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“In effect, no activity offers more potential benefit for enhancing the human-dog bond and improving the dog’s quality of life than training” Dr. Steven R. Lindsay

I just got in “Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and Training -proceedures and protocols” by Dr. Steven R. Lindsay. As I read it I find nothing new about behavior modification that I have not studied in the past. What is great about the book so far is it reinforces what I have learned through the study of psychology, and experienced as a trainer.

So far it stresses training and more training as a part of building a bond between the dog and its owner.

Over the past few years pet dog trainers have promoted the concept of no compulsion what so ever in their training. After thirty plus years of training dogs that must respond to commands regardless of the circumstances the belief a dog can learn to be obedient without the use of any compulsion is not accurate.

Keeping this as simple as possible control of your dog means you are in control of its behavior. Behaviors are based on needs of the animal either real or preceived. Dogs act on needs based on the reinforcement that is available or may be available. The stronger the need for the reinforcement the stronger the behavior to obtain it.

In order to control the dog you must deminish the value of exhibiting some behaviors. You can use extinction training in some. Extinction does not work on all behaviors or is the correct approach. When extinction does not work avoidance and escape training is likely the ansewer.

The Aplha dog uses force to control and displine a pack member, dogs understand this if it is associated directly with the incorrect behavior. Anyone who tell you not to displine your dog is setting you up for a disobedient dog. Remember, the punishment must fit the crime as well.

It is said what goes up always come down. This is not always true without a little help. Yesterday I got a call for h elp from a client with a dog on the third floor and would not come down the stairs.

It is important to expose your dog to as much as possible so when it encounters something new it has some reference point. It was easy to get the dog down it just had to realize it had nothing to fear.

It seems many of the pet trainers promote pure positive training procedures. An example is this quote taken for a website… “all subscribe to positive training methods. What this means is that dogs will not be yelled at, jerked, pinched, or treated in other ways normally associated with punishment. In fact, rather than punishing for undesirable behavior, positive training methods mean rewarding a dog for the desired behaviors.”

When trainers say they are using strick positive reinfocement thy are attempting to use what is known as “Differential Reinforcement of either alternative or incompatible behaviors. (DRA or DRI) They are also attempting to use pure extinction training. This concept can be very misleading and is not always the correct approach.

DRA and DRI work well in controlled environments. Their use is essential when first training a skill. The first rule of training any animal is the trainer must be in control of the reinforcement used. If they are in an area where reinforcement cannot be controlled this concept will not work. The textbook application involves starting in a controlled environment then slowly increasing distractions. This concept works perfectly if the reinforcer used is the highest on the dog’s reinforcement hierarchy. However if not it you and the dog are being set up for failure and embarrassment.

This approach does not always work in real world conditions. For example, every time you do a certain task your boss lays out a twenty dollar bill for you. Then one time he lays out a 1,5,10, and 20. Which one will you take? The next time a 20, 50, and 100 dollar bills are placed. Which will you take?  Most people given the choice will take the highest reinforcement available. Dogs are no different.

Let’s say your trainer is using a food treat but your dog’s prey instincts are easy to stimulate. It would really rather chase a cat or squirrel then take a treat. You have your dog off leash and a cat or squirrel suddenly passes your dog what is it going to do? Just like you given the choice it will do what has the highest reinforcement value. Since your voice has no negative effect on the dog, and it has never been corrected other than being ignored your dog is likely off to the races. It does not care if you ignore it while it chases something. As a owner and one paying for services you have the choice, you can have a dog that knows the skill but only performs it when it wants to. You can choose a trainer who understands the importance of positive training, but also understands the application of escape and avoidance training and how to apply each at the proper time.  In the end it is your dog, and your money. Remember obedience is the dog responding because you said so not because you have a treat. 

Does your dog seem to do well in formal training but when it is away from the training area it acts as if it never received any training at all? It does this because it knows the difference. Training your dog is not only behavior modification for the dog but for you the owner as well. It is a life style change were the dog thinks it is always in training because you act the same during training as when not in training.

A long time ago a legend in the police dog world taught me that praise must come from the heart. He told me when you touch a dog you should feel something inside you. What you feel the dog will feel as well. I am not sure this is exactly right, but it may be very possible.

What I do know is when I touch a dog I feel my heart rate change. Over years of experience my heart rate seems to either increase or decrease when I first meet a dog. I believe the change is based on my perception of individual needs.

As a Marine when I first got into K9 it was difficult to release emotions in such a way to receive a positive response from the dog. My prior training had taught me to show no emotion an element dogs need. It took work.

When training of police officers some would struggle to build a relationship with their dog. I would ask them to pet their dog and tell me what they feel inside. The answers would vary but it had to do with the release of emotion. Not say “good dog” with your voice but saying “good dog” with emotion.

Animals are masters of body language. The majority of their commutations are visual, or touch with very little audio. Your mental set of frame of mind can be communicated through your body language, touch, and your eyes. You can say the correct words but to the dog they are empty.

The next time you pet your dog concentrate on your feelings. If you feel nothing your dog most likely feels nothing when you touch it. Increase your touch as positive reinforcement my releasing feelings.

Often overlooked is the dog’s basic predator instinct. Very often when dogs such as retrievers and herding breeds begin to exhibit destructive behaviors they are trying to relive their needs to express prey instincts. One way to allow your dog to constructively act on its predator or hunting instincts is to have it search for its food.

Instead of putting the dog’s food in a bowl you can teach it to search for it in the yard or any open field. This can be time consuming, but it provides the dog with mental stimulation it needs. It also builds confidence and independence which helps when dealing with separation anxiety.

Currently I am working on a video clip of how this works.

We have been working with Nana on the walks in the backyard, not sure how to handle the long walks we give her since it’s not consistent with the treats.  Should we be doing that as well outside of the  house or for training periods only? 

Training in the backyard and walking should be no different. If you do not make them the same she will soon figure out what is going on. The treats are only a tool to teach the correct mechanics of the behavior. They will be used only on the occasion once we reach the intended behavior.We first start training using what is known as the continuous schedule of reinforcement. This means the dog is rewarded each on every correct response. The continuous schedule is only temporary. We may be able to move away from it on our next meeting.The next step is what is known as fixed ratio. This means it is set for a specific number of correct responses. We will start with a FR-2 (fixed ratio second correct response). Once the dog is responding with this level we will move to FR-3, FR-4…. until we reach a high level of responses.

If you intend to allow your dog full run of the house it is important to make sure the dog considers the entire house as part of its den. Dogs are den dwellers and will not eliminate in their den if they other areas.