Earlier this year, I started a podcast with my colleague and friend, Matthias Lenz. Our goal on the Not Another Dog and Pony Show is to have open, thoughtful discussions with colleagues about problems we see within our industry.
Our latest episode with special guest Sarah Dixon looked at the idea of taking a 'harm reduction' approach to consulting with clients about their animals. Several of our talking points centered around my loose adaption of eight key principles put forth by the National Harm Reduction Coalition.
Here are my adaptions of those principles from the podcast episode, as it applies to animal training and behaviour modification work with clients:
A harm reduction approach to animal training and behaviour modification work with clients
Accepts that aversive control and harmful training practices, both legal and illegal, exist in society and it seeks to reduce its harm rather than just dismiss or condemn it.
Views how people view, and train or modify behaviors in their animals as multi-faceted, and complex, with a range of approaches from what some might call force free, all the way down to using coercion and force, while also acknowledging that some approaches are safer and less harmful for animals.
Prioritizes improving individual animal and owner and community wellbeing over insisting on total abstinence from using aversive control as the measure of successful intervention.
Advocates for non judgmental, non coercive support services to help individuals and communities to reduce the harms of forceful animal training.
Involves people with lived pet owner experiences in creating programs and policies that impact them directly.
Recognizes that people who use harmful training practices are primary agents in harm reduction and it empowers them to share the knowledge and support that they get with others.
Acknowledges how factors such as people's lived experiences, social inequalities, and trauma might affect both their vulnerability to and management of harmful training practices.
Does not ignore the very real risks and tragedies associated with harmful training practices, aiming to address them directly.
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