What the Humane Hierarchy Represents

The humane hierarchy is a framework professional trainers use to choose the least invasive, most positive intervention that will actually work for a given behavior problem, rather than jumping to more aversive methods by default.

Starting With Health and Environment

Before addressing a behavior as purely a training issue, ruling out underlying medical causes and addressing environmental management (preventing the unwanted behavior from being possible or rewarding) come first in this hierarchy.

Prioritizing Positive Reinforcement and Differential Reinforcement

Rewarding desired behavior and reinforcing alternative behaviors that are incompatible with the problem behavior sit near the top of humane, effective intervention options.

Why This Hierarchy Matters Professionally

Following a genuine hierarchy, rather than defaulting to whatever method a trainer happens to know, reflects the humane, science-based professional standard this course and CCPDT’s certification are both grounded in.