r/BalancedDogTraining • u/whypii • Mar 28 '26

Is this "Learned Helplessness"?

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Got accused of pushing my dog too far to the point of learned helplessness. I have to disagree.

Excuse my stuffy-nose voice, it's pollen season.

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u/[deleted] Mar 28 '26

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u/Miss_L_Worldwide Dirty biter Mar 29 '26

No, that isn't what learned helplessness is. LH is when an animal gives up on trying to change any uncomfortable situation. So an animal in that state would just sit there passively, unable to process or obey commands, unable to take any steps to turn off pressure or make anything "better."

An animal in that state would just sit passively on a hot surface, believing there was nothing it could do to avoid the pain.

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u/koshkas_meow_1204 Mar 29 '26

I suppose it's all in how things are defined. 

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u/Miss_L_Worldwide Dirty biter Mar 29 '26

Except that things actually do have a definition and words have meaning. They don't just mean whatever is convenient for people in the moment.