Information about/against flooding?

[Khizz]

Don't worry, I'm most certainly not considering it! I wouldn't dream of it!

I just was wondering if anybody had a link to reasonable sources about the training technique called "flooding". I saw something recently and would like to send an informative link just detailing what it is and why it is NOT recommended. Google isn't bringing much results, just stuff about people's houses flooding!

Thanks!

 

[tka]

This seems to be okay: Flooding Therapy for Dogs is an old technique that must only be done properly, i

Ultimately, material about flooding in humans is not going to be relevant to animals. As a human, I can rationalise my fear and my hypothetical therapist can talk to me about my phobia, can talk me through what I will experience if I am in a room full of (let's say) giant spiders, can talk me through relaxation techniques and can reassure me that I won't come to harm. Ultimately, we can't do that with an animal, no matter how intelligent. We just don't have the means of that level of communication.

 

[Ulis_Beast]

This seems to be okay: Flooding Therapy for Dogs is an old technique that must only be done properly, i

Ultimately, material about flooding in humans is not going to be relevant to animals. As a human, I can rationalise my fear and my hypothetical therapist can talk to me about my phobia, can talk me through what I will experience if I am in a room full of (let's say) giant spiders, can talk me through relaxation techniques and can reassure me that I won't come to harm. Ultimately, we can't do that with an animal, no matter how intelligent. We just don't have the means of that level of communication.

This was very informative!
The "false flooding is sadly still videly used here.. people would violently yank on their dog's leashes to prevent them from barking etc.

 

[annoellyn]

I never heard of this but if flooding worked, my dog would have stopped barking every time the door bell rings. From what I understand flooding is setting off a trigger for unwanted behavior so they eventually see that their behaviour is not needed. But my dog barks at the door multiple times a day and has not come to the conclusion that no one is going to come hurt us. Lol.

 

[MommyBird]

From GoodBird Inc dictionary:
Parrot & Bird Training Terminology | Good Bird Training

Flooding:
A process of teaching an animal to cope with a situation it fears. The process is generally traumatic and relentless. The animal learns nothing it does will change the outcome and learns to submit or tolerate the situation. Not recommended!

Example of flooding:
Everyday a Quaker parrot is required to be moved from one location to another. The bird does not step up voluntarily. It is decided the bird must be moved and the bird is chased with a towel until the parrot is captured. This is repeated two times daily to move the bird inside and outside. Eventually the bird stops running away from the towel and freezes when it sees the towel. This allows the bird to be captured easily.

 

[tka]

I never heard of this but if flooding worked, my dog would have stopped barking every time the door bell rings. From what I understand flooding is setting off a trigger for unwanted behavior so they eventually see that their behaviour is not needed. But my dog barks at the door multiple times a day and has not come to the conclusion that no one is going to come hurt us. Lol.

Not quite. Flooding is used with fear/phobic responses specifically."Unwanted behaviour" is a very broad category covering behaviours resulting from fear, stress, aggression and so on. Barking at the doorbell isn't a fear response - it's usually due to alertness, perhaps tipping into territorial behaviours. As such, ringing the doorbell multiple times isn't flooding your dog.

Again, yanking a dog's lead to stop them barking or pulling isn't flooding - it's punishment. Punishment is teaching a person or animal that a behaviour perceived as undesirable results in something bad happening. I'm saying "perceived as undesirable" because I don't think behaviours are inherently good or bad - it's all about our perception of them.

Here is a hypothetical example of flooding. Let's say that your dog is scared of people wearing cycling helmets. Flooding your dog would mean that everyone your dog interacts with wears a cycling helmet. The person who feeds her wears a cycling helmet. The person who exercises her wears a cycling helmet. The person who plays with her wears a cycling helmet. Where it differs from desensitization is that those people won't give her a choice about whether she approaches them or not - they will force her into cuddles and interaction. Eventually she'll stop running away from them because she realises that she can't do anything about it.

 

[Hankmacaw]

Flooding:
A process of teaching an animal to cope with a situation it fears. The process is generally traumatic and relentless. The animal learns nothing it does will change the outcome and learns to submit or tolerate the situation. Not recommended!
Example of flooding:
Everyday a Quaker parrot is required to be moved from one location to another. The bird does not step up voluntarily. It is decided the bird must be moved and the bird is chased with a towel until the parrot is captured. This is repeated two times daily to move the bird inside and outside. Eventually the bird stops running away from the towel and freezes when it sees the towel. This allows the bird to be captured easily.

By; Barbara Heidenreich

Parrot & Bird Training Terminology | Good Bird Training

Good Bird has compiled a list of useful terminology for understanding your companion parrot. Parrot Training Terminology for your use. Bird Training

www.goodbirdinc.com

 

[Hankmacaw]

Here is a thread about flooding on AA from a couple of years ago.

FLOODING

There have been a couple of questions about the method of training called "FLOODING" lately. I'm far from a trainer or behaviorist, but I instinctively know that this method is not productive nor anything but cruelty. Flooding actually make a parrot or any animal just give up and much of their...

forums.avianavenue.com

 

[Hankmacaw]

And one more about flooding.

Alternatives to Breaking Parrots: Reducing Aggression and Fear through Learning

Presented at the StopPDD Conference 2002 – S.G. Friedman, Ph.D., Utah State University

www.beautyofbirds.com

 

[annoellyn]

Not quite. Flooding is used with fear/phobic responses specifically."Unwanted behaviour" is a very broad category covering behaviours resulting from fear, stress, aggression and so on. Barking at the doorbell isn't a fear response - it's usually due to alertness, perhaps tipping into territorial behaviours. As such, ringing the doorbell multiple times isn't flooding your dog.

Again, yanking a dog's lead to stop them barking or pulling isn't flooding - it's punishment. Punishment is teaching a person or animal that a behaviour perceived as undesirable results in something bad happening. I'm saying "perceived as undesirable" because I don't think behaviours are inherently good or bad - it's all about our perception of them.

Here is a hypothetical example of flooding. Let's say that your dog is scared of people wearing cycling helmets. Flooding your dog would mean that everyone your dog interacts with wears a cycling helmet. The person who feeds her wears a cycling helmet. The person who exercises her wears a cycling helmet. The person who plays with her wears a cycling helmet. Where it differs from desensitization is that those people won't give her a choice about whether she approaches them or not - they will force her into cuddles and interaction. Eventually she'll stop running away from them because she realises that she can't do anything about it.

Interesting! Thanks for the reply!