How to Act Professionally in Canine Behaviour Work

Being professional with dogs means preventing conflict—laying the foundations so conflict never arises

By Anders H. Davidsen
SAHD – Centre for Behaviour and Mentality

Foreword

Skill in bringing up dogs is not about controlling conflicts, but preventing them. By understanding the dog’s natural need for structure, security and predictability, a competent professional can create an environment in which conflicts do not arise. The reactive approach often emphasised in dog trainers’ advice can in many cases reinforce the problem over time. Instead of managing the symptoms of conflict, the focus should be on building a social structure that reduces uncertainty and gives the dog a sense of security. Effective dog education is deeply grounded in behavioural theory and practical experience, and requires a holistic approach in which understanding the dog’s communication and emotions is central. In this way, lasting change can be achieved, unlike short-term solutions that merely suppress behaviour in the moment.

In dog circles, it is widely believed that the ability to handle conflict demonstrates competence. Controlling a challenging dog, calming an escalated situation or diverting attention in a demanding context are often regarded as indicators of skill.

This understanding is problematic, however, because it emphasises managing symptoms rather than understanding causes. Reacting to a conflict after it has occurred may create an illusion of control, but says little about one’s ability to prevent the situation from arising in the first place.

Research over several decades has shown that preventive work is far more effective, through understanding dogs’ natural communication patterns and emotional regulation. As early as the beginning of the 2000s, Lindsay (2001) pointed to the importance of proactive strategies for avoiding conflict, based on dogs’ need for social structure and clear signals. Later, Overall (2013) further strengthened this perspective by documenting how security and predictability significantly reduce conflict levels.

More recent studies have further developed this understanding, showing how reactive methods such as distraction and physical control often reinforce problem behaviour rather than resolve it (Blackwell et al., 2008; Herron et al., 2009). Taken together, this research makes clear that competence does not lie in “putting down” a conflict, but in creating conditions in which it never arises.

Competence should therefore not be defined by the ability to handle a conflict after the fact, but rather by the ability to establish predictability and security that make the conflict unnecessary. This requires a deep understanding of the dog’s needs and social dynamics, unlike short-term measures that address symptoms alone.

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In modern behavioural science, preventive approaches are well documented as being far more effective than reactive measures when it comes to dogs’ handling of conflict. Research shows that the foundation for security and stable behaviour in dogs is closely connected to predictability, social structure and clear communication (Horowitz, 2009; Lindsay, 2001).

My own experience over nearly 30 years shows that establishing security and consistency in a dog’s everyday life is far more effective than reacting to conflicts after they have arisen.

Being skilled with dogs is therefore not only about handling conflicts—it is about establishing conditions in which conflicts do not arise. Conflict is often an indication that basic social signals have been misunderstood or ignored over time. A competent professional therefore works to create a social structure that reduces the risk of conflict, rather than continually correcting the dog’s reactions.

Proactive strategies are based on an understanding of dogs’ natural behaviour and signals. Dogs are social animals that, when secure within their social structure, naturally avoid conflict. When conflicts nevertheless arise, they are often the result of uncertainty, a lack of predictability or an inappropriate social response from the owner (Overall, 2013).

An important part of professional work with dogs is the ability to identify and understand these underlying factors, and in practice to use methods grounded in security rather than control. Long-term stability is achieved through consistency and predictability, which require both theoretical insight and practical experience.

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When conflict behaviour has become deeply ingrained in a dog, often as a result of the owner’s handling or interaction over time, a systematic and professionally grounded approach is required to break the established pattern without reinforcing it further.

Conflict behaviour in dogs is often the result of repeated patterns of interaction in which the dog learns to respond in a particular way based on previous experience. This happens when the owner reinforces the reaction unintentionally.

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Another common cause is owners listening to so-called “experts” who give advice without considering its long-term effect on the dog’s behaviour.

Examples include:

• Using treats to distract the dog from conflict situations: the dog learns that it receives a reward when it displays conflict behaviour, reinforcing the reaction.
• Using attention sounds to shift focus: although this may work in the moment, the dog learns that it can avoid conflict by getting attention in another way. This deprives the dog of the opportunity to learn appropriate patterns of association.
• Physically removing the dog from the situation: the dog perceives this as confirmation that the situation was unsafe, which may increase its fear response on later occasions.

What happens in practice?

Instead of being grounded in a correct understanding of learning theory, many of these methods are a simplification of behaviour modification. They often result from practical approaches that appear to work immediately but are not necessarily grounded in thorough behavioural analysis.

Methodological short-circuiting:

• “Experts” experience distraction as effective because the dog stops in the moment, but they fail to consider that the reward may make the behaviour more likely next time.
• They misunderstand or ignore how reinforcement actually works in context, and how emotions play a role in behavioural expression.

These methods often arise from a desire for rapid symptom control. Many such approaches are not necessarily grounded in a solid theoretical understanding of behaviour; instead, they have been passed on as “best practice” based on anecdotal experience or informal training methods.

Those who use these methods often believe they are applying principles of operant conditioning (Skinner, 1938) or classical conditioning (Pavlov, 1927), but misunderstand how learning actually works in conflict-laden situations. Instead of building security and understanding, they attempt to suppress symptoms immediately, which can unintentionally reinforce unwanted behaviour.

This methodological confusion often arises when principles of positive reinforcement or distraction are used without considering the context and the dog’s emotional state. The result is that the dog learns to use conflict behaviour as a strategy for obtaining relief or attention.

A TRULY SKILLED PROFESSIONAL makes complex situations look simple. This ability is not due to luck or coincidence, but to a solid knowledge base, extensive experience and many years of practical work and professional reflection.

Signs of competence

• In-depth knowledge of dogs’ natural behaviour: A skilled professional has a sound foundation in understanding how dogs naturally regulate conflict.
• Ability to create security through predictability: Dogs who understand what is expected in a given situation show a significantly lower risk of conflict-driven behaviour.
• An analytical approach to indicators of conflict: Being able to identify subtle signs of stress or uncertainty is essential in intervening before the situation escalates.
• Practical experience combined with theoretical understanding: The combination of theoretical insight and practical experience enables a professional to create solutions that appear simple but are in fact based on complex knowledge.

PROFESSIONAL WORK WITH DOGS is therefore not just about suppressing behaviour, but understanding why it arises and how it can be prevented. When security, structure and predictability are prioritised over treating symptoms, there is less need to correct mistakes after the fact. This requires both theoretical insight and extensive practical experience—not methods that deliver quick results and look impressive but, over time, create stable and predictable conditions. This is what distinguishes genuine competence from superficial solutions.