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Friday
26Feb2010

Clicker Training & Reinforcers

DateFriday, February 26, 2010 at 16:23

Click & Treat

By Chris Biro

The question is often asked “Is it important to offer a treat every time you click a behavior?”

Yes it is important to follow each click with a treat. The clicker only gains its value as a training tool due to the association the animal makes with the sound of the clicker and the following treat. Fail to deliver the treat and the effectiveness of the clicker will diminish.

This is different than choosing not to click a correct behavior and thus not reinforcing that correct behavior - see also the article on Variable Reinforcement. The click serves three main functions:

  1. The click identifies the exact moment the animal did something that earned it a goody.
  2. The click promises a goody has been earned as is on its way.
  3. The click signals the end of the behavior.

Click to read more ...

AuthorAngela | Comment2 Comments | |
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Wednesday
17Feb2010

Two Ways a Dog Learns

DateWednesday, February 17, 2010 at 23:28

Two Ways a Dog Learns: Consequences & Associations

Written by Aidan Bindoff

If we expect our dogs to understand us, surely, we must first attempt to understand our dogs!

Dogs learn by the consequences of their actions. “If I drop that ball at his feet, he will often throw it for me” or “Last time I stole a sausage from the barbecue, I burnt my tongue. Better not do that again.”

Dogs also have emotions. “Those fireworks scare me!” or “Someone is at the door, YIPEEE!!!”

Both of those concepts, learning by consequences and the experience of emotion, are something we can relate to. We might learn as children that eating all our vegetables gets us dessert, leaving them on the plate means missing out! We might associate a certain song with a special time in our lives, bringing back good feelings.

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AuthorAngela | CommentPost a Comment | |
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Friday
12Feb2010

Intrinsic Motivation: Dogtor Feel Good

DateFriday, February 12, 2010 at 23:28

Many people experience training problems with their dogs and I think this is partly due to misconceptions around motivation. Motivation is a condition of wanting something and being focused to behave in a certain way in order to attain that something. The behaviour has a purpose; a goal, the fulfilment of some need, interest, desire, preference etc.

Motivation is what spurs a dog to act. So is there some secret to motivating your dog? No, you simply train your dog using what your dog wants, likes, and needs to achieve the behaviours that you want.

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AuthorAngela | CommentPost a Comment | |
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Sunday
07Feb2010

Why Use Food In Training?

DateSunday, February 7, 2010 at 16:31

Occasionally I encounter clients who are uneasy with the idea of using food for training their dog.  They somehow see it as cheating, or a bribe. Instead, they ask why it is not sufficient to use only praise and petting as rewards, and corrections when the dog gets it wrong?

Modern trainers no longer use punishment based training because it is out-of-date, unkind to the dog, and much less effective than reward based training. Traditional training is about making a dog do what you want, modern training is about motivating a dog to want to do what you want.

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AuthorAngela | CommentPost a Comment | |
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Monday
25Jan2010

Dog Aggression: Causes & Treatment

DateMonday, January 25, 2010 at 22:22

Dog Aggression: Why nice dogs do bad things

By Karin Bridge - Get S.M.A.R.T. Dogs

 

(Note: this article deals with the most common type of dog aggression of lunging and barking on lead at other dogs without a history of actually causing injury)

Most pet owners long for a friendly dog that plays happily with each and every dog it meets. The reality however is that many dogs act aggressively in the presence of other dogs.  

Aggression is a complex and emotive issue. When a dog aggresses you immediately have two problems: the canine problem where one dog may be intimidated or injured and a public relations problem where the owner of the victim is justifiably angry.  The first thing you need to do is to assess just how severe your dog’s aggression problem is.

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AuthorAngela | Comment2 Comments | |
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Thursday
14Jan2010

Behaviour Chains: Guidelines For Success

DateThursday, January 14, 2010 at 17:25

The new behaviour you want to build may be a series or chain of behaviours.  A behaviour chain is a series of related behaviours, each of which provides the cue for the next and the last that produces a reinforcer.

Almost everything we do can be considered part of a behaviour chain.  For example, when you are reciting the alphabet, you start with “A”, then “B”, then “C” and so on until the task is completed at “Z”.

Each step serves as a cue for the next step; a chain is really a series of signals and behaviours.  The completion of one behaviour in a chain produces the signal for the next action.  Saying “G” is the signal to say “H” next.

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AuthorAngela | CommentPost a Comment | |
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Monday
04Jan2010

Dog trying to dominate your world?

DateMonday, January 4, 2010 at 23:00

By Rosie Barclay BSc (Hons) MPhil CCAB

Have you ever been told that your dog’s behavioural problem behaviour is due to it trying to “dominate “you? Have you read or seen on television that your dog is behaving badly because it wants to take over as “Alpha “male?  Or told that your dog is defying you to become “leader of the pack”? If the answer is yes then you have to ask yourself are you being given the correct advice. The answer to this is quite simply no you are not. Your dog is not trying to dominate your world; it never has or ever will do. There is no such job description within a group of domestic dogs as “the Dominant Dog, the Alpha Male or Leader of the Pack”. Surprised?

As a certified clinical animal behaviourist (CCAB) and a member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors (APBC) working in Jersey I am hearing more and more from well meaning dog owners that they are worried that their dog is trying to take over this “leader” role and showing problem behaviour as a result. They hear this from celebrated dog trainers on popular television programmes and by reading their respective best selling books so it’s no surprise that the myth of the Alpha male has now circulated widely around the USA and in the UK and is now prominent in Jersey.

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AuthorAngela | Comment2 Comments | |
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