Category Archives: operant conditioning

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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Getting the Behaviour: Luring

Luring is a quick way to teach a new behaviour. Initially, food is used as a lure to help guide the dog into the desired action or position. You can quickly get the dog to SIT or DOWN, practice close and straight FRONTS, lure into HEEL position, and encourage WATCH by luring with food. We [...]

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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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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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Teaching Zappa articles

So Zappa’s tracking is looking pretty good, for the few times I’ve been out this year, but I’m convinced from past failures that if you wait too long for articles, they will forever be viewed as an interruption of tracking by the dog, even if good things happen at them.  It may be to that [...]

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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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