dog training information and methods
75% of people in the study had been to a dog training class. The most common sources of information about dog training were:
- dog trainer (91%)
- practical experience (80%)
- books, magazines, or internet articles (77%)
- common sense/already knew (61%)
- friends, family, and acquaintances (33%)
86% used treats or toys as positive reinforcement at least some of the time, and 97% used praise. 46% used verbal and/or physical corrections at least some of the time. A third said that they never used physical corrections, and 18% used positive training methods only.
Ethical orientations and dog training
The results showed that the use of positive reinforcement training methods was higher amongst those who scored highly for animal protection, meaning that they think animals need looking after in a humane way. Use of positive reinforcement was lower if people scored highly for anthropocentrism. Animal rights and lay utilitarian views turned out not to be linked to use of positive reinforcement.
Meanwhile, the use of physical corrections was higher amongst those who had higher anthropocentric scores, whereas it was lower amongst those with higher animal protection or animal rights orientations.
This is the first study to investigate this, but the results tie in with an earlier study of dog parenting style (Herwijnen et al 2020). Although that study used different questionnaires, it found links between parenting style (which to some extent relate to training methods) and wider views about animals. In particular, a dominionistic approach—which has some similarity with an anthropocentric one, in that both see humans as more important than non-human animals—is linked to an authoritarian dog parenting style. This kind of dog parenting style often involves the use of verbal or physical “corrections’.
How they did the study
The scientists compared two main training methods: positive reinforcement and positive punishment. People were asked to say how they had trained 4 different behaviours: coming when called; loose leash walking; not jumping on people; and not stealing food (or other items). The inclusion of two positive and two negative things here was deliberate.
Ethical orientations to animals were assessed using a scale that identified people according to 4 different approaches. You can read more about the ethical orientations to animals here.
Participants were recruited via Facebook posts in 36 different dog-oriented groups. Purebred dogs—and especially German Shepherds—made up a larger part of the sample than is found in the US overall. The large number of German Shepherds is thanks in part to many members of a Schutzhund group being willing to complete the survey.
The topic of dog training is quite polarized in the US, and quite a few people abandoned the survey part-way through. Some of them left comments on Facebook where the link to the study was shared, and two groups where it was shared decided to delete the link to study. Comments suggest a range of reasons, such as objections to the list of punishment-based training methods (including claims that some of them were humane but others were animal abuse).
Of course, taking part in a research study is entirely voluntary, but this shows just how difficult conversations about training methods have become. It suggests that future research on choice of dog training methods will need to take a careful approach. A discourse analysis of what people say about such research studies when they are shared on Facebook could be interesting!
Summary
The study shows a clear link between people’s choice of dog training method and their ethical stance on animals. It seems that people are more willing to use punishment to train dogs if they also believe that humans are more important than hon-human animals. This is a fascinating study that will be of interest to anyone who cares about animal welfare.
If you'd like to know more about dog training methods, including tips on how to train reactive and fearful dogs, check out my book Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog.
References
van Herwijnen, I. R., van Der Borg, J. A., Naguib, M., & Beerda, B. (2020b). Dog-directed parenting styles mirror dog owners’ orientations toward animals. Anthrozoös, 33(6), 759-773.
Weber, T., Lund, T. B., Forkman, B., McPeake, K., Meyer, I., & Sandøe, P. (2026). Dog Owners’ Use of Training Methods and Their Ethical Stance on the Treatment of Animals. Anthrozoös, 39(1), 41–64. https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2025.2597086
