What most trainers tend to call “obedience” training, I prefer to think of as cooperability instead. Cooperability is kind of a weird word, and one that I don’t really hear used in the context of dog and cat training, so let’s dig into it a bit.
Cooperability is defined as the “quality or state of being cooperative”. Or, as I like to think of it, someone’s ability to cooperate. In most of my daily interactions with my pets, this is generally what I’m looking for: cooperation.
In contrast, obedience is defined as “dutiful or submissive compliance”. On the surface, that might look like cooperation, but the underlying mechanics of the two are completely different.
Why I’m Not A Fan Of Obedience Training
Obedience demands an expected action on cue, no matter the surrounding circumstances. That might be something that’s easy for a machine to do, but when we’re dealing with living creatures who have their own emotions and drives, it’s not always a reasonable ask.
I know that there are many trainers out there who think that this kind of mindset is the first step towards a chaotic, disobedient, and possibly downright dangerous animal. But I think that the wide spectrum of possible training scenarios that a person and their pets might encounter in their daily lives together calls for a more flexible and discerning approach.
Oftentimes, obedience training doesn’t really leave much room for flexibility. When I tell you to do something, you do it.
Sure, I expect darn-near full obedience when it comes to certain behaviors, like not biting people. But even in those more extreme circumstances, we need to recognize that many bites are entirely avoidable and not always fully the animal’s fault.
Thoughtlessly handling a stressed out or overstimulated animal, or putting them into a situation that they’re not equipped for, and then expecting them to comply and obey without compromise is just unreasonable.
Is a dog who’s terrified of traffic noises being disobedient because they won’t sit down next to a busy highway? Or is their nervous system so overloaded that they physically can’t? Can we force them to sit near that highway and “deal with it”? Should we though?
Why I Prefer Cooperability
I prefer cooperability training, as opposed to obedience training, because it leaves room for us to consider our pets’ point of view. It moves the responsibility from being entirely on them to obey our every command, to a more mutual dialogue between us and them.
It’s not necessarily and easier way to train our pets, because it demands that we ask “why aren’t they cooperating with us right now?” rather than just labeling their behavior as “disobedient” and then forcing our way along, despite their behavioral protests.
Easier isn’t always better, especially when it involves living beings.
Cooperation is a two-way street. It requires some give and take, some mutual understanding, and a bit of reciprocity. In contrast, obedience training (at its worst) is usually a one-way street that only requires force and a “might makes right” kind of attitude.
And even if cooperation isn’t always all sunshine and happy compliance, it’s still a far healthier way of existing and engaging with our pets, in my estimation.
One example of cooperability in my daily life with my pets is being able to handle them when I need to do something important, like nail trims, health checks, less-than-pleasant grooming, or injury care. These aren’t things that I necessarily expect them to happily comply with willy-nilly, or that they even enjoy, but through a thoughtful process of conditioning and reciprocity, they are generally tasks that can be accomplished relatively easily.
A Cooperability-Based Mindset
With a cooperability-based mindset, we can help to prepare our pets for certain things, like the examples mentioned above, by introducing touch and handling in ways that are pleasant for them, but that will also be useful for us in the future.
And when we do things with this kind of approach, we are also teaching our pets that cooperating with us pays off for them too. It relieves discomfort, gets you what you want more quickly, and generally makes life flow more smoothly for everyone.
It also helps to show them that we are listening to them, and that we can also be cooperative by finding ways to meet them in the middle and compromise for the benefit of everyone.
