We hear terms such as “force free”, more and more within the pet service industry. In some cases it’s merely used as an advertising gimmick, but when applied right it will increase the well-being of the pet worked with and cared for. At Paw Pals, we strictly use methods that don’t involve pain, fear, or force, when handling, caring for, and training pets. So let’s have a closer look at what it exactly means when we say this, and what that looks like in practice.
What is Force Free?
Before we can define force free, we need to define what force is. Force, in physics, is described as an influence that can cause an object to change its velocity. In simple terms, force is a push or pull on an object that results in it changing its position or speed. When we apply this to our pets, in more extreme forms this could look like pushing a dog to the ground, or shoving an unwilling cat into their carrier. But also more gentle movements, such as leading a dog by their collar, can technically be considered force.
However, when we speak of force free training, handling, and pet care, that is often not the definition of force meant and used. We at Paw Pals follow the guiding principles of the Pet Professional Guild, which is an organisation that represents pet industry professionals who are committed to science and result based force free pet care and training. In line with this, we follow their guiding principles, and they state that their organisation uses the following definition of force “any intentional physical act against a pet that causes psychological or physical pain, harm or damage to the pet.”
So when using force free methods, you train, handle, or take care of any pet without using fear, or force that results in psychological or physical pain, and work with positive reinforcement only. Force free handling and training uses humane techniques to instill positive behaviour.
As Husein once beautifully said about force free training: “rewarding the behaviors you want rather than punishing the ones you do not want. It is encouraging the dog to get it right as opposed to punishing him every time he gets it wrong. It is helping him to understand what is required of him, and then reinforcing that behavior so that he is happy to repeat it. It is not punishing him for getting it wrong and making him worried about doing it wrong again.” (Husein, 2006).
Why choose force free methods?
When pets interact with us, they look for connection and trust. Using force free methods will build a strong connection with your pet through trust. Your pet will be happy, without fear of pain and/or discomfort. Instead, they will be relaxed and enjoy training and working with you. They will become confident and well-balanced. When we use force free training methods with our pets, they will work and have long-lasting results because your pet will enjoy what he or she is doing. While other methods may lead to faster results, they can result in different behaviour difficulties such as fear and anxiety, and/or damage the pet/owner connection.
Force free, or not?
Anything that is used with the purpose or intent to create fear, force, or pain when handling and training your pet is considered not force free. This can be:
- Verbal punishment
- Physical punishment, like yanking the lead, pinning down, flipping over, spraying with water, holding their mouth closed, throwing objects at them, etc.
- Using aversive tools such as the slip lead (soft and chain), semi slip lead, prong collar, shock collar/e-collar, citronella collar, vibration collar, and bark collars
Important note: When one first uses verbal or physical punishment or uses aversive tools, in combination with rewards, this is not considered force free.
What is positive reinforcement?
When one works with force free methods, you only use positive reinforcement, but what is this exactly? When interacting with pets, especially when training them, you work with classical and operant conditioning. Learning to associate one stimulus with another, for example connecting the sound of the clicker with receiving a treat, is classical conditioning. We speak of operant conditioning when behaviour is weakened or strengthened by the following consequences of a certain behaviour. These consequences can be divided into 4 categories.
- Positive Reinforcement
- Positive Punishment
- Negative Reinforcement
- Negative punishment
Positive in this sense doesn’t equal good, but rather that you add something to the pet’s life with the intention of increasing or decreasing a certain behaviour. While negative means you take something away with the intention of increasing or decreasing a certain behaviour.
When you want to increase the frequency of a desired behaviour we speak of reinforcement. When you want to decrease a behaviour from occurring again, it’s referred to as punishment.
Positive reinforcement
When using positive reinforcement you add something to your pets life they like to encourage them to repeat a desired behaviour. For example, you give your pet a high valued reward when they follow a command you give. You added a treat (positive) because you want them to continue following that command (reinforcement – you want the behaviour to continue).
Positive Punishment
When using positive punishment you add a stimuli disliked by your pet with the intention to stop a certain behaviour. For example, the use of a prong collar (positive – you add a pain stimulus) to stop pulling (punishment – you want the pulling behaviour to stop). Another example is spraying a cat with water when scratching furniture.
Negative reinforcement
When using negative reinforcement, you take something unpleasant away with the intention of a behaviour occurring again. For example, you want your dog to follow your lead and move into your direction and put tension on the lead. When the dog walks in your direction (reinforcement – you want the behaviour to continue), the tension (negative-added tension is unpleasant stimuli) is released.
Negative punishment
When using negative punishment, you take something your pet likes away with the intention of preventing a certain behaviour from happening again. For example, your puppy or kitten play bites and as a result you remove yourself (negative – you take something your pet likes away) from the situation with the intention that your pup or kitten will figure that when they play bite, you will leave (punishment – you want the biting behaviour to decrease).
Rewards
As seen above, force free training involves the use of high-valued rewards. Choosing the right reward for your pet is personal, as not every pet likes the same. It’s important that you choose high valued rewards. What are high valued rewards? Rewards your pet, figuratively, would kill for. For example, often you will see that dogs and cats love their “normal” treats but go mental for a piece of sausage or chicken. So, in that case, the sausage/chicken is your high valued treat. Make sure that high valued rewards stay special and don’t start giving them as routine. When choosing your rewards, there are several categories you can choose from with the most common being:
- A toy. This is mostly used for dogs, tennis balls are often considered a high valued reward.
- Food. Sausages, cheese(for dogs) and chicken are often considered high valued treats for most dogs/cats.
- A game: For example tug-o-war
- Verbal rewards
- Other: Some individual pets may have other specific things they go wild about such as pieces of clothing, a household object. Always make sure they are safe to use.
Certification
Globally, there are several initiatives that offer force free certification and memberships. Professionals can join these initiatives, often after passing strict screening and/or examination, to let customers and clients know they only use force free methods when interacting with their animal clients. Besides certification, these initiatives offer webinars, workshops, and events so members can stay up to date with the latest methods and news.
We at Paw Pals are a member of the Pet Professional Guild. By being a member of the Pet Professional Guild, we show that we support their mission and adhere to their guiding principles. The mission, vision, and guiding principles of Pet Professional Guild can be found here: The Pet Professional Guild – Guiding Principles
Force Free Training, Handling and Pet Care
At Paw Pals we only use training and handling methods that don’t involve pain, fear or force, and we work with positive reinforcement only. We prioritize building relationships with the animals we care for through trust, so they feel comfortable and happy when we work with and around them. Would you like to know more about our pet sitting, dog walking, or dog training services? Feel free to contact us.