Study Finds Yelling At Your Dog Can Actually Cause Them Long-Term Health Damage
Not that you should need science to know that you shouldn't yell at your dog...but according to science you shouldn't yell at your dog. If you or a friend still yells or uses shock collars to train a dog, you may find yourself being less inclined to do this after reading.
Scientists in Portugal at the Cold Spring Harbor Lab tested dogs that were trained with positive rewards (treats and pets) and aversive methods (shock collars and yelling) to see how these impacted their health. And the results are shocking.
They Studied The Stress Levels Of Two Groups Of Dogs
For the study, the researchers wanted to get definitive proof that using aversion training on dogs was actually pretty bad for them. Because the researchers, just like the rest of us, probably feel like a flaming pile of garbage when we see an owner yelling at a dog in public for not behaving.
To get an accurate answer, they tested 92 dogs from reward-based training programs and aversion-based training programs. They monitored the dogs for stress-behaviors during their normal training routines and afterward took saliva samples.
Dogs That Were Shocked And Yelled At Were More Stressed
Even though it seems obvious, the dogs that were trained by aversion methods were, on the whole, more stressed than dogs who had positive reinforcements. Which makes total sense because we've all been in gym class and had our middle-aged coaches screaming at us over volleyball so we know how badly it sucks.
The researchers reviewed video footage and saw that aversion therapy dogs had more stress-related behaviors (lip licking and yawning) while the other group acted more relaxed. They even tested the saliva for cortisol levels, a stress hormone, and found they were higher in aversion training dogs.
The Dogs Were Sad In The Long Term
After testing for the short-term stress in the animals after training, the researchers also wanted to test for long-term effects. So after each training session, they would have the dogs perform a "cognitive bias" task to see where their long-term thinking was at.
The dogs that had aversion training were more "pessimistic" in the cognitive task, which means that they're sadder and mistrusting in the long term. Which, I don't know about you, breaks my freaking heart to hear.
