Dog gone positive!

Spring's in the air!

2006-03-05T21:02:00.000-05:00

How to teach your dog to pay attention to you!

2006-03-05T18:40:00.000-05:00

Attention is central to your relationship with your dog. You can’t have communication without attention. If it’s rewarding to look at you, your dog will look at you more often; if it’s not, he won’t.

You will be doing a lot of opportunistic training, so you might find it helpful to have a marker word for those situations when you don’t have your clicker handy.

To teach your marker word, say the word and immediately follow it with a treat. Repeat a number of times until your dog looks at you in anticipation of a treat when he hears the word.

Step 1

Start teaching in a non-distracting environment. Don't do anything special to get your dog's attention - just wait for it and whenever she looks at you, c/t.

In addition to noticing your dog's attention throughout the day, do some rapid rounds of rewarding eye contact. For one minute, c/t every time your dog looks at you - as many times as you possibly can in one minute. Repeat this a few times throughout the day.

Once your dog gets the idea make the game harder. Hold a treat in your hand with your arm extended out to your side. Don't say anything to get her attention, just wait patiently while she stares at the treat or tries to get it. She has to solve the puzzle herself, no help allowed! Out of frustration she will eventually look at you as if to say "what’s the matter with you? Where's my treat?" Catch that glance with a c/t. Repeat several times.

Then change hands and work on the other side. Remember that for your dog any tiny change of context is a new behavior – even just the switch from your right hand to the left.

When you see that your dog is making a conscious choice for eye contact, start to vary your position. For example, stand on one or the other side of your dog. Sit in a chair or on the floor with your dog in front of or beside you. You'll find that every time you change position, your dog will have a little difficulty getting started. That's normal. From your dog's point of view, this is a new exercise.

Generally, you can make things harder by increasing the duration of the eye contact. However, remember that you can only work on one aspect of a behavior at a time. This means if you are doing a session where you are adding distractions, you cannot simultaneously work on duration, else you are setting your dog up for failure.

In order to add duration to her eye contact, do a silent count in your head. If she holds eye contact for a count of 1, only c/t those that are for a count of 2. Then increase to a count of 3. Then make things unpredictable, do 2,1,3,1,4,2,5 so that it comes out to an average of 3. Then move up to an average of 5…

Step 2

You will be teaching your dog that hearing her name is an opportunity to get a reward if she chooses the right action - looking at you. The goal is for your dog to respond to her name with immediate attention to you.

Start with a few reps of voluntary eye contact. When you get to the point where you can predict that she will look at you, say her name and when she looks at you, click and treat. If she didn't look at you, immediately go back to yesterday’s rapid-fire eye contact game: rewarding her for looking at you, as many times as you can in a minute. Then repeat the name game.

Continue to c/t any time your dog looks at you throughout the day.

Step 3

Go to a place that is mildly interesting and potentially distracting for her. At first, this might simply be outside in front of your house. Wait for your dog to look at you. When she does, c/t and celebrate! Is she still looking at you? C/t it again. Do your one-minute round of rewarding eye-contact.

In the beginning, give her a “jackpot” whenever she chooses to look at you instead of something distracting like another dog, a person, etc. Watch for any head or eye motion towards you in that situation, because if you reward it, it will be likely to increase; but if you miss it, she will be more likely to redirect her attention somewhere you don’t want it to go. If she doesn’t look away from you at all, raise the level of difficulty by moving into a slightly more challenging environment.

In addition, make sure that you c/t each time your dog looks at you throughout the day.

Step 4

Over the next few weeks, you will be increasing the level of difficulty gradually. Just remember to move at a pace that allows your dog to continue to be successful!

Think about ways to turn potential distractions into jackpots. This means that you will only allow your dog to interact with the distraction after she has offered you eyecontact. This way she quickly learns that the best way to get what she wants - greet another canine, run in the park etc. - is to check in with you.

Congratulations!

You've started building up a history of rewarding your dog for looking at you, even around distractions. This is the foundation for good attention. Be sure that you continue to reward your dog for paying attention to you in the situations where it's important to you.

Rudie, weave!

2006-03-03T19:55:00.000-05:00

Relationships that make our souls sing...

2006-03-03T18:12:00.000-05:00

I came across this wonderful passage in Suzanne Clothier's book Bones Would Rain From The Sky. Enjoy!

"Relationships - if they are to achieve the depth and intimacy that makes our souls sing - are built on far more than good information about how and why others act as they do.

As with any relationship, a fuller understanding of ourselves and what we bring to the table is necessary.

Of all the gifts that animals can offer, prerhaps the greatest is this opportunity to delve deep inside ourselves.

Without judgement and timetables, with patience and an amazing capacity for forgiveness, animals are the ideal guides through our inner land.

In moments of glorious agreement as well as moments of frustrated disconnection, our relationships with our dogs serve us well, gently nudging us to a greater understanding of the dynamics of two beings in willing partnership and to new insights into who we are.

Once we begin the journey towards the authentic connections we long for, we cannot help but be profoundly changed, often in ways we did not expect, but welcome wholeheartedly.

A life lived in a relationship with an animal has the power to makes us both fully human and more fully humane.

And this spills over, as a fullness of soul inevitably does, to other relationships, weaving its magic across our lives."

Tina enjoying her "work"!

2006-03-03T18:04:00.000-05:00

Take a bow!

2006-03-03T17:54:00.000-05:00

... Rudie just adores this trick!

Class notes excerpt (wk1)

2006-03-03T17:28:00.000-05:00

In order for you to get an idea as to the theory we cover in class, I have included excerpts from week 1.

Ultimate goals for humans

To learn non-violent communication skills
To learn problem-solving skills
To enjoy the process of training
To learn the basics of how dogs learn, how they communicate and how best to teach them

Ultimate goals for dogs

learn to learn
have a broad repertoire of behaviors
respond reliably
develop confidence & self control

Why do dogs offer specific behaviors?
Example: If you are running in the 400m finals in the Olympics, do you think it’s the sound of the gun firing or the chance of winning the gold medal that makes you give it your all?

Consequences drive behavior

What are possible consequences?
R+ Adding something to increase behavior
P+ Adding something to decrease behavior
R- Taking something away to increase behavior
P- Taking something away to decrease behavior

Fallouts of P+/ R-

Fear of the handler
(Total) loss of self-confidence and self-esteem
Aggression
Dog stops behaving
Extremely inefficient/ slow

What are some skills needed to learn?

Concentration
Problem-solving skills
Memory skills
Motivation

Name some factors that effect learning

Stress level
Age
Past experience
Self-esteem

Clickertraining core concepts

Uses a precise event marker that indicates to the dog that he has done something right
Minimizes coercion
Develops in trainer, as well as learner, a joy in training
Encourages the presence of the “other”

Just remember that you are laying the foundations for a mutually rewarding partnership. This is wonderful! Clickertraining is as much about the process of shaping a new behavior as it is about the finished result.

Good luck. Train like no one is watching you!

Read this if you train with a choker!

2006-03-03T16:54:00.000-05:00

The other day I was walking down the street, when I noticed this couple ahead of me with a Labrador pup on a choke chain. The puppy was happily speeding after another dog that had appeared some distance ahead of him.

So, the owners started jerking on the chain, every time the pup was about to hit the end of the leash. Did he stop? NOPE, he kept on going, until they gave up a minute or so later, and just stopped and pushed him into a sit.

My question to you is this: What do you think the puppy learned from this experience? That he shouldn't pull on the leash? No, obviously not, else he would have stopped. That he should walk in heel position? I don't think so.

Here is what I do think he may have learned: "When I see other dogs, Mum and Dad tense up, and I feel this annoying pain on my neck!" For all we know, he might think he was being punished for his tail wag.

Repeat this a few more times and you are well on your way to a dog-aggressive puppy.

Learning by association happens 24/7. Please remember this next time you are about to jerk on the leash. You can very quickly teach your dog to fear things, people, dogs and situations.

For more info on the fallouts of punishment please check Why don' t we use punishment in clickertraining?

Rudie's favorite toy!

2006-03-03T13:21:00.000-05:00

Isn't he handsome?

Little laundry thief... introducing Rudie!

2006-03-03T13:15:00.000-05:00

Richmond found Rudie like this when he came home... So we thought we should teach this little bugger a lesson and left it on him for the rest of the night - he loved it!

Training games

2006-03-02T20:26:00.000-05:00

Many of the games described here will actually help train your dog. They will teach you to establish control of your dog even when he's very excited.

Remember that any activity that your dog likes but which you control can be used as a reward for good behavior. Use a favorite game like tug or fetch to reward recalls, long stays and exemplary bouts of loose-leash walking!

Hide and seek

When you are out of sight of your dog, call her to you. You can either use your normal recall command or just her name. Be very excited when she arrives. Start making it more difficult by hiding behind doors, couches, etc. If she doesn't find you at first, call her again. If your dog is very good at "stay" you can use this to keep her in place while you hide. Some dogs will use their noses for this task others will just look. Most of them will learn a faster recall. This is a great game for kids to play with dogs, as long as the kids don't encourage the dog to chase them.

Go find it!

Cue your dog to do stay then place a treat or toy within sight. Return to your dog, release her, and encourage her to “go find it”. Repeat this a number of times, varying where you put the treat. Then hide the treat where the dog can't see it, but she can see you putting it there (behind a piece of furniture, underneath a pillow etc.). Release her, and let her get the treat (show her if necessary). Next, hide the treat further away, then in another room, out of sight, and if she holds the stay let her find it. You can increase the distance and difficulty as your dog gets better at stay.

Tug of War

Playing tug of war is a fun way to teach your dog impulse control. The secret to playing this game successfully is for you to control it. You can gradually escalate the duration of the game, making sure your dog is successful at drop it at the current level before moving on to the next.

You start the game by picking up the toy and encouraging your dog to pick up the other end. Give a particular cue that the game has started, like let's tug. Some dogs will refuse to do this with you, especially if they've been punished for tugging in the past. You can start small by clicking and treating them for holding one end while you hold the other. However, tugging is instinctive for dogs so your dog should catch on quickly. Tug a few times then tell your dog to drop it. You can reward him for dropping either with a treat or another round of tug.

Make sure that you end the game if your dog gets too rough or agitated. Simply ask him to drop it, praise him for complying and put the toy away. If the dog refuses to let go, you let go of your end and walk away (it takes two to tug). Don't try to take the toy back because that will be starting the game over.

Ignore the dog if he tries to start the game. Wait until he has stopped bugging you and is doing something you want to reward. Practice series of tug - drop it - tug - drop it. If the dog starts anticipating and grabs the toy, drop your end and leave in disgust. You decide when the game is over. Reward the last drop it and then put the toy away where your dog can't get it.

Go wild & freeze

This game teaches dogs to sit politely when asked to, even when very wound-up.

Call go wild! and have everyone jump around, wave arms, and make happy sounds. After a few seconds, call “freeze!” and have everyone stop and stand tall. When the action stops, the player closest to the dog asks him to sit and rewards with a treat when he does. Then start another round. Each time wait a little longer before calling freeze! After a few rounds Fido will automatically be sitting when the players stop and stand tall. That’s when you can exchange the treats for a real-life reward: restarting the game.

How to become a benevolent leader

2006-03-02T20:23:00.000-05:00

The notion of your dog plotting day-in and day-out to overrule your “alpha status” is just as amusing as it is unlikely. However, you do need to understand that it is important to establish some form of working “hierarchy” in order for everyone to be happy. Think of it more like a parent-child relationship. You need to set boundaries and adhere to them with some consistency.

Hierarchies exist to avoid conflict.

Alpha rolls, dominance downs and staring provocatively into your dog’s eyes all used to be acceptable ways of establishing your “alpha” status.

Thankfully, most responsible dog owners are abandoning these questionable methods, and replacing them with more efficient and humane ways of establishing one’s self as the “leader of the pack”.

First, let’s look at what distinguishes the leader of the pack:

a) Controls or has undisputed access to, coveted resources.
b) When necessary, proactively intervenes.
c) Can control, direct or inhibit the behavior of others.
d) Has the ability to diffuse tense situations.
e) Acts with confidence.
f) Rarely has to resort to aggression
Every dog has different criteria for what constitutes adequate leadership skills on your part. And one isn’t voted leader for life, but must demonstrate constantly that one deserves to maintain one’s position.

Your dog will grant you precisely the respect you have earned!

How can you tell whether your dog respects you as his leader? Ask yourself whether you can control, direct or inhibit your dog’s behavior (especially at critical or highly exciting times). Can you control or have access to ANY resource without challenging your right? And does he trust that you will step in if necessary to protect him from perceived threats and is he willing to defer to you in these situations?

If you feel there are weak points in some of these areas you may want to adjust your leadership style to meet your dog’s needs.

“I am not a confident person, and I don’t feel I have leadership qualities. Can’t I just let my dog be?”

It’s your choice, of course. But ask yourself, would you let your 3-year-old run your household? Probably not. Why not? Because she wouldn’t have the capacity to understand and respond adequately to most situations. Let’s pause for a moment and wonder what this kind of pressure would do to a child: anxiety and stress – expressed in tantrums, nervousness, insomnia… to name but a few.

Well it’s the same for most dogs. To give you some examples, amongst my clients’ dogs, I noticed excessive mounting of toys, excessive panting and the inability to relax, lack of impulse control – expressed through the above and through incessant demand barking… The list could go on and on.

It’s up to you to ensure your dog’s well being, and that carries with it the responsibility to demonstrate to your dog that you are a reliable leader.

I am sure you will be glad to find out that this does not require you to physically manipulate your dog. Instead, you will take some simple steps that will not only establish your leadership, but also increase your dog’s motivation to work with you.

Teach your dog self-control, by ignoring pushy behavior and only rewarding calm.
When you are on a walk with your dog, be watchful, protective and quick to defend – really be with him. Plan ahead and know how to handle difficult situations.
Regain resource control. Make a list of your dog’s top ten resources and ask your dog to perform a behavior before allowing him access to one of these resources (remember, you are likely to be on that list). As your dog’s repertoire grows, make sure you ask for more and more elaborate behaviors (sit, down, stay, come, spin, hi-5…) If your dog ignores your request, ignore him for a while, then try again. All along making sure that he doesn’t gain access to the resource without first having worked for you.
Be consistent!
Somtimes simply ignore your dog.
Train your dog using positive methods. Remember that the more behaviors your dog knows, the more ways he has to co-operate.

Predatory behavior and its offshoots

2006-03-02T20:20:00.000-05:00

Dogs come with a sequence of hard-wired behaviours:

Search (find prey, mainly using nose)
Stalk (sneak up as close as possible to prey)
Rush (move suddenly towards prey)
Chase (run after fleeing prey)
Bite/ hold/ shake/ kill (the prey)
Dissect and eat (the prey)

You will find many of the above behaviours in modified versions as part of your dog’s play repertoire. There is a lot of sparring and jaw-wrestling in dog play, partially in order to keep the skills for killing polished. This is necessary and healthy behaviour for dogs. It minimizes the chances of a regular player ever developing a hard mouth or getting into serious dogfights. Plus it keeps your dog’s social skills oiled. And your dog associates the proximity of other dogs with pleasure and fun.

Play is sometimes classified as a problem by owners because

It is extremely rough and therefore frightening for owners to watch, so they want to curb it in case the dog becomes “aggressive”.
The owner can’t compete with the other dogs as playmates and has obedience problems in the presence of other dogs.
The play is directed at humans.

In The Culture Clash, Jean Donaldson writes, “Regular play builds confidence, improves a dog’s repertoire of intra-specific communications and maintains the dog’s soft mouth. The more dogs he interacts with, the more slick his social skills grow to be, culminating in a veritable doggy-diplomat, able to coax even worried or asocial dogs into play, appease tough guys and diffuse potential fights with mind-bogglingly subtle body language.

Ways to achieve reliable cue response

2006-03-02T20:19:00.000-05:00

Once your dog knows a cue, it’s time to work on adding some reliability to your dog’s response to this cue. This part is a lot of fun.

You will teach your dog that no matter where you are in relation to him or what you are doing, he should perform the behaviour in response to the cue.

For this you keep changing position, standing, sitting, lying, back turned to your him and whatever else you can think off, while giving your dog the cue.

You will be amazed at how hard it is for your dog at first. And that should show you how much he actually attends to your random body cues, even when you think you are working on a specific signal. Your dog will get increasingly more confident as training progresses.

Another aspect you will need to work on is related to verbal cues: you will teach your dog to really pay attention to what it is you are saying to him.

For this you will work on saying false cues and withholding reinforcement for responding to them. Let’s say you are teaching your dog the cue for sit: say “sit” and reinforce him for sitting. Then say “pastry” and let his response go by unreinforced. Say “sit” again and reinforce his response. Keep practicing with as many words as you feel like, keeping in mind to only gradually make this harder, at first choosing words that really sound totally different from the original cue to make things easy for him, only increasing difficulty once he gains confidence.

Then you want to work on adding distractions. Again, remember to raise the level of difficulty gradually, making it feasible for your dog to earn reinforcement.

Finally, you want to teach your dog that it doesn’t matter whether you are standing right in front of him, or are 20 feet away – when he hears the cue he should just perform the behaviour.

So how can you teach that? You have number of options. Your dog can be at the top of a staircase, while you move down the stairs step by step, gradually increasing distance. Really, you can use any raised surface from which your dog isn’t likely to jump, it doesn’t have to be a staircase. Or you can have your dog work behind a fence and gradually back away from the fence. Or you can attach a leash to your dog and tie it to a stable object…

Cues vs. commands

2006-03-02T20:15:00.001-05:00

You may have noticed that we don’t use the word “command” in clickertraining, instead we call it “cue”.

That’s because we acknowledge that your dog has a choice, however, through skillful training you will have tilted the scales in favor of responding.

A cue is a signal to your dog that he can earn reinforcement now for performing a particular behavior.

There’s no need to raise your voice or repeat yourself, as you will have taught your dog exactly what behavior goes with which cue.

When and how do you add a cue?

2006-03-02T20:15:00.000-05:00

You can add a cue when you can really predict that your dog is about to perform a behaviour. You may sometimes hear trainers say that the dog was “throwing” sits etc. at them. This means that the dog has caught on to the fact that a particular behaviour is being reinforced and starts offering this behaviour in the hope of earning reinforcement.

There are a few ways to introduce a cue:

Produce the cue just as the behaviour is starting, reinforce the completion and repeat this several times, gradually backing up the cue in time until it comes before the behaviour starts.
Alternate between cue and no cue. Keep in mind that you must shape the non-response, else the behaviour may break down. We will talk in detail about this in class. It basically means that you must alternately reinforce your dog for e.g. sitting in response to the cue and not sitting – choose a default position, such as stand and reward your dog for anticipating your cue.
When the dog is throwing behaviour at you, shape response to the cue as if you were shaping the original behaviour.

The Poisoned Cue

2006-03-02T20:14:00.000-05:00

Mixing punishment with positive reinforcement

by Karen Pryor, Aug/Sep 2002 issue of Teaching Dogs. [Excerpt]

A trainer can poison the process of learning by including correction for failure as well as positive reinforcement for success: the cues become threats as well as promises, evoking ambivalence instead of certainty. This inclusion of correction causes behaviour to deteriorate and reluctance to replace motivation.

The cue becomes poisoned because “it is no longer safe…. The shift becomes visible in the learner's attitude, which switches from attentive eagerness to reluctance, often with visible manifestations of stress. Although successful response to a given discriminative stimulus is still followed by reward, if failure is now followed by punishment, you have made that discriminative stimulus ambiguous in terms of predictable outcome…. You have poisoned your cue.”

The Ten Laws of Shaping

2006-03-02T20:08:00.001-05:00

1. Raise criteria in increments small enough that your dog always has a realistic chance of reinforcement.
When you increase criteria for reinforcement you should do so within the range your dog is already achieving. The fastest way to shape behaviour is to raise criteria at whatever interval it takes to make it easy for the dog to improve steadily.

2. Train one aspect of the behaviour at a time.
If the task can be broken down into separate components, which are then shaped separately, the learning will go much faster. Ask yourself, “Does this behaviour have more than one attribute? Is there some way to break it down and work on different criteria separately?”

3. During shaping, put the current level of response onto a variable schedule of reinforcement before adding or raising criteria.
The heart of the shaping procedure consists of selectively reinforcing some responses rather than others, so that the response improves, little by little, until it reaches a new goal. All behaviour is variable, so when you skip an expected reinforcer, the next response is likely to be somewhat different. Thus the skipped reinforcer enables you to select stronger or better responses.

4. When introducing a new aspect of the behaviour temporarily relax the old ones.
What is once learned is not forgotten, but under the pressure of assimilating new skill levels, well-learned behaviour sometimes falls apart temporarily.

5. Stay ahead of your subject.
Plan your shaping program so that if your dog makes a sudden leap forward you will know what to reinforce next.

6. Don’t change trainers in midstream.
Of course your dog may have many different teachers – but each individual behaviour being shaped needs one trainer at a time.

7. If one shaping process doesn’t elicit progress, try another.
No matter what the behaviour, there are as many different ways to shape it as there are trainers to think them up.

8. Don’t interrupt a training session gratuitously – it equals punishment.
Removal of attention is a powerful tool so don’t use it carelessly or unfairly.

9. If a learned behaviour deteriorates, review the shaping.
Recall the shaping process and move through it very rapidly, reinforcing under the new circumstances.

10. Quit while you are ahead.
The last behaviour that was accomplished is the one that will be remembered best, you want to be sure it was a good, reinforceable performance.

(adapted from Karen Pryor's Don't Shoot the Dog, available at clickertraining.com)

How often should you reinforce?

2006-03-02T20:06:00.000-05:00

By the time you begin practicing with your dog you should have already had some first hand experience in shaping, having played the “training game”.

This means you have experienced what it feels like to be the “animal”, as well as the trainer.

From this you should have understood the importance of teaching new behaviours with a high rate of reinforcement and only gradually spacing out your clicks and treats.

So, when you first begin teaching a new behaviour you keep up a high level of reinforcement, as the information is contained in the click!

If you find yourself with too few opportunities to click, it’s likely that your criteria for reinforcement are set too high.

Break the behaviour down further. Help your dog to succeed. If there are too few clicks, your dog will soon loose interest and end up confused about what is expected of her.

Generally, when you begin training new behaviours you reward every correct response (note that response doesn’t equal final behaviour, but whatever level of the behaviour you are working on at that moment).

Once your dog is very clear on what’s expected, you can move on to rewarding only selected responses (every second, every third and so on).

Or you can choose to selectively reward responses that meet specific criteria.

Note that reinforcing behaviour randomly strongly increases the likelihood of the behaviour occurring again in the future – it’s kind of like playing the lottery: because you occasionally win, you keep on playing.

General steps for shaping behaviour with a clicker

2006-03-02T20:03:00.000-05:00

Click for action and feed for position.
Aim to click during the behaviour and then think about where you feed your treat. = You can use the treat to set up a repetition of the behaviour. For example, if you were teaching your dog to sit, you would be clicking during the action of sitting and then feeding the treat in the stand position. This way you would have set your dog up for another sit.
At it’s most powerful, the click attaches itself to a muscle pattern. This means that you can shape incredibly precise movements. When you teach any behaviour, ask yourself what muscle movements are required for this particular action. Each different set of movements should have its own cue else it becomes confusing for the dog.
Break down behaviours into tiny steps, shaping each micro-motion to a fluent level before moving on to the next one. This way nothing is left to guesswork.
Pay attention to your body language. Are you giving (unnecessary) cues with your body? Dogs are much more likely to attend to those than any oral ones.
When your dog has reached a 90% success rate you can raise criteria. Learn to keep 10 treats in same hand with which you are operating the clicker. This allows you to figure out your dog’s success/ failure ratio.

Six steps for teaching a new behaviour

2006-03-02T20:01:00.000-05:00

1. Get the behaviour (prompting, capturing, shaping)
2. Mark the behaviour (click!)
3. Reward the behaviour (primary reinforcer, e.g. liver treats)
4. Repeat the behaviour (until it happens easily at least 90% of the time)
5. Add the cue (as the dog does the behaviour)
6. Use the cue to elicit the behaviour

Please note that dogs do not generalize behaviour.

This means that you will have to practice behaviour in as many different environments as possible, in order to achieve a highly reliable response.

For example, to your dog “sitting in the living room” is an entirely different behaviour from “sitting at the corner of the street”.

So in order to arrive at fluency, you will have to gradually add distractions, distance and duration to your training.

Teach your dog, step by step!

2006-03-02T19:50:00.000-05:00

I have noticed that when people teach their dogs new behaviors, they often tend to move too quickly – having the final product in mind, they fail to check that their dog is confident at every level.

What does that entail in the long run? Variable responses and a deterioration in the overall performance of the behavior.

Pause for a moment and envision the construction of a new building. You absolutely need a solid foundation, in addition, it is of utmost importance to progress conscientiously, brick for brick, in order for the walls to be strong and stable…

Think of building your dog’s behaviors the way you would build a house.

The more thoroughly you train each aspect of the behavior, the more confident your dog will be performing it.

Holistic vet Montreal

2006-03-01T13:42:00.000-05:00

Dr. Guindon
1895 De Salaberry
(514) 334 72 80

Compliments from a canine!

2006-03-01T12:38:00.000-05:00

"When I told Phoebe that you are coming, she got really excited. That's why she was on the staircase when you came - she was waiting for you. I think she associates you with the fun of learning."

Boy, did I have to fight back the tears. What better compliment could I possibly get from one of my canine students?!

Thank you, Susan, for giving this wonderful system of training a chance and for allowing Phoebe to grow so much!

I am really really proud of you guys.

Recommended sites

2006-02-28T16:53:00.000-05:00

Clicker Training Lessons
ClickerSolutions.com
Dogwise.com
Karen Pryor Clicker Training
Learning About Dogs
Marin Humane Society
Merck Veterinary Manual
Tawzer Dog Videos
Turid Rugaas - Calming Signals

Why don’t we use punishment in clickertraining?

2006-02-28T16:46:00.000-05:00

Because there isn’t a lot of information in punishment. If your dog pees on the expensive Persian rug in the living room and you scold him for it, there are still a million other places he might choose to pee. And for all he knows, you might be yelling at him because he is wagging his tail – remember, your dog doesn’t speak English!

Your dog will learn very quickly that the behaviour isn’t safe to perform in front of you.

Learning through association happens 24/ 7. If you jerk on the choker every time your puppy pulls over to greet another canine/ human etc. you may quickly teach him to associate them with pain and he may quickly learn to fear them.

The only consistent variable is you – being associated with punishment isn’t the best way to start off the relationship between the two of you.

Punishment creates inhibition in your dog and can lead to him fearing you. It has also been linked to aggression, which may be displayed against you, as well as seemingly random targets.

Punishment needs to be incredibly precise. You only have about a second within which your dog would actually be able to make the connection between the punishment and the “crime”!

Punishment needs to be hard enough to inhibit a similar response in the future. How do you know what’s hard enough? Continuous punishment equals abuse!

How to get rid of undesirable behaviour through positive reinforcement

2006-02-28T16:42:00.000-05:00

Depending on the situation, you can reinforce the absence of the undesirable behaviour, train an incompatible behaviour or change the motivation.

Behaviour that doesn’t get reinforced goes extinct… That being said, some behaviour is self-reinforcing or may get reinforced by something in the environment that you cannot control.

Be creative and experiment, you may have to use a cocktail of the above.

How dogs learn and how best to teach them

2006-02-28T16:41:00.000-05:00

Dogs learn through the consequences of their behaviour! = Consequences drive behaviour!

Clickertraining works by providing a positive consequence when the dog does a behaviour we like. This in turn means that the preceding behaviour will become more likely – because consequences drive behaviour. The trainee gains confidence in his own abilities and becomes more and more conscious of his own role in training. Consequently progress happens increasingly quickly.

What is clickertraining and how does it work?

2006-02-28T16:34:00.000-05:00

Clickertraining is based solely on positive reinforcement, making it an extremely enjoyable way of educating your dog. This means that rather than focusing on what your dog is doing wrong, you will be building on what he is doing right.

When first training a new behaviour we use the clicker, rather than just a verbal marker, because the click is much more precise, allowing you to mark the instant a behaviour occurs. In addition, the click is unemotional and unbiased. The click lets your dog know that he’s just done something you like and that a treat is coming. It should always mean the same thing, every time.

The clicker is used to identify the behaviour you like when the dog is learning. Once you have trained the behaviour, you no longer need to mark it with the clicker. You will replace the clicker with a verbal reinforcer and the occasional treat.

Another great thing about clickertraining is that you can shape behaviours from scratch. This means that even if your dog isn’t really offering the behaviour you are looking for, you can select something that resembles what you want him to do and then build the behaviour from there.

In a nutshell, you are teaching your dog to become a thinking participant in the training sessions, helping him to actively search for behaviours you want him to perform.

Sounds like magic? No, it’s just operant conditioning. We use the clicker as a means to communicate to our dogs what we like and this way there’s no confusion and learning happens very quickly. Think about it, your dog doesn’t speak English and no matter how often you repeat a command to him, he will not know what you expect of him, unless you have first taught it to him.