Why is Agency Important For Dogs? The Power of Choice
Lately, there is a growing interest in giving animals agency.
By providing agency to dogs, we provide several advantages for their well-being, which ultimately benefits the relationship between dogs and their owners.
Discover what agency exactly means, why it's so important for dogs, and how it benefits your dog in the long run.
What is Agency?
Agency is a term that is used in the context of animals and refers to the ability of individuals to make choices based on their own individual preferences.
By giving agency to dogs, dogs are given control over their own environment and in various aspects of their lives.
This gives dogs a sense of autonomy and the ability to freely express their natural behaviors.
In a nutshell, by giving dogs the power of agency, we allow them to interact freely with their environment and make choices, but always within the limits of safety.
Why is Agency Important For Dogs?
In natural settings, animals actively engage with their environment for survival purposes. Indeed, it can be said that control over the environment is evolutionarily adaptive since it helps increase the chances of survival.
When given choices, animals will pick options that benefit them and avoid options that may potentially cause harm.
Research has found that control is essential for increasing an animal's psychological welfare, and that making choices allows them to exercise control. The provision of choice has therefore potential welfare benefits and animals enjoy making choices just for the simple sake of making choices!
In a domestic setting, dogs are often deprived or limited to a good extent from engaging in voluntary, goal-directed behaviors which can impact their wellbeing.
What are Some Examples of Ways Dogs Can Be Given Agency?
There are several ways dogs can be given agency. Below are just a few examples of choices dogs can be provided with.
- Allowing dogs to choose where to rest
- Allowing dogs to choose what toys to play with
- Allowing dogs to sniff around on walks
- Allowing dogs to decide when an interaction should stop
- Allowing dogs to engage in cooperative care
Won't Letting Dogs Choose Lead To Problematic Behaviors?
Not if you make the process of making good choices easy, and make the process of making bad choices difficult or almost close to impossible!
I personally used this strategy a lot when working with toddlers at daycare as a teacher a long time ago. My co-teacher and I often struggled in getting the kids to clean up the room after playing.
Miss Terry would get upset and try to force them to clean up by providing the threat of negative consequences such as by saying "if you don't clean up, we will not go to play in the park tomorrow." This seemed to work for a bit, but soon the kids started posing deaf ears to her warnings.
We tried making it fun, by having them try to pick up all the toys while listening to their favorite song and they had to finish up before the song ended. This too worked for a while, but they soon lost motivation.
At some point, I decided to pick up some books from the library about strategies to gain more collaboration from toddlers and found the 'two-choice method." I was excited to implement it.
When it was time to clean up, I therefore started saying "Clarissa, do you want to pick up all the red toys or all the blue ones?" The blue ones, Miss Adrienne!"
Jake, do you want to pick up the green toys or the yellow toys? "'The green!"
Adam, do you want to pick up the purple toys or the red toys? "I like red, so it will be the red ones!"
Soon the room was cleaned up in less than 10 minutes, breaking all the previous records! Next thing you know, Miss Terry and I started using the "two-choice method" more and more.
How Can You Help Dogs Make Good Choices?
It's simply all a matter of facilitating the ease of making positive choices while rendering the option of making negative choices challenging or nearly unattainable. Let's take a look at some examples.
Allowing Dogs to Choose Where to Rest
In this case, you can place a comfortable dog bed on the floor and make it extra enticing by placing some toys or treats on it, so that your dog is drawn to it.
You can also place a few mats here and there so that your dog can pick several locations to lie down on and rest.
If you don't want your dog on the couch, you can place some laundry baskets on top of it and if you don't want your dog on the bed, you can simply close the bedroom door.
With only good options left to lay around, your dog can only make good choices.
Allowing Dogs to Choose What Toys to Play With
Rotate your dog's toys so at to keep your dog's interest alive. If you always leave the same toys around the room, your dog will grow bored of them quickly. Scatter several different toys around the room for your dog to play with.
Keep other items your dog may think are "toy-like" out of the way such as shoes, remote controls and boxes of tissues.
With only toys your dog is allowed to play with around, your dog will only be able to make good choices!
Allowing Dog to Sniff Around on Walks
If your dog is walking on a loose leash, it's OK to let him sniff around and explore on walks if safe to do so. After all, the walk is for your dog, and if he's walking politely, why not reward him by letting him sniff on a walk?
Letting dogs sniff and explore on walks is a form of enrichment and it can be a tiring activity too!
Allowing Dogs to Decide When an Interaction Must Stop
It's called the "consent test" and it allows your dog to decide when he has had enough petting and affection. All you need to do is every now and then stop petting your dog and watch his reaction.
Is he pawing or nudging your hand? Then he's likely wondering why you have stopped and is hoping for more petting.
Is he disinterested or moves away? Then he's likely had enough and is happy that you are giving him the opportunity to inform you that he had enough before needing to communicate in a more decisive way.
Allowing Dogs to Engage in Cooperative Care
In cooperative care, dogs can be trained to not only tolerate handling, but also become active, willing participants in husbandry practices.
Cooperative care has its roots in zoos where wild animals are taught to become collaborative. Hippos are taught to open their mouth wide for dental care, and llamas are trained to approach the moment they see a brush.
In a similar fashion, dogs can be trained to be cooperative when it comes to having their teeth brushed, coats groomed and nails clipped. They can learn to keep their chin resting on the owner's lap while having their ears cleaned.
When they have had enough, they can move away freely and their choice is respected.
There is belief that when dogs are given choice and freedom, they will not allow care, but the contrary is true, they actually become more collaborative, especially when rewards are involved.
Benefits of Giving Dogs Agency
Granting dogs agency in a controlled and safe way, particularly through environmental management while still allowing freedom, can bring numerous benefits to our canine companions.
The advantages of allowing dogs the freedom to make choices in a structured environment are several. Following are some of them:
Mental stimulation: agency promotes problem-solving and engagement which can help prevent boredom
Reduced Stress/Anxiety: when we stop controlling our dogs excessively or micromanaging them and grant them agency, dogs can feel more secure and in control of their environment which contributes to a greater sense of wellbeing.
Better training/behavior modification outcomes: when dogs are empowered with agency, and they are reinforced for engaging in desirable behaviors, they become more receptive to training and behavior modification and become enthusiastic participants and learners.
Fosters positive bonding: when agency is provided within established boundaries, it helps foster trust and paves the path to a cooperative relationship.
References:
- Englund MD and Cronin KA (2023) Choice, control, and animal welfare: definitions and essential inquiries to advance animal welfare science. Front. Vet. Sci
- Spinka, Marek. (2019). Animal agency, animal awareness and animal welfare. Animal Welfare.
Disclaimer: this article is not meant to be used as a substitute for professional veterinary advice or behavioral advice. If your dog is acting sick or aggressive please consult with a qualified professional for proper diagnosis and treatment.
