What lessons can your dog learn?

People talk to their pets every day: offering praise when they’re good, reassurance when they’re confused and affection when they’re cuddling. We also speak to animals when they misbehave. But is it ever appropriate to punish or rebuke an animal?

When people talk about “punishment,” this implies more than a loss of privileges. The term suggests someone is being asked to learn a lesson after breaking a rule they can understand. But an animal’s understanding is different, which raises questions about what lessons they can learn.

These issues involve what researchers know about different animals’ cognition. But they also raise questions about what kind of moral standing animals have and how people who interact with animals should train them.

As an ethical theorist, I’ve explored this with some colleagues in psychology and anthropology. It is important to distinguish three types of learning: conditioning, instruction and education.

Conditioning

One type of learning, called “classical conditioning,” was popularised by psychologist Ivan Pavlov just after the turn of the 20th century. By repeatedly ringing a bell while presenting food, Pavlov famously induced dogs to salivate from the bell ring alone. Such learning proceeds merely from associating two types of stimuli – a sound and a snack, in this case.

Instruction

Training for many animals goes beyond conditioning. It involves a more sophisticated kind of learning: instruction.

One important way instruction differs from conditioning is that an instructor addresses their trainee. Pet owners and animal trainers speak to cats and dogs, and although these animals have no knowledge of grammar, they can understand many words. Caretakers also often listen to their animals’ vocalisations to understand them.

To be sure, consider spraying a cat with water when it nibbles on a houseplant. The goal is for the cat to associate an off-limits snack with an unpleasant experience, and so to leave the plant alone.

Education

Some nonhuman animals have demonstrated impressive cognitive abilities in experimental settings, such as recognising their bodies in mirrors and recalling past experiences.

Still, scientists do not possess strong evidence that animals have critical thinking abilities or a concept of self, the key requirements for genuine education.

Assuming that animals do not reflect and criticise, and therefore are not capable of education, I would say that they have no moral obligations. It is fair to say a pet has transgressed, since animals such as dogs and cats can come to understand how to act better. But morally speaking, an animal cannot commit wrongdoing, for it lacks a conscience: It may understand some of its behavior, but not its own mind. In my view, addressing an animal and acting with an understanding of how it interprets events is central to the ethical training of pets.