Category Archives: learning theory

Getting the behaviour: shaping

GO TO PLACE: an introduction to shaping behaviour What is shaping? Shaping is the process of moving from an unskilled to a skilled performance through a series of closer and closer approximations of the final behaviour. Shaping behaviour is a very effective way of teaching complex actions. Any complex action or series of actions can [...]

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The ABC’s of dog training

The ABC’s — Don’t make food the Antecedent Antecedent –> Behavior –> Consequence Correct: Command SIT –> Dog sits –> Dog is rewarded Wrong: Show food, lure and say SIT –> Dog sits –> Dog is rewarded One of the criticisms of “positive” dog training is the complaint “My dog only sits when he sees [...]

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The Premack Principle: “You have to DO something to GET something!”

If there’s a “secret” to dog training, the Premack Principle is it. In psych lingo, the Premack Principle states that the likely-hood of a high-probability behaviour occurring increases when reinforced by a  low-probability behaviour. In the vernacular, it’s also known as Gramma’s Law: “You have to eat your peas (low-probability behaviour) before you can have [...]

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Bridge words

Our Schutzhund club had Michael Ellis again for a three day seminar over Memorial weekend. He’s been coming here for over ten years, yet I always learn something new. One of the things that really hit home this time is the difference between a terminal bridge word that means “yes, that’s exactly what I was [...]

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Choosing a marker word

A clicker and a marker word do the same thing but they are not the same. A clicker is a unique sound, not duplicated elsewhere in the dog’s environment. A marker word is very effective, but its use is dulled by the constant flow of words the dog hears. Nonetheless, a marker word is far [...]

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Kitchen Training: Close Fronts

A perfect front is close, straight, fast and consistently correct. The dog has full understanding of his job. He knows how to be straight because he understands what his focal point is and how to line himself up with it. He understands how close is close. He sits quickly and gives intense, focused eye contact. [...]

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Clicker Power

I’m a lazy trainer, I admit it. So part of the reason I use a marker word rather than a clicker is that I always have my voice with me. I have to look for a clicker and who knows where I might have left it. Even after reading Clicker Bridging Stimulus Efficacy by Lindsay [...]

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Class Notes: Beginning Agility

Shaping teaches a complex behaviour by progressively and selectively rewarding any action that takes the dog closer to the desired final action.

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Book sale at J&J

Excel-erated Learning by Pamela J. Reid Ph.D. and How Dogs Learn by Mary R. Burch, Ph.D. & John S. Bailey, Ph.D. are on sale for $10.99 at J&J Dog Supplies  http://www.jjdog.com/ . Look under Discontinued Items. These books belong in the library of anyone interested in learning more about dog training and how dogs learn.

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Pitfalls of Luring

A common complaint about using food in training is “My dog only comes when he sees the treat!” This is generally because the dog was taught by luring. The lure has become the prompt for the dog to perform the behaviour. The dog is dependent on the lure, and if the lure is not present, [...]

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