By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE
Dog training needs to become a recognized profession in order to support trainers and pet owners. Professionals and the general public should be able to turn to an organization for accountability and information. Points to consider are abuse and neglect definitions, acceptable dog trainer conduct, standardized dog training terms, defining various training tools and their use, establishing ethical training practices, etc.
I wish to share the following points from a very interesting article with Dogue Shop fans, owners and trainers alike. I believe the time has come when dog trainers and behaviour consultants must take a serious look at their "profession" to establish responsibility. At the Dogue Shop we have framed our mission statement and abide by it, this give clients an idea of what we do and what we do not do.
Please take a few minutes to read the following points and write your feedback. Dogue Shop will define these terms and display them in our establishment. I urge you to do the same.
The nine proposed core ethical principles that can be adapted to animal trainers:
1. Do No Harm - Do no harm is the ethical principle that has guided professionals in the medical profession for centuries. As animal trainers begin to look seriously at issues surrounding the use of punishment, the appropriateness of aversive procedures in certain situations, and handling animals with serious behaviour problems, “Do no harm” will be a most important ethical principle. Definitions will need to be developed for trainers to specify the meaning of “harm”. Harm is generally thought of as permanent damage or injury.
For both humans and animals, harm can be physical or psychological. In animal training, harm to animals would most likely result from inappropriate equipment or procedures or excessive use of punishment. As we begin to address principles such as do no harm, we will need to define terms such as excessive, great, as in great pain and distress, and inappropriate. Do no harm is a concept that pertains to cruelty/neglect of animals, practices causing animals great pain or distress, and the need for trainers to take into account the psychological and physical well-being of the animals in their care.
2. Respect Autonomy - Autonomy means independence or the ability to function without control by others. Ethical therapists should work hard in human settings to make their clients self-reliant. It is considered unethical for a therapist to tell a client he or she needs to continue sessions simply so the therapist will not lose income if the client is terminated.
When this concept is applied to animal training, trainers who are ethical think about making owners and their animals as independent as possible. The skills we teach the dog should result in the dog being a well-mannered, well-behaved, respected community member who is loved in a family and welcome in public settings. Teaching animal owners responsible ownership behaviours will result in all of us who are animal owners having increased independence. We want to be welcome in hotels, public parks, and other public areas, and the way to get welcomed is to have all animal owners behave responsibly. Trainers should teach owners the skills required to manage their dogs effectively in the home and community. Animal trainers should strive to make owners as self-reliant as possible when it comes to handling their own animals. This requires /that classes and lessons provide a functional curriculum for pet owners. Why focus on teaching Figure 8 when the dog will not even come to the owner when called?
On a much larger scale related to autonomy (not being controlled by others), many animal owners are affected by legislation that negatively impacts animals and their owners. Legislation in some cities discriminates against certain breeds; some locations restrict the number of dogs people can own, and other places ban dogs from public areas such as local parks. This legislation generally follows problem incidents where animal owners are not responsible. Being a part of a society means we will have rules and lose autonomy to some extent. The loss of autonomy will be even greater in settings where animal owners are not responsible.
3. Benefiting Others - Benefiting others in the animal training context means that trainers' decisions should positively affect both animals and clients. Clients are the owners of companion animals such as dogs or horses and the staff/administration of agencies such as zoos, circuses, or farms. In human settings, ethical issues are applied to the professional-to-client relationship. Ethical issues also apply to professional relationships. For example, doctors should not speak badly to their patients about another physician. In animal training, an element of ethics is added to the formula - the animal. Animal trainers must address ethical issues regarding trainer-client relationships, trainer-animal relationships, and trainer-to-trainer relationships. In all of the relationships a trainer has, whether they be with animals, clients, or other trainers, the ethical principle of benefiting others applies. Trainers should treat all animals with respect, respect colleagues and other professionals, and respect clients. Clients, whether they be the owners of pets or agency administrators, should be able to refuse methods of training with which they feel uncomfortable.
4. Be Just - Actions that are just are actions that are fair and impartial. This principle says that as animal trainers, we should treat animals and clients as we would like to be treated. Another part of being fair to clients is that they are not promised something a trainer can’t deliver. Trainers will consider the animal's physical and psychological well-being when planning behaviour programs. For example, it would not be fair to use punishment with any animal that engages in undesirable behaviour that was caused by a health problem. Ethical trainers will also refrain from giving unreasonable guarantees regarding the outcome of training.
5. Being Faithful - Being faithful in both human services and animal training settings relates to being truthful, sincere, and without intent to mislead anyone. Faithfulness with regard to ethics relates to maintaining allegiance. This allegiance can be to animals in general, an individual animal, or a client. Being faithful in professional settings also applies to confidentiality, promise-keeping, and not violating trust. An ethical trainer would not discuss one client with another client. The relationship between a trainer and a client is a fiduciary relationship, much like the relationship between a therapist and a client. Whether animal trainers are working for a pet owner or a large agency, confidentiality and the need for trainers to “respect the privacy of clients and hold in confidence all information used in the course of professional services” is an important part of being an ethical trainer.
6. Accord Dignity - Professionals in human service settings begin with the assumption that every person is worthy of respect. Expanded to animal training, every client (individual or agency) is worthy of respect, and every animal is worthy of respect. Trainers can give clients dignity by giving them strategies and procedures to use to succeed with their pets or the animals. Clients are given dignity when trainers understand their problems, needs, and the dynamics of their particular situation at a given time.
With individual pet owners, some clients have physical limitations or learning problems. A trainer who gives a client dignity will make the necessary adaptations to ensure that the client can experience success. In agency settings, it is sometimes necessary for a trainer to take into consideration the limited resources a facility may have.
Animals are given dignity when trainers recognize that each and everyone is a unique, remarkable creature. Different animals learn in different ways, and ethical trainers will identify training methods for individual animals that result in the animal having an opportunity to be successful and get reinforced for correct behaviours.
7. Treat Others With Care And Compassion - “Treating others with care and compassion” is an ethical principle applied in medical and therapy settings that can also apply to animal training. Being able to imagine oneself in the place of a frustrated, novice animal owner with a problem is one mark of an ethical trainer. Understanding that an animal is not being noncompliant, instead, he is really just very confused about what you want him to do, is an ability that is related to ethics. Understanding that a minimum wage staff person in a zoo is terrified of this out-of-control bull elephant will help a trainer work with the staff member in a more caring, effective manner.
8. Pursuit Of Excellence - In many professional settings, the pursuit of excellence relates to becoming a competent professional, supporting other professionals who are trying to become more skilled, and attempting to prevent unprofessional and unethical actions. Animal trainers who are ethical should be in constant pursuit of excellence. This means improving one's skills and helping colleagues, clients, and animals “be all they can be”. Ethical animal trainers will do their best to have an impact on the larger training community.
Still, they will not attempt to work out of the range of their own professional limitations. Ethical animal trainers strive to stay informed of the advances in animal training and maintain high standards. Trainers can read relevant material, attend conferences, workshops and seminars, and participate in other relevant forms of continuing education.
9. Accept Accountability - Accept accountability relates to considering the potential consequences of one’s actions, taking responsibility for one’s actions, and refraining from shifting the blame to others. In animal training, a person who is accountable has to accept some responsibility for both clients and animals. Owners/clients should be satisfied with the services rendered, trainers should be accountable and only take credit for their work, and trainers will work within their professional limits after assessing their skills.
Source: http://www.diamondsintheruff.com/ethics.html