A few years ago, when someone had problems with their dog, they looked for a trainer… and if they had problems with their cat, they didn’t even think that someone could help them solve it. Fortunately, things have changed in recent years and the figure of the clinical ethologist is becoming more and more common in our environment.
The history of ethology, the science that studies animal behaviour, has been linked to zoology. An ethologist was a biologist who studied wild animals through observation in their natural environment. You surely remember Konrad Lorenz and his geese, which, upon hatching, followed him as they would their mother… Lorenz is called the father of ethology, and he was actually one of the first to begin using the scientific method in this field.
But ethology has evolved a lot since those times. Modern society, in need of specialized professionals, has led to this science being studied in an applied way to the thousands of situations in which human beings interact with animals… Adding to this domestic animals, which were previously rejected in this field due to their marked human influence, and today have become the kings of the ethology laboratories of many universities. (I want to assure you that studies on the behavior of dogs and cats almost entirely use methods that are kind to them; luckily, humans are evolving little by little.)
In Spain, an ethologist must complete a postgraduate degree, which can be accessed through degrees in Biology, Psychology or Veterinary Medicine. Biological ethologists will continue to study wild animals, while the other two mainly work with domestic animals. They will need at least 6 years of university studies to graduate.
Ethologists specializing in domestic animals have a thorough training in the basics and from different scientific disciplines. A good ethologist will know about biology, physiology, learning psychology, pharmacology, etc. Ethologists work from the WHY, acting from the root of the problem to solve it.
And what about the trainers?
In Spain, a trainer can work without any formal training. Today they are trying to regularize the profession, and in some autonomous communities it is already possible to acquire a professional certificate. The training to access this takes about 3 months.
Trainers are primarily technically trained, and use tools to change observable behavior. Most trainers are dog trainers who know how to teach obedience through reward or punishment (beware of those who still use punishment). A dog trainer can train dogs for work, rescue, substance detection, or competition of any kind. This is done through practical techniques, and there are exceptionally good trainers in their fields who also do commercial training.
These professionals work from the WHAT, modifying observable behavior.
However, when a dog has behavioral problems, it is important to focus on the why, since the behavior we see is just the tip of the iceberg, the observable consequence of what is happening to the animal.
Let me give you an example to make it clearer: If we have a dog that pulls on the leash, a trainer will teach it to walk with you, with treats or by pulling on the leash (please, never allow anyone to train your dog by pulling on the leash). An ethologist will study the animal in depth to see the reason why it pulls on the leash: he will study the animal's character, its background, its state of health, its habits, its stress levels, the training it has received, if it is nervous, if it is scared of things around it...
The problem is that if we focus only on what we see, we put a patch on the problem, but we don't solve it. At first it seems to improve, because the dog learns a new behavior that covers up the old one, but if the dog's emotional state is not adequate, the old behavior or other associated problems will end up appearing... that is why it is vitally important not to stay in the What and get to the Why of what is happening.
In recent years, the term Canine Educator has appeared in an environment of professionals who want to go a step further. These professionals are generally better prepared, and seek to work on the causes and not just on observable behavior. If you are going to look for a trainer, choose one of this type, and of course, one who works positively with the animal without using aversive methods.
I worked for 8 years as a trainer before I could qualify as an ethologist. I trained as a trainer in the best schools in this country, and none of them prepared me properly to do this job. I had to take many courses, read a lot, and continue to train myself to feel that I could really help an animal with problems. And I have to say, honestly, that the first year of my psychology degree alone trained me more than all the courses and seminars I had taken until then.
So, what will determine whether I choose an ethologist or a trainer to help me?
Obviously, with this information alone, we would already know which professional is going to be the most prepared to help us. However, an ethologist may not always be necessary, and in certain cases a trainer can help us. First, it will depend on whether you have an ethologist nearby and their fee is affordable for you. If your dog does not have serious behavioural problems and you only want to learn to educate him or teach him some obedience, it may be enough to hire a trainer. Of course, make sure that he is a good professional. If this is the case, I have an article explaining what you should look for when choosing one: How to choose a good professional to help me with my dog or cat.
