How can positive reinforcement be so bad?

As clicker trainers, we practice and preach positive reinforcement. Positively reinforce every behavior you wish to see again and you shall receive. This sounds pretty fool proof, right? Well...it isn't that easy. Every once in a while, I come across a client who wants to reinforce a behavior that "kinda" resembled the correct one. "well, Puppy kinda sat" or "Fido kinda came back to me". Sometimes, people think giving their dog reinforcement that wasn't exactly deserved is doing them a favor because "they look so sad" or "I don't want them to get discouraged." Inconsistencies like this can be confusing to any trainee. I can use myself as an example.

Tag Teach is a wonderful way to positively train people! I'm part of a trainer's forum that positively reinforces posts every week. For example, one week the moderator will post "This week's TAG point [the action that will get you positive reinforcement known as a TAG] is 'trim your posts when replying to the forum'". At the end of the week, every one who posted to the forum and remembered to trim their posts will be recognized by the forum moderator. Personally, I love being recognized. I like knowing I've done something right and someone noticed. Lately, however, I've received TAGs for things I've never done. I haven't posted to the forum in two weeks but somehow I've managed to make it on to the weekly listing of people that did something right. Sure, I feel good that my name is on the list. But I've literally spent the last couple days perplexed. Did the moderator make a mistake by posting my name...twice?? Did my posts not go through properly/on time?? Is there someone else by the same name? If that's the case, have we both been improperly recognized this whole time?

The point is this: when you think you are doing something good by giving away "freebies" you could very well be confusing your dog just as my "freebies" confused me. I still don't know what posts were correct. I can't repeat the behavior - even though I know what the moderator asked for, I have no idea what I actuallydid. When training your dog, remember to be consistent. Even if you think they're sad because you think they deserved that treat/toy/praise. If they didn't perform the behavior you're looking for, then they don't get reinforcement. This isn't cruel - it's helpful for the learning process!

Happy Clicking Everyone!

E

Smooth Transitions

These past few days, there have been significant changes to my household. My sister and her daughter have come to live with us for a while. There are several things I did in preparation: baby gates, cabinet locks, etc. But I didn't pay as much attention to helping my dogs transition as I should have.

B is a dog that has trouble adapting - this I know and have come to love and appreciate. However, I didn't help her much in preparation. I should have had my sister send some of my neice's worn clothes so my dog could smell them. I should have been more committed to watching the toddler shows on TLC so that my dog could get an ear for a screaming/crying/whining toddler on the cusp of her terrible twos. But I didn't. I got complacent. I took for granted the wonderful training my dog has already been through and I just figured I had done the basics and that was enough.

When they arrived, it was a little stressful. I introduced them outside because B is more neutral outside. She did well - letting out a few fearful, unsure barks. I encouraged her socialization by clicking and treating her everytime she touched the shoes of my sister and neice. This calmed her a bit. She gets nervous when I leave the room...B's never had separation anxiety but I feel like it's developing in to that. So I'm trying to combat that very carefully.

Today marks day three of managing the new living environment. B has calmed down significantly...going from barking everytime my neice moved to resting quietly while she walks over to pet her. This has all been a lot of work. A lot of attention, a lot of clicking and treating, and a lot of management. I have to know when B has had enough...when it's time for her to escape to her crate. I have to know when she's reaching aggravated vs. curious vs. frightened. It's my job to make sure her life is as stress-free as possible. Sigh. So far, it's taking a lot of kongs, frozen fruits and rawhides. Stay tuned!

E

and by the way...

...guess who didn't get to go...

Lure Coursing Champion of the World!

This Saturday, CBARRC hosted an open Lure Coursing event. For those of you not familiar with lure coursing (this weekend was my first time!), it's a wired course with two plastic flags attached. There is an operator who controls the pace of the flags depending on the age and athletic ability of the dog. This sport is ideal for sight-hounds...hence, the strong presence of the Rhodesian Ridgebacks.

CBARRC opened the course to anyone who wanted to try. J and I just wanted to check it out - we knew this isn't an event for B since the dog chasing the lure is off-leash and other dogs are waiting on deck for their go. We figured S would be too lazy to take part and figured if anything, this would be a great socialization experience for S.

We were pleasantly surprised. At first, S watched the other dogs chasing the lure with an inquisitive turn to her head. The third time she saw the lures, she was crying like a banchee! I would have been embarrassed had I not been at an event where this kind of behavior is expected - the whole point is for the dog to get so excited that they'll chase the lure. After about 5 minutes of crying her head off, I looked to J and said, " I guess we better sign her up!"

The first video is S's first run ever. I had never handled a dog for luring so I let Carri show me how it's done. The second video is S's second run and my first as handler...what an awesome experience!!

I couldn't be more proud!

E

PS - Listen to S in the second video - she's crying the whole time!!

Closing and Opening

J set up a cool little "obstacle" course for S. I take no credit for this particular obstacle - it's all him!

If you recall, we'd been working on teaching her Open It, Close It, and Get a Towel. We've got some fine tuning to do but it's coming along nicely.

The funniest thing is that we haven't properly indicated what we want her to do with the towel (we ultimately want her bringing it to us). So you'll see in the video she comes up with some ideas of her own.

Training When Guests Come Over

***Posted on our facebook page!! Come visit us: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kahunas-K9s/98634629823***

Yesterday was the celebration of our country's independence and with that comes the ceremonial...BBQ!

We had some guests over and, as predicted, the girls weren't necessarily the most perfect dogs at the door. In their defense, they've never been fully trained in that situation. If you don't train a dog in the situation where they'll need to behave the most, you can't expect perfect behavior!

So what did I do instead? I kept an eagle eye on what they did right while greeting the guests and I rewarded it. Also, if they started to get scared/uneasy/unsure, I encouraged them by reinforcing their courage. B hates being pet from above her head...it sketches her out and makes her duck under the weight of someone's petting hand. So when someone pet her from above her head, I showered her with her favorite treats.

If you keep experiences positive by associating treats with everything, you're more likely to have a well-adjusted dog with excellent bounce back. If you haven't trained something yet and you know that situation is coming up (hello! Fireworks anyone!!??) then be prepared with YUMMY, high-value treats and you can turn any potential disaster in to a training session!

Happy Training!

E

Right, Wrong and the Animals Stuck in Between

Here it is folks. More talk about animals and their ability (lack thereof??) to tell right from wrong.

Read article here.

It's not that I don't think animals are capable of emotions, please don't get me wrong. I think it traps us humans in to thinking that the animal is now responsible and is capable of correct decision making without our teachings. This is dangerous to say the least. It’s because of this that we think our animals “know” that peeing in the living room is wrong and they feel guilty because of it. That theory then causes us to feel justified with the use of punishment – the animal knows they were wrong and therefore they understand the negative consequences.

It’s dangerous and flawed. Instead of putting the responsibility on our animals, we should put it on us. We are the only being that we can truly, 100% change.