What is a correction?
In the dog world, the phrase "to correct" is controversial Many dog trainers argue that there's nothing wrong with 'correcting' a dog because you're simply showing him how to be correct. I've seen entire blogs written to justify the use of the word, and its application in dog training, by referring to the root of the word "correct" - to make right. I know that I appreciate it when someone corrects my work to help me improve.
If a correction is designed to make the dog correct, why does it often look like the dog is being made sorry rather than being made right?
This reminds me of a phase in my life where saying something was "bad" really meant that it was "good". Cool. The meaning of the word changed, and only a person in a closet would have failed to notice that change. As a result, we accepted the changed word and we used the original meaning with care to avoid a misunderstanding.
Is it possible that the current meaning of the word "correct" has changed from "being made right" to "applying unpleasant consequences?" I'm talking about the dog world; not the common usage of the word (we are talking about dogs here, aren't we?).
If you cannot decide for yourself if the meaning of the word has changed, then I'd like to suggest a fairly simple test to help you get calibrated.
You'll need three things. A dog making a mistake, a trainer applying a correction, and a five year old.
While the five year old is observing, "correct" the dog for making a mistake. Then ask the child, "is the dog happy now that I showed him how to be correct?"
If the five year old looks at you like you've grown a second head, then you may wish to acknowledge that the root meaning of the word and the common usage of the word are no longer the same.
Lets call a spade a spade. A correction means to make the dog sorry so that they will perform differently the next time. If you are showing a dog how to perform correctly, then don't call it a correction. You are "showing","teaching" or "training" the dog. And if you are really trying to help the dog, then whatever you are doing should look like help to the random five year old.
Regardless of how you feel about corrections in training, isn't it better to use language that is clear and descriptive of what is really happening?
I've seen people jerk their dogs all over the place in the name of dog training. I've seen dogs cowering away from their owners and other run away in fear. I've seen dogs pee and roll on their backs as their trainer approached. I'm sure each of those individuals would say they were 'correcting' the dog, and many of them would subscribe to the usage of the word that I began with - that they were making the dog right.
I've yet to hear someone say they were abusing their dog. So, in the interest of clarity, if we are truly showing our dogs how to perform and we care how they feel about their work, we should eliminate the use of the word "correction" from our vocabularies and substitute onother, less tainted word, in it's place.
41 comments
I believe you are using the word correctly as it is currently viewed. This post had nothing to do with the ‘Rightness’ or ‘wrongness’ of corrections, nor the reasons a person might choose to use them. The point is that corrections are unpleasant.
I went to a seminar some years back given by a very accomplished trainer who believes that corrections are just about giving more information, they are not punishment. At the seminar I asked a very specific question about getting my dog to play with me. I was called up in front of the room and asked me specific questions about our history to understand our situation. But every answer I gave was wrong and each time she corrected me with how I should have answered. I was totally embarrassed standing there, not to mention I never really got an answer to my question. I subsequently observed another of her seminars, but this time I was smarter — I never raised my hand and I never asked a question. I just watched. Now when I hear somebody lament that their dog won’t try or won’t offer a behavior or is just stubborn, I think back to that seminar and how effectively I was shut down and stopped from actively participating. But I did learn a very important lesson that day about the power of corrections.
I have never believed the word ‘correction’ to be a negative, though some trainers would have you think so. If a teacher corrects a paper, they are showing the student where they made a mistake. Nothing more, nothing less. If I correct a dog, I am showing the dog that one way is ‘correct’. Granted though, many people agree that a ‘correction’ really means ‘punishment.’ In my mind, it simply means to show them the correct way.
The word correction literally sends shivers up my back. Thanks for describing this all so clearly and distinctly.
The word “correction” has definitely become a training land mine. Oddly enough, I feel like the current meaning of the word has changed FROM “applying unpleasant consequences” TO “being made right," just the opposite of how you’re viewing it. Maybe it depends on the area where we live and train? I like Marcia’s idea of “feedback.” That implies help and information delivered in a constructive way that helps the dog make the right decision without the threat of pain or fear. I’d like to think that’s what we’re all striving for, no matter what we call it.