How to use the Hierarchy of Dog Needs and The Do No Harm Dog Training and Behavior Handbook in your practice and business

There is a cry for help from shelter facilities to veterinary offices for a new framework on how to successfully modify behavior without causing physical or psychological harm to our dogs. The Do No Harm Dog Training and Behavior Handbook answers the call. This book illustrates how specific needs and Force-free training methods are inherently connected, opening the door to conversations with other pet professionals and with clients elucidating how you can inspire other professionals to invest in a total program of care and training. By design, this handbook encourages collaboration between Force-free pet professionals to refer to and support other force-free professionals in order to achieve optimal well-being for the whole dog. The Hierarchy of Dog Needs (HDN) has been used in speaker presentations at veterinary conferences as well as in lectures in local humane societies and pet expos.

Developing training plans 
The Do No Harm Handbook identifies the primary, secondary, and other problems affecting the dog and guides the path of assessment, treatment and training. It assesses and accounts for both dog and client needs when the pet professional or pet parent creates a comprehensive training plan. This handbook also provides an outline for both class and private consulting training guides.

Increasing cash flow 
Review the Hierarchy of Dog Needs infographic with the client and take notes about problem areas, which guides them to uncovering training needs. Compiling the training topic into a Things To Do List will set the training focus on the specific needs of the client and the dog. Each topic on the Hierarchy of Dog Needs is covered in detail in Part 1 of the handbook.

Working up the pyramid, The Hierarchy of Dog Needs can help the pet professional and the client identify unmet needs, undermet needs and any additional areas of special interest or concern. Working down the list of training methods on the left side of the pyramid, consultants can outline how needs and behavioral issues will be addressed. Details explaining each method are also covered in Part 1. The other parts of the handbook contain the applications of these methods for specific use. These methods may be used in any order or combination. In this manner, the pet professional may establish the required number of sessions needed for a comprehensive approach in addressing the underlying motivations for problem behaviors and identifying the various contexts where problem behaviors are occurring.

Practical use for dog-related professionals

The Do No Harm Handbook is designed for both media use and treatment development by pet professionals such as:

Media

• Speaking engagements

• Social media groups

• Virtual training

• Blogs

• Websites

• TV spots

• Webinars

• Podcasts

Pet Professionals

• Veterinary behaviorists

• Allopathic, progressive, integrative, and holistic veterinarians

• Veterinary technicians and assistants

• Pet chiropractic and acupressure specialists

• Manners trainers

• Agility trainers

• Working dog trainers

• Service dog trainers

• Therapy dog trainers
  • T-touch practitioners

• Pet therapists

• Dog walkers

• Pet sitters

• Gentle groomers

• Rescue group directors, staff and volunteers
  • Animal shelter management and employees

• Foster pet parents

• Responsible breeders

• Dog daycare operators

• Pet store owners

• Pet food manufacturers and distributors

• Pet photographers

Examples for using the Hierarchy of Dog Needs

Examples for Pet Professionals 
Below find examples of the many ways various professionals can use the Do No Harm Dog Training Handbook:

Examples for speakers 

The Do No Harm Handbook may be used as a guide for explaining either very specific issues mentioned in the Hierarchy, Force-free training methods, or both, during speaker, lecture, or other format of presentation. Each section is a possible standalone topic of discussion tailored to the interest of a sub-population of dog lovers. For example, one topic of interest is the need for proper Temperature Control (Chapter 1) to avoid hyperthermia in the summer, and hypothermia in winter. A speaker for a bully breed rescue group could easily create a presentation on brachycephalic airway obstruction from the need for Air section. [Linda Michaels, M.A. Psychology will be planning speaking tours based upon the Do No Harm Dog Training and Behavior Handbook].

Examples for pet bloggers and TV interviews
The topics in the Do No Harm Handbook and the Hierarchy of Dog Needs make excellent blog material. Force-free advocates can easily use the HDN when explaining dog needs and Do No Harm Force-free training during television spot presentations.
[Please send your credited related blogs and spots to LindaPositively@gmail.com so they may be promoted in the Do No Harm Dog Training Facebook group and possibly on the Hierarchy of Dog Needs website.]

Examples for classes and private consultations 

Classes

• Do No Harm Management and Best Force-free Practices methods illustrated by the Hierarchy of Dog Needs can be the segue laying a foundation for Force-free training

• Develop a Class Lesson Guide using the Do No Harm Dog Training Handbook as a foundation. Training Techniques, and Trainer “Secrets”, explained in Chapters 15 and 16, such as Capturing, Luring, Shaping, Linking, and Real-life Reinforcement, may be taught as part of Force-free Training Needs, Chapter 5. Alternatively, Force-free best practices may be explained in the context of teaching Name Response, Sit, Down, Wait/Stay and Leash-walking in Basic Skills, Chapter 17. Trainers who teach classes may rearrange the topic material plus teach a Basic Skill in each class.

• Refer to The Hierarchy of Dog Needs throughout your lessons with clients emphasizing the importance of meeting needs and learning Force-free methods. The goal is empowering clients to use Force-free methods for problem-solving when training issues arise and you are not there to guide them.

Private consultations

• Review the HDN during the first consulting session. Assess training needs and the methods you will be using from the Force-free training methods chart on the left side of the hand-out. Take notes on your master copy.

• Private consultants can identify behavioral problems needing attention in Part 4 – When Things Go Wrong in Chapters 18-23. Develop treatment plans and decide which Basic Skills are missing from a family’s repertoire in effectively helping the troubled dog and client

• Address the needs and topics you feel competent and comfortable teaching. Many clients want recommendations on Nutrition and Exercise, for example. A conversation on Emotional Needs and Trust often reveals fearful or aggressive behavior a qualified behavior consultant may need to address. A discussion on Social Needs/Attachment may uncover a separation/attachment issue or disorder associated with pet parents, or with other dogs in the family

• Create a poster of The Hierarchy of Dog Needs for your facility or classroom wall. You may have a print company create an unaltered, uncropped (AS IS) poster. Print-ready files are available to Force-free advocates

• Use the Hierarchy of Dog Needs as a handout or include a copy in training packets. For example, consultants may include the information provided in the Gentle Grooming sections to help the client’s dog learn to tolerate and even enjoy grooming

• Address problem behavior by following the strategies in When Things Go Wrong section, Chapter 18 with Differential Reinforcement, Counter-conditioning, and Desensitization methods sections found in Chapter 5, Force-free Training Needs.

Examples for veterinarians

As the primary contact professionals, veterinarians are in a position to make the greatest impact on the physical and psychological well-being of the dogs under their loving care.

Veterinarians are encouraged to share the Hierarchy of Dog Needs with colleagues, patients, trainers, and in speaking engagements, such as seminars for veterinary conferences.

Examples for rescues and shelters

• Adopted dogs

Add a copy of the Hierarchy of Dog Needs infographic into the take-home packet with each newly adopted dog and puppy 

• Kennels

Post a laminated copy of the Hierarchy infographic on the gate to each and every kennel as a reminder to everyone who enters of how to use Force-free handling and training techniques making your shelter truly dog-friendly 

• Staff and foster parents

Insert a copy of the Hierarchy of Dog Needs infographic in the guidance packet for each foster parent

Examples for groomers

Gentle Grooming is one of the Biological Needs, Chapter 1. The Benefits of Grooming, Chapter 9, highlights the importance of proper hygiene, removal of fur nests that may serve as havens for bacteria, and proper nail clipping. Nail trims are necessary so long nails do not impede the walking gait or the structural functions of the spine. 

Examples for responsible breeders 

Provide a copy of the Hierarchy of Dog Needs infographic in the educational and guidance packets of each new pet parent.

Future directions in research, law, and the role of celebrities

The time has come to chart a new course. Do No Harm principles and ethics are fast becoming the gold standard of care throughout the field of dog training. We urge scientists, legislators, and celebrities, in taking an unequivocal stance against the physical and psychological harm our dogs suffer, thus pioneering the cultural change needed to create a truly dog-friendly society. Progressive zoos and sanctuaries, worldwide, have entirely moved away from using punitive and other aversive methods, even when working with large and potentially dangerous animals.

Dog bites are a serious and growing public safety issue and it is well-documented in scientific literature that inflicting pain is frequently a cause of aggressive behavior. Bite incidents may result from the direct administration of shock (Polsky, 2000). Aggression is not the only emotional disturbance stemming from punitive and aversive training methods. According to an article in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior, Good Trainers: How to Identify One (Overall et al, 2006), investigators placed shock collars, prong collars and choke collars at the top of the list of equipment that causes anxiety, fear and arousal, which often contributes to an increase in aggression.

Canine research scientists are encouraged to take a leadership role on the ethical treatment of companion animals. Evidence illustrates there is no place for shock, prong, choke or other aversive variables in companion animal research. The rationale against the use of shock and positive punishment is well established in scientific literature. Dr. Karen Weigle (2019), clinical psychologist, affiliated with the University of New Hampshire spoke out on shock saying, “This has gone on for this long because this is a population who cannot adequately speak for themselves.” Who will speak for the dogs? If not us, who? If not now, when? Professional positions opposing the use of aversives in dog training are based on both a sophisticated academic grasp of the neurochemical and behavioral mechanisms at play, as well as a desire to promote animal welfare in a civilized world (Michaels, 2015, May). The hallmarks of leadership in science highlight the detrimental effects that painful devices and practices have on our companion animals. The advent of the Pet Professional Guild (PPG) gives medical professionals, research scientists, and other pet professionals a clear option for affiliation with an international, science-oriented organization. PPG members subscribe to No Shock, No Pain, No Choke, No Fear, No Pain and No Physical Force in dog training.

Scientists may readily design research studies that do no harm, supporting instrumental and necessary steps that lead to a ban on shock devices used with pet dogs. For example, a survey using the extensive Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ) database (Serpell, 2020a), or a separately designed survey, exploring the co-relational relationship between shock training and bites would be of practical value to scientists, animal welfare advocates, trainers and the public. A survey study based upon a collection of statistics from veterinarians on the injuries and deaths from choke and prong collars would inform and illustrate the true extent of the problem using these devices found in scholarly journal literature.

Scientific presentations have real world impact on audiences and, moreover, on our companion animals. Knowledgeable pet professionals from an array of dog-related fields often incorporate these scientific interpretations into their practices, guiding them to follow the gold standards in the industry. New evidence-based practices can be the driving force in social commitment to legislated animal welfare policies and the subsequent enforcement of sanctions prohibiting intentional harm to dogs in cultures, worldwide. Scientists who adopt a clear and ethical stand on dog handling and training will drive social change and help shape laws governing animal welfare legislation. Our governmental representatives will look closely at what scientists have to say about shock, prong, choke and dominance training practices. The adaptation of science into law can put to rest unwarranted justification of the use of painful devices and training methods.

Celebrity impact on cultural change is a powerful and a much needed force for good. The dog-loving celebrity community can be leading spokespersons for Do No Harm training methods, affecting the well-being of dogs across the globe with just a few, clear and well-spoken words about dog training methods. Employing Force-free dog trainers and encouraging the production of truly dog-friendly television shows and films will further endear fans to stars and their pets.

Together our commitment to improving animal welfare laws, and regulations based upon dog-friendly ethics can bring about a sea change in dog training that is long overdue. Strengthening our animal welfare laws, increasing penalties for dog abuse and neglect, and developing regulation in the field of dog training ensures trainer competency and a “do no harm” ethic for dog-related activities. This will accomplish our collective goal. It is incumbent upon all of us to take a clear and unwavering stand on these issues by adopting a Force-free ideology concerning the care and welfare of our dogs. It is understood that science cannot take a stand… but scientists can.

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