24/07/2025
š¤The Dead Manās Test: Are You Teaching Behaviour or Just Hoping It Stops?
Thereās a saying I came across recently:
š£āIf a dead man can do it, itās not behaviour.ā - Originally from behavioural psychologist Ogden Lindsley, this little test is more powerful than it sounds.
Why?š§
Because when youāre training a dog, youāre not just rewarding the good stuffāyouāre trying to change behaviour. And if youāre in the āpositive reinforcement onlyā camp, that means youāre aiming to do that without ever punishing, correcting, interrupting, or applying any consequence that might feel even slightly aversive.
But hereās the catchā¦If youāre not allowing any form of punishment (in the behavioural definition), then technically, youāre never stopping behaviour.
Letās dig in.š„ø
Behaviour Must Be Alive to Be Trained. First, a refresher on the Dead Manās Test: If a dead man can do it, itās not behaviour.
That means things like:
š
āāļøāDonāt barkā
š
āāļøāStop jumpingā
š
āBe calmā
š
āāļøāDonāt pullā
ā¦arenāt actually behaviours. Because a dead dog can do all of those. Theyāre the ABSENCE of behaviour, not behaviour itself.
So, if you say, āI want my dog to stop jumping,ā and you refuse to apply any form of consequence, your only tool is to try and build a competing behaviourāsomething else the dog can do instead. Maybe "go to mat," "lie down," or "sit."
Thatās great. Reinforcement is a powerful thing. But hereās the next question: How Do You Know Youāve Stopped the Unwanted Behaviour?š¤
Letās say youāve successfully taught your dog to go to their mat/lie down/sit instead of jumping on people. You reward the mat, reinforce the calm, and everything seems peachy.š
But unless the jumping actually stopsāfor lifeāyou havenāt stopped a behaviour. Youāve just redirected itā¦ for now.
šHereās the reality:
If a behaviour still exists in the dogās behavioural repertoire, itās not gone. Itās just on standby.
And if the dog is allowed to choose, they may not always choose the alternative. They might default to the old habit. Especially if it:
šOnce worked well
šIs self-reinforcing
šIs easier
šIs more stimulating
šPops up during stress, arousal, or regression
So, unless your dog NEVER returns to the unwanted behaviour and ALWAYS chooses the alternative until death do you partāyou havenāt stopped anything. Youāve just covered it up.
š¤·āāļøWhy This Matters
A positive reinforcement only approach is often sold like this:
šāYou don't want to damage your relationship with your dog, just ignore the bad behaviour and reward the good.ā
š "Don't be cruel or abusive to your dog by punishing themājust teach them what you want instead.ā
š¤ÆGreat in theory. But hereās the hard truth:
Ignoring a behaviour is not the same as eliminating it. And without any consequence for the unwanted behaviour, it remains an option the dog can always go back to.
Whatās the Alternative? You need both sides of the coin:
šReinforce what you want
šProvide consequences for what you donāt
That doesnāt mean abuse.
That doesnāt mean being unfair or harsh.
That doesnāt mean punishment as revenge or dominance games.
It means:
š Interrupting whatās unsafe, inappropraite, dangerous, or self-reinforcing behaviours.
š Setting clear boundaries, there are two ends of the leash, the human and dog both deserve to have boundaries.
š Teaching the dog what behaviour ends access to reinforcement or leads to aversive consequences can be very effective.
āļøYouāre not training robots, but sentient creatures. Youāre raising creatures with options. Here's a thought, if your dog gets rewarded for doing the behaviours you like/want/is safe and appropriate and also rewarded to for behaviours you dislike/don't want/ is unsafe/ inappropriate from the environment/other people and dogs - then what is your problem. As far as the dog is concerned - they got what they want!š«¢
š¤Final Thoughts
The Dead Manās Test is helpful because it brings us back to whatās real.
šDonāt just train for action of behaviour but also the absence of behaviour.
š Next time a trainer asks you what you need help with - think on what you really want, we can't help you if we don't know what you want.
š But be honest: if you're never willing to say, āThatās not acceptable,ā then youāre not removing unwanted behaviours. Youāre just managing around them.
šI am not saying do train an alternative first to see if it works, and if you think youāve stopped a behaviour just by rewarding something elseāask yourself this:
šDoes my dog always choose the alternative? Even under stress? Even being aroused? Even when Iām not there? Forever?
If not after 6 weeks of trainingāthen the unwanted behaviour isnāt dead.
Itās just sleeping.
And dead dogs donāt sleep.
