Basic Learning Theory & Behavior

• Your Responsibilities (My Disclaimer)

• My Commitment to Non-Force Training (3 pp)

• Looking for Help
• Owners Beware -- What to Look for, and What to AVOID! (8 pp)
• Getting Help with Non-Profound Problems
• Getting My Help with Profound Problems (4 pp)
• My Rates
• My Contract
• Feed Me!! Nutrition for Dogs

Basics of Teaching

 

• Why Not Use Aversives or Correction in Training?  I believe that dogs require leadership. But, I provide that leadership through teaching the dog to cooperate, rather than teaching the dog that (s)he HAS to submit. (7 pp) 
  • Why Am I So Against the Use of Force Methods?  It’s always better to take the shortest, cleanest route, whenever possible… and the shortest, cleanest route in training is in the use of positive reinforcement.
  • Non-Compliance  Lots of people simply look at a dog's noncompliance as "dominance". That's why correction training has taken such a foothold in this country... humans MUST dominate all other species. 
  • Shock Collars These collars deserve a heading of their own, simply due to the damage they cause.
  • Using Correction Positively?  It's common to hear punishing methods referred to as "positive reinforcement methods", simply because you're taught to say "good boy!" after issuing the correction, when the unwanted behavior stops.
  • Superstitious Behaviors  a behavior that has nothing to do with the intended lesson.
• Using "NO!" in Training  First, let's look at what the word "no" represents, before trying to use it for teaching: the word "no" carries with it an implied threat... because it's coupled with aversives during the learning phase. (2 pp)

  Your Mindset (and How it Affects Your Relationship)

   

• Your Role As the Alpha Human Has someone told you that you need to teach your dog who the "boss" is?  There are ways to teach your dog, without using dominance theory! (6 pp)
• Dominance Theory Revisited   I have problems (issues, really {grin}) with the use of dominance theory... in large part because it's so often MIS-used to describe dog behavior. (4 pp)
  • The Dominance Theory Fairy Tale  It's important to understand that many trainers don't understand this paradigm any better than the average owner does!
  • The Mis-Use of Dominance Theory  I don't use dominance theory AT ALL, in explaining dog/human interactions.  And, I use it very sparingly, in explaining dog/dog interactions.
  • Dominance Theory & the "More is Better" Philosophy  In using the "scruff-shake", for example, reaching to pet the dog may have come to predict (for the dog) that he's going to get shaken -- so he goes on the offensive!
  • Dominance Theory Vs. Learning Theory  It’s safer and far more productive to use learning theory to explain behavior… and learning theory is what you’ll learn from me.
• Gaining Control Watching your dog in different situations will teach you volumes about what he's thinking, because you'll learn to be able to predict his behavior based on his body language. (4 pp)
  • Understanding the Importance of Predicting Behavior  The key to training any dog lies in understanding his language, and giving him the opportunity to understand yours.
  • The Impact of Force on Relationships  Using force will only back him into a corner emotionally, and bring about a confrontation.
  • How to Gain Control  It doesn't have to be a constant struggle between your will, and his!
• It's a Matter of Trust  Much of the work that I do is centered in working with aggressive dogs... dogs who, for one reason or another, feel threatened.  Where many trainers will attribute the dog's explosive behavior to dominance, I attribute it to the perception of threat. (10 pp)
  • Gauging Stress  When working toward building the safety history, it's important that you have a solid understanding of the situations which cause your dog stress... so, first, you'll need to understand how to *gauge* your dog's stress level.
  • Building the Safety History  We ALL have to do things that we don't WANT to do... my *personal* feeling, in trying to incorporate clicker training philosophy into all aspects of my dogs' lives, is that we can make them as stress-free as POSSIBLE, without fore-going the necessities altogether.
• Trust/Safety History in Action  The importance of how the Safety/Trust History affects the dog's ability to "take cues" from the owner/handler/trainer: this is INCREDIBLY important stuff, as the following will illustrate! (3 pp)

  Understanding How to Teach

   

• Clicker Training Basics This article gives the average pet-owner an understanding of the principles of clicker training, so that they can get started quickly. (16 pp)
  • The Benefits of Clicker Training Clicker training has several benefits that we often don’t think about, actively.
  • Why This Method is Preferred  This methodology teaches the dog to problem-solve... that no behavior is wrong -- there's only behavior that's rewarded, and behavior that isn't.
  • Problems with "Crossing Over"  One of the hardest aspects of teaching with this method with a "traditionally-trained", or cross-over dog, is the teaching of the concept of offering behaviors.
  • How Does the Method Work?  When starting out, clicking the clicker is not going to mean anything to your dog... you have to give it meaning, first.
  • "Getting" the Behavior  There are benefits and problems associated with each of these methods.
  • What Motivates Your Dog?  Every dog is individual, just as every human is.
  • Refusing the Reinforcer  You clicked the behavior, and the dog refuses the reinforcer.  Does it count?
  • Clicking in Groups  Once the dog understands what the clicker means, it's quite acceptable to click in groups.
  • Why Use a Marker?  You're using a sound that is unmistakable at long distances, extremely short in duration, and very precise. It is the reward marker.
  • Getting Rid of Unwanted Behavior  You have to understand how learning occurs, in order to be effective with *any* training method.
  • Chaining & Linking  The goal of training is to get as much "bang for your buck" as possible... both from your point of view, and the dog's point of view.
  • Increasing Duration of Behavior  The clicker not only MARKS the behavior, but it ALSO **ends** the behavior... so, how do you end up with a 5-minute down-stay, if you click as soon as he downs?
  • Phasing Out the Reward  Like any other method, the clicker and rewards are TOOLS, used for teaching.
  • Reward Delivery  Learn to use a variable system of delivery, to keep him from anticipating the treat.
  • A Word About Generalizing  Dogs incorporate their environment into their learning, and that makes it difficult for them to learn efficiently.
  • When to Add the Cue  There are alot of answers to this question.
  • Stimulus Control  Stimulus control is control over the dog's response in a given circumstance.
  • More Than 1 Behavior at a Time  It's all dependent upon your imagination, your ability to keep up with your dog, and your dog's understanding
  • "Lump-sum Payments"?  Jack-pots are used to provide contrast, and this is different from the use of "lump-sum" payments.
  • Non-Food-Motivated Dogs  It's alot easier with food... because food is readily available, and because you can keep the rate of reinforcement high enough to keep the dog's interest.
  • Keeping a Journal  Using a journal allows you to see, at a glance, to more easily facilitate training.
• Classical Conditioning  Classical conditioning is particularly useful in those situations where an animal has "finely tuned" their responses in a given situation, such as aggressive responses.  (4 pp)
• Operant Conditioning Explained  Simply put, there are 2 sides to operant conditioning: reinforcement, and punishment. (3 pp)
• What Are Rewards?  Rewards can be fickle beasts... understanding this will give you what you need to work around it! (7 pp)
  • The Training Bargain  In order for the bargain to work, there has to be trust: you must trust that the dog will do as you ask, and your dog must trust that you'll carry through on your implied promises.
  • Praise, as a Training Tool, is Ineffective  Praise is considered to be a *secondary reinforcer* -- unless it's associated with really good stuff, it's just not motivating.
• Schedules of Reinforcement, and How They Affect Learning  There are lots of schedules for reinforcement, and understanding them will give you control over such variables as consistency, stimulus control, and ease of extinction. (4 pp)
• Manipulating Rewards to Provide Environmental Feedback (using Time-Outs and No Reward Markers) (10 pp)
• What is Fallout?  Everything We Teach Has Fallout Associated With It.  Everything.  No matter the method used. (3 pp)

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