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4.8 Balancing Ethics, Efficacy, and Best Practices 63

VetBooks.ir all other techniques have been tried and became clear to me that punishment did not
proven ineffective.
have to be a significant part of the training
● LIEBI algorithm (O’Heare 2013): James equation to be successful. That is not to say
O’Heare proposed a model that he labelled that minor aversive stimuli were not imple-
as a ‘least intrusive effective behaviour mented from time to time to assist in shaping
intervention’ algorithm. He refers to it as a behaviour faster or making a concept clearer.
best practices model that includes a deci- But the use of those methods were rare and
sion‐making algorithm with a ‘levels of their use was restricted to more experienced
intrusion table’ designed to help profes- trainers who had the skill to understand
sionals work through the decision‐making when and how to apply them.
process of when to use aversive interven- We were positive reinforcement trainers
tion. He describes a ‘red zone’ that involves who used mild aversive stimuli on very rare
a high degree of invasiveness and the goal occasions. As I became a supervisor and was
of the procedure is to help professionals responsible for teaching new zoo profession-
avoid ever getting to the red zone. als how to train, I was challenged with the
question, ‘Does being a positive reinforce-
All three of these frameworks are similar but ment trainer mean that we never use pun-
approach the problem from a different ishment, ever?’ This then led to the follow up
perspective. question, ‘and if we find ourselves needing to
Each of them acknowledges the science, but
they also make a compelling argument for use an aversive tool or apply a punisher, does
that mean we can no longer call ourselves
using the least intrusive methods first. They positive reinforcement trainers?’ These
don’t suggest that good trainers never use questions perplexed me until I read Friedman
punishment, just that they use it wisely and (2009). In this article, Friedman (2009) states
avoid it whenever possible. These types of that it is necessary that the method used to
guidelines have been adopted by many leading train aligns with your ethical beliefs. It
training certification bodies for example: the showed me a clear path to determine when
Association of Animal Behaviour Professionals and why I might need to use something
(O’Heare 2013), the International Association beyond positive reinforcement. As with
of Animal Behaviour Consultants (IAABC most procedures, each trainer adapts them
2019), and the Certification Council for to fit their particular training style. My inter-
Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT 2019).
pretation of the hierarchy as I teach it to
young trainers is as follows, I always start at
4.8 A Personal Note, the number 1 and move down the hierarchy only
Author’s Approach: when needed:
Balancing Ethics, Efficacy, 1) Animal needs come first: animal welfare
and Best Practices must always be a top priority. Therefore,
before taking any training steps you
As my training style has evolved with experi- should always assure that the animal is
ence, I have transitioned from a traditional physically and mentally healthy and get-
approach to training, using corrections to ting appropriate nutrition, housing, and
teach impulse control during my early years care daily (see Figure 4.4).
as a guide dog trainer. Later, when I entered 2) Include primary reasons for training in all
the zoo community, I was introduced to posi- decision making: if it is determined that
tive reinforcement training. There were cer- training is needed, always put the primary
tainly punishers and aversive stimuli in the reasons for training before all others. The
environment, but they were not methods we training must benefit the individual ani-
regularly employed to shape behaviour. It mal being trained by assuring that the