Spray Bottles Have No Place in Animal Training
Spraying a dog with water to curb unwanted behavior has been used for decades. Cats are lumped into this punishment-based technique too; they’re often sprayed for scratching furniture or climbing on countertops. Dog spraying is employed by owners for any behavior they find inappropriate. But does spraying your dog with water work?
Does dog spraying work? Maybe temporarily, but it’s a new day. We now know that training your dog with negative techniques such as dog spraying can do a lot of harm. Fortunately, we have newer and very effective ways to discourage undesirable animal behavior, so throw away that spray bottle!
This is the rule in positive reinforcement training: train the dog what TO do instead. Here is an example from my own life. I am Finnish and when I moved to Canada six years ago in January, I had no clue about having to tip people for their services. I mean, I had already paid them right? This what I was used to. When I landed at Toronto International Airport, I took a cab to my lodgings. When we arrived, I duly paid the cab driver the exact amount in the meter. He stormed out of the cab and literally dumped my two suitcases in the dirty slush in the street and drove off. I was in tears, horrified and shocked by his rude behavior and had no clue why I had been punished this way. Nobody had ever taught me that in Canada I have to tip the cab driver.
I have, in my time, used a squirt bottle as punishment. It’s worked. It made my then-puppy learn to leave the curtain, rug and a corner of the coffee table alone. Would I use the squirt bottle as a training technique with my clients or own dogs today, with the current knowledge that I have on dog behavior? No, I would not.
This is pretty much how our dogs feel, they live in a human society which has our rules, not theirs. Therefore, as fair parents, it is our task to teach them what to do. If we punish a dog for jumping without teaching them that we people would appreciate a nice sit for a greeting, we are not being fair to them at all.
When you’re talking behavior, the technical definition of punishment is that it’s anything that makes a behavior less likely to occur again. But in order to be effective, there are certain laws to be followed. One of my favorite trainers, Steve White, has beautifully outlined “eight rules of punishment”, which all have to come true for the punishment to be effective. Let’s examine the spray bottle technique from the point of view of these rules.
Same principle is true for punishment that happens every now and again. If we are not delivering the consequence, the spray bottle, consistently every single time when the behaviour occurs, for example we are not at home or are in a different room, the dog learns that they still occasionally get to do the reinforcing behavior. Since it is punished only randomly, it is always worth trying it.
Does Spraying a Dog or Cat With Water Work?
Nope, training your dog by spraying it with water does not work. When working with dog training clients, trainers have witnessed some who spray their puppies for mouthing, yet their arms are covered in scratches. Spraying the dog with water was not helping. One client sprayed her cats whenever they clawed her furniture. She had two massive water bottles in each room to deter this behavior, and she squirted them numerous times during our 1-hour consultation. Unfortunately, every piece of her cloth furniture was scratched down to the foam with shredded cloth strings dangling. So, does cat or dog spraying work? Clearly, it does not.
Is a water gun an effective dog training tool?
Does Spraying a Dog or Cat With Water Work? Nope, training your dog by spraying it with water does not work. When working with dog training clients, trainers have witnessed some who spray their puppies for mouthing, yet their arms are covered in scratches. Spraying the dog with water was not helping.