Rain Jordan and Dahlia.

Lately it seems there are more products than there are anti-aversive, evidence-based methods in the dog behavior and training world. Success of the former may rely on users’ desire to avoid expense and save time.

Success of the latter tends to rely more on likelihood of effectiveness and therefore is informed by applied behavior analysis, with input from the fields of applied ethology, cognition, and neuroscience. The best professionals know that all of these should be considered when performing assessments and developing behavior and training plans.

What happens when all of these highly specialized, often intricate fields of knowledge get reduced, whether for convenience or affordability? Sometimes it feels like there’s a simplified “new” product on the market every week, but new and simple don’t necessarily mean good. Indeed, I prefer to hold off on buying into anything new until the less risk-averse members of the public have tested it for me.

We all want progress. But when it comes to helping at-risk animals and their humans, though, progress may be getting ahead of itself. Currently we see this in the rise of apps marketed as the answer to your pet problems. The most reduced category of these products includes apps that offer only templates—pre-written answers and basic instructions, based on category of the user’s question.

A tiny level up from that come chat bots, which may feel like you’re chatting with a human, but it’s essentially an automated response system that relies on a library of, once again, pre-written answers. Next up in this category are the apps and bots that may eventually offer brief, cursory access to a human responder via text or email. Sometimes the responses may be slightly more specific, but generally, they still come from a library of templates or an oversimplified decision tree, neither of which allows for personalization.

Then there are webinars and online courses. The quality and specificity of these vary greatly. The free or least expensive of and least specific to a client’s needs tend to be the short webinars embedded with sales pitches, or medium length webinars that do not let you fast forward because they want to drive you home to the idea that you have a problem and therefore need more of their services.

These promotional presentations lean on ideas and verbiage that focus on your problem while not actually providing a solution; instead, at the end they tell you what additional services you need in order to have your problem resolved. In other words, this type of webinar is designed to convert users to regular, paying clients. The second level in the webinar category comprises more in-depth content that may be helpful, but tends to be very focused on only one aspect of your problem. Therefore, you’ll still need more of these webinars — or another source of learning — for the other aspects.

The best of this category is represented by online courses that offer both breadth and depth. These usually are facilitated by a human professional who provides instruction and feedback to each client. The best online courses include quiz and homework elements. Often, the instructor will answer additional questions about your particular concerns via email or other methods.

Last but never least are services in the in-person professional-to-client category. The first part of this category provides, for those who have no acceptable in-person options in their region, one on one distance behavior and training consultations via video conferencing services like Skype and Zoom. Behavior and training professionals offering distance consultations provide as thorough a learning opportunity as they can without the benefit of being there with the clients and their dog. A qualified professional may be able show clients how to properly use a clicker, explain to them how to teach a solid recall, or guide them through behavior modification from afar, but ultimate effectiveness relies in part on variables such as the client’s learning style, technological savvy, and level of self-motivation. Furthermore, accountability can tend to slip when you never have to meet your behavior professional in person.

For these and other reasons, private, in-person behavior and training services are preferred whenever possible. Communication and progress are then limited only by capabilities, commitment, and preferences, not by the tiny keys and screens of technology.

Rain Jordan, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, KPA CTP, is a certified dog training and behavior professional. Visit her at www.ExpertCanine.com