CCPDT Policies, Practices, and Ethics Flashcards
(37 cards)
What is the Humane Hierarchy?
An order of procedures for humane and effective practices to guide decision-making during dog training and behavior modification.
A cautionary tool to reduce both dogmatic rule following and practice by familiarity or convenience. It offers an ethical checkpoint to carefully consider the process by which effective outcomes can be most humanely achieved on a case-by-case basis. (LIMA policy)
Steps of Humane Hierarchy
- Wellness (health, nutrition, and physical environment)
- Manage antecedents
- Positive reinforcement and classical conditioning
- Management of unwanted behavior, consult another professional
- Differential reinforcement of alternative behavior
- Extinction, negative punishment, or negative reinforcement
- Start over or positive punishment
(combined steps from LIMA policy and Application of the Humane Hierarchy Position Statement)
Health, nutritional, and physical factors
Refer potential medical, nutritional, or health factors to a vet. Be ready and willing to discuss your observations with their vet, but do not attempt to diagnose.
Address dog’s physical environment and any potential impacts on health, nutrition and physical condition.
Arranging antecedents
Manipulate the environment to prevent an unwanted behavior. Redesign setting events, change motivations, and add or remove discriminative stimuli (cues) for the problem behavior. (LIMA policy)
Don’t let learners practice bad habits. This also makes it easier to teach wanted behavior in the future. Set up the dog and handler for success!
Positive reinforcement
R+
Deliver reinforcement for a desirable behavior and making the right choice.
Such reward must be of a higher value to the dog than the reinforcement the dog has received for unwanted behavior.
Classical conditioning
Changes the dog’s association with an aversive stimulus while presenting the aversive stimulus at a sub-threshold intensity.
***This is classical counter-conditioning.
Manage or live with behavior
Cease modification techniques and implement a management plan.
Consult another professional
Consult another professional such as a dog trainer, veterinarian or behaviorist for additional advice.
Negative punishment
P-
Withdraw a positive reinforcer when the undesirable behavior occurs to reduce the probability that the behavior will occur in the future.
Extinction
Withhold reinforcement of a previously reinforced behavior with the goal of extinguishing the behavior or reduce it to baseline levels. (LIMA policy)
Negative reinforcement
R-
Withdraw an aversive stimulus when the desired behavior occurs in order to increase the probability that the behavior will occur in the future.
Take away something they don’t like in order to get behavior that you want more.
Positive punishment
P+
The last resort.
Deliver an aversive consequence in response to the undesirable behavior in order to reduce the probability that the behavior will occur in the future.
Examples include spritz or spray with water, standing on a leash for self-administered collar corrections. Return to R+ at the first opportunity.
Dog Training and Behavior Intervention Practices (CCPDT Public Policy Statement)
Aversive practices that can in no way be considered humane or sound by scientific standards.
Electronic training collar
aka e-collar
A collar that is used in a mode that causes electrical stimulation to pass through any part of the dog’s body.
Helicoptering
The act of lifting the dog off the ground and, either holding it off the ground OR swinging the dog off the ground by the collar or leash for any period of time.
Helicoptering, hanging a dog, or otherwise restricting the airway of the dog in any manner is never okay. Report any certificant or candidate to CCPDT.
Pinch
Applying a pinching pressure either with the hand or with a tool of any sort, including but not limited to a cord or wire, to a toe, ear, or any other body part of the dog with the intention of causing the dog to perform or to cease a behavior.
Don’t ever do this.
Drowning
The submersion of a dog’s head in water for any period of time. This is never acceptable, and is a reportable offense.
Pulling up on collar, leash, or scruff
CPDTs are prohibited from purposely lifting a dog by the collar, leash, or scruff such that two or fewer of the dog’s legs remain on the ground.
When does the CCPDT allow for the use of e-collars?
Only after exhausting alternative intervention strategies per LIMA practices. This is deep within the last resort step of positive punishment in the Humane Hierarchy.
What are ways that an e-collar should never be used, under any circumstances?
Applying more than one electronic training collar to a dog at the same time, or applying it to the genital region or abdomen area of the dog.
Is the use of a cattle prod approved for behavior modification?
WTF? No.
LIMA
Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive
A set of humane and effective tactics likely to succeed in changing behavior. Requires the trainer to acquire and maintain both the knowledge and skills needed to ensure that the LIMA practice is used.
LIMA competency-based requirements
- increase the use of R+
- eliminate the use of P+ with both human and animal learners
- continuing education in animal behavior and training
- hands-on experience
- recognize the boundaries of your own competencies and experience, and do not advise beyond them
What learner behaviors are reduced by consistently applied R+ training methods?
Positive reinforcement is associated with the lowest incidence of aggression, attention seeking, avoidance, and fear in learners.
