Coercive Dog Training May Cause Pessimistic Mood

In a study published in Scientific Reports, Casey et al. (2021) investigated how the use of coercive dog training methods affects dogs’ emotional states. Using a judgement bias task, the researchers compared dogs trained with two or more aversive methods to those trained with reward-based techniques.

The study found that dogs exposed to aversive training responded significantly slower to ambiguous cues when searching for a food reward. This was especially true for middle and near-positive locations in the test, indicating a more pessimistic outlook. Slower approach times suggest that dogs may expect negative outcomes more often—a marker of a negative mood state.

This behavioral pessimism is concerning, as it implies that coercive training does not just impact obedience or behavior but may also undermine a dog’s emotional wellbeing. The research highlights that dogs trained with aversive methods, such as positive punishment or negative reinforcement, may carry a more generalized negative emotional state, even outside training situations.

These findings reinforce the welfare concerns around coercive training and add to the growing evidence that positive reinforcement is not only more ethical but also beneficial for dogs’ psychological health.