Written evidence submitted by the Animal Behaviour and Training Council (ABTC) (PWA0009)
Reference: Call for Evidence: Pet welfare and abuse - submission of evidence relating to ownership, welfare, and current preventative measures
Executive Summary
The consequences of incompetent training or behaviour modification can significantly affect animals’ welfare and lead to mental suffering. Currently the animal training and behaviour sector is unregulated and the majority of practitioners have not had their knowledge and practical skills assessed. The Animal Behaviour and Training Council (ABTC) provides a Register of qualified practitioners.
Overview of evidence being submitted - Bad practice leads to bad outcomes.
The need for thorough education and assessment of skills in order to offer animal behaviour and training services is vital because outcomes can lead to serious consequences for the animal’s welfare if the practitioner gets it wrong. As in humans, for too long the mental perspective has been brushed aside because there is no physical injury to view as evidence that abuse has taken place although the fact that suffering can be mental as well as physical is now enshrined in the Animal Welfare Act 2006. However, a properly qualified practitioner can help prevent such outcomes and identify and address issues (or at least know someone suitably qualified to do so).
The root of bad practice is in self-declaration of expertise which is born out of inadequate education and assessment of competence. The amount of education provision in the world of animal training and behaviour in the UK is quite astounding, yet very little of it is independently verified as; i) satisfying a common standard, ii) having scientifically-based content, and iii) reaching the declared level or being delivered in-line with best educational practice. Furthermore, iv) the practical appraisal of skills is also rarely carried out.
The result is something of a lottery when it comes to pet owners in need of help; frequently all they have to rely on is the unsubstantiated word of the person providing the service, which often includes a string of meaningless post nominal letters and a smart website to support the claims of competence.
Every true profession has a governing body to set standards and monitor the quality of delivery of services. One can only imagine what our other services would look like if it all it took to become a police officer, a doctor or a vet was an unregulated course - or - even self-declaration of competence.
At the forefront of the origins of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons was the Odiham Agricultural Society, alarmed at the impact on equine health and welfare of what they perceived to be quackery. The parallels with the animal training and behaviour sector today, 232 years after the establishment of the Veterinary College in London, are clear - and the creation of a formal profession to support it is long overdue.
The examples of bad practice in the animal behaviour and training industry leading to poor outcomes are plentiful. Please see Appendix A for some examples of malpractice.
Many such cases like those highlighted to the Animal Behaviour and Training Council go unreported to enforcement bodies, especially if the practitioner does not belong to any parent organisation. It is all too easy to make a bad situation worse through the lack of understanding, often (but not always) it is possible to undo the damage, but in the meantime the animal has been subjected to unnecessary mental stress and even possible physical harm.
The ABTC considers that regulation of practitioners in the training and behaviour sector is the only means by which standards can be set and maintained. The use of aversive training techniques and equipment should be banned and pet owners encouraged to use reward-based training techniques. The ABTC Register provides the basis for an appropriate system of regulation.
About the Animal Behaviour and Training Council (ABTC)
Appendix A – Examples of bad practice within the Animal Behaviour and Training industry impacting the pet-owning general public.
The following examples are real, identities have been concealed for privacy reasons.
A six-month-old Springer Spaniel puppy was bought to a puppy class in 2018.
His owner was a single parent with three young children under the age of 5 years. The puppy “Bill” was a super puppy, very friendly, happy with people and other dogs. Bill exhibited normal puppy behaviour for his age, breed, he was good with children and there were no signs of any worrying behaviours. After attending training with the ABTC registered Animal Training Instructor for eight weeks (when the puppy was 12-20 weeks of age), his owner carried on training independently – until she contacted me when he was 6 months old for advice. In the meantime, she had taken advice from another ‘trainer’ who told her that she had to be able to take Bill’s food away from him so that he learnt that she was in charge – the “Alpha” and that he would soon learn to respect her as the “pack leader”.
She had only done this about three times, but Bill had reacted with such aggression to this after the first time that she stopped after a few times. Subsequently he had started growling at the children when he was eating or had a chew. The ABTC practitioner tried to re-train him around food but with three small children in the house, the situation was not viable. Bill had to be rehomed at 7 months of age to a home without children. Emotionally traumatic for the children the dog and, of the course, owner who then felt a tremendous sense of guilt as well for listening to poor advice.
2. Puppy that nips when excited
We had a dog trainer come to our house on Tuesday this week to train our dog to stop nipping at things he should not; being the excitable dog he is and with a baby on the way this year, we wanted to be comfortable leaving the baby on the floor when the dog was around. During the training session, the ‘trainer’ put a collar on our dog, as she said we should never use a harness when walking because we cannot control him otherwise. Not long after that Bobby jumped up at the trainer purely with the intention of playing. She told him to get down but he wanted to play and what happened next was horrifying: she put her fingers inside either side of the collar on his neck and started to pin Bobby to the floor. Bobby clearly did not like this and tried to get free from this to which even more pressure was applied. This resulted in Bobby gagging and choking and unleashing the most horrendous noise I have ever heard him make.
The pressure she applied made Bobby’s eyes looked as though they were popping out of his head – he was gasping for air, frothing at the mouth, and urinated and defecated all over himself and the floor. When I told her to get off as he was in pain, she did not and said she had to show who him was boss. Bobby then gave up struggling to which she released him.
After this Bobby looked completely traumatised and was terrified of her. About ten minutes later Bobby started to develop a nose bleed and his eyes were completely bloodshot. I told her Bobby had a nosebleed and she said he must have cut it on something before she got there but it was obvious it was related, and she quickly wiped his nose clean but his eyes were still extremely red. That evening Bobby was constantly coughing and almost sounding as though he was trying to bring something up. We took Bobby to the vets the following morning and the vet was horrified at the story and said there were clear signs of mistreatment and that no dog should ever be handled like that. The ‘trainer’ threatened to sue the owner for defamation if they went public.
An ex police dog handler assessed a dog with aggressive behaviour towards other dogs. The client paid over £700 for this service. The clients were advised that the owner stop using all treats and food-based rewards, and instead recommended lead checks and verbal corrections. The dog was seen by a registered ABTC Clinical Animal Behaviourist due to worsening aggressive behaviours towards other dogs. The owners reported that prior to using lead and verbal corrections the dog could cope with other dogs at 5 metres, however, this had now deteriorated to the dog barking, lunging, and snarling as soon as the animal spotted another dog in the distance – approx. 50 metres.
An 18-month-old bitch was seen by an unqualified ‘trainer’ for 4 months due to aggressive behaviour towards people, dogs and around items. The owner reported no progress and was very frustrated and distressed. The dog had bitten multiple times and due to the size of the animal and the lack of pre warning signs, there was a considerable risk attached to the case.
On presentation to the registered ABTC practitioner, there were notable gait abnormalities which had not been recognised by the previous trainer. After an emergency safety plan being put into place, the dog was seen again by the referring vet and sent for X-rays and the dog was diagnosed with hip dysplasia. The dog also had a full parasite screen due to intermittent diarrhea and was found to have Giardia. Successful treatment of all medical issues had a significant impact on the behaviour of the animal, and overall outcome.
The dog was a male cockerpoo aged 21 months, with a history of resource guarding and aggression towards his human family if they approached or tried to remove the item. The dog was guarding a range of objects such as shoes, toys, dead birds (supplied by the family cat), and also food and the bowl. On gathering the evidence and from observations of his behaviour, this dog had high levels of generalised anxiety and fear in a number of situations; he was frightened of unfamiliar people, external stimuli such as unexpected or surprising events. He also had a history of ear and skin problems, which caused discomfort, and required veterinary intervention, thus making pain a likely differential in this case.
The dog’s behaviours also demonstrated elements of attention-seeking towards the owners, and there was a learned element as he had been practicing his aggressive responses for at least 15 months. The clients were referred by their vet for behaviour support from a registered ABTC practitioner, following previous input from a local self-styled dog ‘trainer’. This individual is part of a large training organisation, with thousands of followers on social media, making unrealistic claims as to their ability to resolve training and behaviour problems. This individual, who was described as “intimidating” by the clients, offered only one piece of “training” advice – to use an e-collar.
He advised the owners to change their dog’s diet to RAW, without any qualifications or training in nutrition. There was no contact with the vet, and the dog’s medical history was not considered as part of the proposed “training”. His advice to “cure” the dog of his aggression was to put an e-collar on him and show the owners how to put it to the highest setting. He also explained that the collar only gave out “vibrations” when the female owner expressed reservations about its use. The ‘trainer’ used the collar to shock the dog on several occasions during the visit, to demonstrate its use and effectiveness. The owners were then instructed to purchase one on Amazon, to use the highest setting each time he showed aggression and to continue using it until the behaviour stopped.
The first time the owners used the collar, their dog urinated involuntarily, in a way they had never seen before. They stopped its use. Subsequently, before the consultation with the registered ABTC Clinical Animal Behaviourist, the dog caused a significant bite injury to a visiting workman on the property – causing puncture wounds to the lower leg and leaving a scar after healing.
6. Rabbit
A 10-month-lop-eared rabbit was showing aggressive behaviour towards the owners and was unable to be picked up. The owners had contacted a rabbit ‘expert’ who had been to the home. The explanation for the behaviour was the rabbit was dominant. The method advised was to grab the rabbit from its hutch whilst wearing gauntlets and to use Tonic Immobility to be able to stroke the rabbit. The owner was also advised to train the rabbit to accept handling by placing it in a small square pen of some 3 feet and repeatedly stroke the rabbit with a brush on a stick, even when the animal had retreated to the corner and was showing signs of stress (including rapid respiration). The ‘expert’ explained that because the rabbit was not running away but staying still in the corner, it was happy to be stroked.
The ‘expert’ had not understood basics of rabbit ethology; the rabbit was showing aggression because it was frightened. Nor had the ‘expert’ understood basic learning theory, particularly, of how to use desensitisation and counterconditioning. Rather they had used a method of restraint, Tonic Immobility, known to cause stress and flooding (the repeated stroking in a situation of no escape) which resulted in learned helplessness. Tonic Immobility is not recommended for pet or laboratory rabbits. This learned helplessness was compounded by cornering the rabbit in the pet and continuing to brush it.
The owners sought further help after a friend had told them about Rabbit Awareness Week and the owners were, understandably, very upset with the advice they had been given, realising it was based on making their pet extremely fearful. The owners engaged with a registered ABTC Clinical Animal Behaviourist.
Several weeks of an appropriately staged and monitored behavioural programme of i) improving owner understanding of their pet’s signals and to respect these, plus ii) desensitisation and counterconditioning – starting with associating just owner presence near the cage with favourite food, this resulted in the rabbit choosing to approach the owner to be touched. Clicker training for other behaviours enabled further bonding in a force-free manner.
The registered ABTC Clinical Animal Behaviourist (CAB) was contacted by telephone by the owner of a young, male Hermanns tortoise (Testudo hermanni), which was showing what was described as aggressive behaviour towards the family including young children.
The CAB explained that the tortoise was in-fact seeking another tortoise for mating purposes, so was displaying an entirely normal, intrinsic behaviour. The nearest similar objects to be found were the owners’ feet and in particular shoes. Part of the mating ritual in Hermann’s tortoises involves biting the legs of the female, hence the perceived aggression as the tortoise attempted to bite their feet.
The owner was very upset by this because they had sought advice through an online group forum and had been advised to turn the tortoise onto his back, to also use a water spray in his face to “Alpha-roll” the tortoise to prevent the behaviour. The owner had tried this handling to no avail, but was now of the opinion that the tortoise was indeed being aggressive and needed to be stopped.
This type of handling was being done to the tortoise many times each day. The high levels of distress and fear created by turning tortoises onto their backs will have had a significant impact on the animal’s welfare and well-being. Clearly the biting behaviour had not been impacted upon at all.
The CAB was able to persuade the owner that the tortoise was a wholly unsuitable pet for their family, given the environmental conditions and family circumstances. The tortoise had no specifically designed area, no environmental enrichment or suitable habitat provision. Fortunately, the CAB was able to persuade the owner to rehome the tortoise to a more suitable owner.
8. Horse that will not line up to mount and bucks when ridden
A Bay Gelding aged 16 years old and height of 16’2’’, owned for ten years was described by the owners as unwilling to stand at mounting block. The horse would move quarters away or walk off if the client tried to put their foot in the stirrup. The horse had always been “lively” according to the owner who was a lady in her 50’s and of good experience having owned and ridden horses for 30 years.
The behaviour was of gradual onset and the owner could not be sure when it had first begun; the horse had never been good at standing still for mounting but had become almost impossible to mount without help from the ground. Recently the owner had help from a ‘natural horsemanship trainer’ who had advised turning very tight circles at the mounting block until he would stand still. The owner had been told this was “to make the behaviour you want easy and moving away harder”. The trainer had swung a rope at the horse’s flanks to keep him moving around on the circles. Since this ‘trainer’ had been advising the owner, they had managed (with help from her husband) to mount the horse, yet on both occasions the horse had bucked and bolted, unseating the owner.
The owner sought help from a registered ABTC Clinical Animal Behaviourist; it was noted that the horse had facial expression[s] in line with the Equine Pain Face (tension of the muzzle and mimic muscles).
Control tests with standing still next to a pole and standing next to the mounting block were conducted; the horse was able to stand still by the pole but not by the mounting block. Trotting on a circle, the horse appeared unlevel in his front leg action. The CAB referred the horse back to the vet and, consequently, to Langford Vet Clinic for further investigations. The horse was diagnosed with Navicular Syndrome in both front feet and was subsequently retired.
9. Horse that was aggressive when tacking up
A Welsh section D gelding, that was 6 years old, had started to become aggressive when tacking up. A ‘trainer’ advised restraint and punishment so that the horse “mustn’t be allowed to get away with it”. The horse was tied up short and hit when he “made a face”.
The aggression began to show when anyone entered the horse’s stable. Persisting with force led to two serious injuries to people, the ‘trainer’ suffered a black eye and broken nose when the horse knocked him into the automatic water feeder, followed by a serious bite to the chest sustained by another livery, who was watching the horse’s behaviour over the stable door.
Things escalated to a point where all the yard staff feared the horse, having also received less serious bites, along with the owner who was also bitten when grooming their horse. Even turning the horse out to a field became dangerous.
The owner sought help from a registered ABTC Clinical Animal Behaviourist, and thorough vet checks were performed and the horse was found to have gastric ulcers. Management of the horse was radically changed, and he now has 24/7 turnout, has been treated for ulcers, and has not been ridden for 8 months whilst the CAB works with the owner on the issues. The horse is now easy to catch, generally friendly and relaxed, and although he is still anxious of his tack, he is not aggressive. Good progress is being made in gradually overcoming this fear.
This horse’s welfare was severely compromised with him being left in pain for months, and with a growing fear of interactions with people. He came very close to being put to sleep. This case also produced an unnecessary load on the NHS with three hospital visits, one requiring an overnight stay.
10. Horse aggressive when handled
A Black Gelding, aged 4 years old and a height of 17’22’’ was described as extremely aggressive to handlers in a number of contexts – for vet examinations, farrier visits, when tacked up and when rider tried to mount. The horse was also difficult to lead and would rear, and sometimes bolt when led to and from the turnout field.
The behaviour was of gradual onset and the horse had been checked by two different vets for any underlying medical conditions that could be causing the behaviour. The vet recommended the owner contact a ‘behaviourist’ who was a ‘natural horsemanship trainer’.
The trainer described the horse as "tight in the poll" and performed what he called "physical adjustments" to the horse’s neck (by pulling and pushing the horse’s head violently). During a 2-hour training session he then used a thin rope pressure halter and pulled hard on the horse’s nose and poll if they attempted to escape his aversive training methods. The horse was left with lesions on his face, sweating and terrified. Two weeks subsequent to the training session, radiographs were taken of the horse’s neck. They were found to have severe osteoarthritis in vertebrae C3-C5, consistent with having had a rotational fall, likely a couple of years earlier.
The owner sought help from a registered ABTC Clinical Animal Behaviourist, and the horse presented with a number of behaviour problems – the original aggression to vet, farrier and tack and the leading problems described. The horse had now also become head-shy, refused to have a head collar on, was extremely fearful of all people (including the owner) and would no longer enter the arena where the training had taken place.
The horse was treated by vet for the osteoarthritis (OA), rehabilitated with physiotherapy and a long-term behaviour modification plan with the CAB. Although the OA had to be managed, the horse became a confident horse and easy to handle and lead.
11. Anxious young Rottweiler
JoJo is a fit, healthy 2 year old, entire male Rottweiler who has always had some issues around food, having shown aggression towards people when he has food, (growling and snarling) and he has always pulled on-lead. He is described as loveable with his own human family, but sometimes anxious about new situations. JoJo’s history shows a lack of socialisation opportunities during lockdown periods.
The feeding regime at the breeder, with 9 puppies eating from a large communal bowl, predisposed Jackson to become a food guarder. JoJo also shows reactivity towards unfamiliar people and dogs both at home and outdoors.
His owners previously sought professional help from three different trainers and received some very poor advice based on inhumane and out of date methods, which are also potentially dangerous. More recently, as the incidents of aggression have increased in frequency and severity, they have sought help from their vet who recommended an ABTC CAB, who is also a Full APBC member.
The dog has had a prong collar in use for some months. The seller’s information explained that it works in a similar way to when mothers pick up their pups to remind them to behave themselves. This is completely inaccurate as female dogs do not pick up their pups by the front of their throat, and press really hard with their teeth until there is pain. They pick up pups by the scruff if they do want to move them when very small, and this is not a behaviour associated with aggression from the mother, it is part of parental care, therefore being gentle and not frightening for the pups.
It has been explained to the owners that this prong collar should not be used, as it is aversive and designed to cause pain in order to prevent pulling. One of the consequences of this type of equipment is an increase in anxiety – which would be very unhelpful in an already anxious dog. Collars which tighten and cause pain such as these, also reduce the blood and oxygen supply to the brain, this in turn increases adrenaline production which then can increase arousal and make the dog more reactive. JoJo has also been subjected to telling off and aversive methods from the trainers, involving lead- jerking with the prong collar in place; confrontational shouting and handling; pushing down; and holding in position on the floor using a very short lead which is stood on to hold the position.
JoJo is now being treated through a combination of anxiety-reducing medication, appropriate management techniques for human safety, and anxiety-reduction through owner education and regular reward-based training sessions. This holistic approach involving the veterinary and behaviour practitioner is the only sensible and safe approach in a potentially very dangerous case. The results to date show a significant reduction in aggressive episodes. The incidents of reactivity towards unfamiliar dogs and people have reduced in frequency and severity. There have been no growling episodes involving food.
12. Wired-haired pointer
At 5-6 months old a wire-haired pointer was seen by a gun dog training company who used positive punishment methods including slip leads and physical punishment. The presenting problems were pulling on lead and jumping up. The young dog was expected to walk to heel without sniffing whilst on a slip lead or head collar. This led to jumping and nipping at his owners.
The ‘trainers’ dealt with this by hitting the dog around the face and pushing him to the floor. On one occasion the dog retaliated and swung round snapping at the staff member's face and causing a wound to her lip. At around 8-9 months old the family again needed help as the dog was now displaying increasingly levels of aggression towards non-family members and had bitten on multiple occasions causing puncture wounds. The dog was seen by another trainer and was again exposed to positive punishment, this time in the form of an electric shock collar. The dog continued to deliver bites to both members of the public as well as bites directed towards the owners when approached by strangers or when highly agitated. The trainer withdrew support due to lack of progress and the opinion that the dog was beyond help.
When meeting with a ABTC Veterinary Behaviourists, the dog was highly agitated and aroused. He showed extreme conflict in interactions, approaching and soliciting attention, then lunging at the face and neck area (muzzled) before retreating. It was agreed that given the family's lifestyle and location that managing the dog around strangers and within the home was going to be impractical. Options were discussed to euthanize or rehome the dog with very clear risk assessments in place. The dog was adopted by an experienced individual who worked with rehabilitation of this breed, where he would be kennelled and have a working lifestyle.
14