Pets and Their People Blog

calm: [adjective] not showing or feeling nervousness, anger, or other strong emotions. 

Note that the dictionary definition of calm includes what a human or animal is feeling, not just the outward behaviors. Dogs are sentient beings, and research on brain activity and behavior shows clearly that they experience the same emotions that we do—they love, they fear, they seek enrichment and happiness. 

Knowing this, I was deeply disturbed by a video from a shock collar trainer, demonstrating how crate anxiety (and associated whining and pawing) can be “cured” with one of the dogs in their board and train program.

To the casual observer, the animal might appear “calm,” but what was the pet’s internal state? Most certainly not calm.

Calm Is Not a Behavior

Fact: calmness is not a behavior—it is an emotion, just like fear, anxiety, anger—or love and happiness, for that matter.

When an animal cannot escape or avoid pain except by suppressing behavior, the animal is shut down, not calm.

This response of shutting down is what psychologists call learned helplessness. Even a mild shock appears to “work” (suppress the dog’s communication and resulting behavior) because to the dog, it represents the threat of more severe punishment, leaving many shock-trained dogs in a state of anxiety.

Credible, peer-reviewed scientific research shows that punishment-based approaches, or even a mix of punishment and rewards, are not more effective than positive, humane training approaches. In fact, the use of punishment to change behavior, and shock in particular, is more likely to increase anxiety.

Furthermore, the use of shock collars can lead to the appearance of, or increase in, other undesirable coping strategies on the part of the animal—such as avoidance, compulsive behaviors, and aggression.

Behavior Helps Communicate Emotions

There are better, more humane ways to address unwanted behaviors, many of which result from underlying emotions such as fear or anxiety. Force-free options include progressive desensitization and counterconditioning, coupled with positive reinforcement for desired behavior.

Please contact a skilled force-free professional, with credentials from a respected organization, to learn how to help your dog “behave”—while keeping the welfare of your best friend at the forefront.

Observing Behaviors and Addressing Emotions

The little video clip below shows how capturing and rewarding calm behavior has wider positive effects. I was working on a Sit and Down demo with Pebbles, but it was a challenge because of her excitement level about the food. So, I decided to switch from focusing on the behavior (sit) to focusing on the feeling (calm).

I knew I had to work on those pitty-pat feet before we could do much else, but what I didn’t notice until I watched the video is how rewarding for “quiet feet” with a click and a treat caused her to relax her whole body. At the beginning, notice that when she’s overstimulated, her whole body is tense, and she can not really sit. Her feet were moving, her back was tight and curved like a coiled spring. And her mouth was stretched into a stressy grin. With a few well-timed clicks, she realized that quiet front feet caused clicks and treats-and to accomplish that, apparently, she had to relax her entire body first. Notice how, as she stops moving her feet, her back relaxes, her mouth closes, and she sits. (I love the little “OK, I can do this” gulp as she settles.)

This video illustrates that calm is an emotion and we have to address that separately from “regular” training. By marking those tiny moments of both forefeet on the floor, Pebbles quickly learned how to relax her body because otherwise she couldn’t keep her feet still.

Note: For subsequent sessions with Pebbles, based on reviewing this video clip, I adjusted my training plan to better set her up to succeed. I decided to take even smaller steps toward focus and a calm response. In the new training plan, given her history of jumping up for treats, rather than start the session with a food lure to guide her into a sitting position, I’d start with touching a hand target, an “easy” behavior for Pebbles. For the targeting exercise, when she touched my hand, I would click and drop a treat to the floor. Dropping treats to the floor is a good way to encourage your learner to look at the floor instead of jumping up during training! Oh, and I made sure I had a mat that would not slip on that shiny floor. That was a distraction for us both during the initial session.

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About the Author

Sue Kocher is a Pet Professional Guild member who has been a force-free professional dog trainer for over 20 years. She provides in-person and Zoom coaching in Hendersonville, North Carolina, USA. Sue is on Facebook as Hendo Dogs  (web site pending!), and spends her free time training and competing with her two dogs, and hiking in the mountains.