Dog Owners’ Use of Training Methods and Their Ethical Stance on the Treatment of Animals

The relationship between ethical orientations and owners' choice of dog training methods is not well understood. This study explored whether animal ethics orientation is associated with the use of positive reinforcement training (Positive Training) or the use of physically aversive methods, such as prong collars or citronella spray (Physical Correction). The Multidimensional Measure of Animal Ethics Orientation was used to assess animal ethics orientations. This tool defines and measures four specific ethical orientations: Animal Rights, Animal Protection, Anthropocentrism, and Lay Utilitarianism. It was hypothesized that higher Animal Rights and Animal Protection scores would be associated with higher use of Positive Training and lower use of Physical Correction. In contrast, higher Anthropocentric and Lay Utilitarian scores would be associated with lower use of Positive Training and higher use of Physical Correction. Data were collected via an online survey completed by 964 US dog owners, 500 of whom met the inclusion criteria. Two outcome variables were constructed based on responses to questions about training practices. Multivariable logistic regression was employed to identify which orientations predicted the use of Positive Training. For Physical Correction, multivariable ordered logistic regression was used. Ethics orientations were clearly associated with the use of training methods. For Positive Training, higher Anthropocentric scores were associated with lower use of Positive Training (p < 0.001), and higher Animal Protection scores were associated with higher use of Positive Training (p = 0.020). For Physical Correction, higher Anthropocentric scores were associated with a higher use of Physical Correction (p < 0.001), whereas higher Animal Rights (p = 0.0013) and higher Animal Protection (p = 0.0020) scores were associated with lower use of Physical Correction. This is the first study to demonstrate that an owner's choice of dog training method is linked with their ethical orientation toward animals. It provides new insight into "ethical" factors that may influence training method choice.