Archive for the ‘positive reinforcement’ Category
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I’ve picked up some ideas from dog trainer Paul Owens, who calls himself the original dog whisperer. In his book, “The Dog Whisperer: A Compassionate, Nonviolent Approach to Dog Training, 2nd Edition” (co-authored by Norma Eckroate), he says positive reinforcement training allows a partnership based on kindness, respect and compassion. Owens uses nothing but nonviolent, positive reinforcement training methods. Basically, the key is proper communication. Owens says nonviolence means no jerking, shocking, pulling or pinning (wait, what about when my mutt pulls me?). He instead uses treats, vocal praise, petting, clickers and life rewards such as playing, food or a walk to motivate the dog. He says substituting an unwanted behavior with a good behavior and using repetitions will condition a dog to do what you want him to do. “The bottom line is that it is not necessary to use any jerking at all to get your dog to do what you want,” Owens said in his book. He has a point. I know I’ve pulled my dog’s leash too hard - training collar or not- out of frustration or impatience. That’s a terrible way to teach a dog anything. And honestly, Ace has learned to ignore my tugs and “leash corrections” anyway, so it’s time to try something new. Owens answered the following questions for my blog: What is the most common misunderstanding when it comes to dog training? Many people think dogs are in competition with them and that as the dog’s “master,” they have “to win” and force their dogs to “submit.” There is no competition. We own everything our dogs want so it’s simply a matter of teaching them that they get whatever they want if they do something for us first. After a while, habits are formed and the behaviors become automatic. Until that happens, it’s our responsibility to keep our dogs, ourselves and the environment safe. Many people also have a misunderstanding that they have to use physical punishment with their dogs in order to get off-lead, reliable behavior. Shaping reliable behavior is easy when you follow the rules. When I began training 35 years ago, I never used treats although I did use generous praise and petting as well as life rewards such as freedom to jump in the pool, chase a ball, go for a walk, get on the bed, etc. Enforcement of “commands” (I no longer use that word) was primarily leash corrections, poking with my fingers and pinning a dog to the ground. I became very skilled in getting dogs to do what I wanted using these methods. When I switched to positive training in 1988, I learned the difference between getting dogs to cooperate rather than forcing them to submit, how the scientific protocols of weaning a dog off of treats was essentially the same as weaning a dog off of aversives, and most importantly, how the methods used for training were as important as the results. Regarding this last point, over time I learned of the link between how humans treat animals and how we treat each other, so I chose to stop using physical punishment or the threat of physical punishment. I often quote Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when he was asked why he didn’t use violent methods in his fight for equality. He said, “If peace is our goal, then our means must be peaceful.” What are the most common mistakes people make? They don’t learn how to “speak dog,” especially in regards to consistency, timing and precision. They don’t provide the necessary quantity and quality of the “9 Ingredients” necessary for a happy, healthy, relationship: Food (diet), Play, Socialization, Quiet Time, Exercise, Employment, Rest, Training (discipline through nonviolent means), and Health Care. Of course we make these same mistakes of not providing these ingredients with ourselves : 0) You have several books and DVDs to aid people with dog training. Are you working on any new material? My goals have always been to make scientific learning principles accessible and easy to understand, to promote positive training, and to help people learn to treat dogs as they would their friends, themselves and their family members rather than as possessions. My new book, “Good Habits, Great Behaviors, A Self-Help Book for Dogs and Humans” will be out in January and hopefully will help continue to foster these goals. Check out Paul Owens’ web site Raise with Praise. His books include “The Dog Whisperer” and “The Puppy Whisperer.” He also has DVDs on dog training.
…………………………………………………………………….. When Ace and I were working at the park the other day, two women walked by with two black labs. Both dogs were off leash, I don’t think they even brought leashes. While one dog was trained better than the other and stayed close, the younger lab kept running over to Ace and I. I don’t mind when someone’s friendly dog runs up to me. But here’s the problem: These women kept calling their dog several times and when he did finally did come, they yelled “Bad dog!” over and over, flipped him onto his back, stood over him and even slapped him (to intimidate, not physically hurt him). The dog instantly became very submissive, with his tail between his legs and ears back. But what these women didn’t realize was how they were teaching their dog that running away is a lot more fun than coming back. This same routine happened at least six times in a matter of 20 minutes. They kept letting the dog go, he’d instantly run over to Ace and I or anyone else in the park, the women would scream at him to come, he’d come after about 30 seconds and then they’d start in on the “Bad dog!” all over again. I couldn’t take it. I went over and explained to the women what they were doing wrong. They were actually very happy to hear some advice, any advice. The thing is, people usually have very good intentions and love their dogs very much, but don’t always stop and think about training from a dog’s point of view. Believe me, I get upset with my dog all the time. But it does no good to show anger. When we loose our tempers with our dogs, nothing good can be accomplished. Click here for tips on teaching your dog to come when called. (Image from petloverstips.com)
………………………………………………………………………………….. A dog that makes eye contact with her owner will have better focus and will pay attention better. Some people prefer to teach the command “watch me” or “watch.” I have never taught my dog the “watch me” command because I don’t think I should have to tell him to pay attention. He should always pay attention, especially if I’ve said his name or told him to do something. I don’t want to say “Ace, watch me,” and then “heel.” I just want to say, “Ace, heel.” He should automatically be watching. At obedience class this week, the trainer suggested we encourage our dogs to make eye contact without asking them or assigning a command for it. I have never worked much on improving Ace’s eye contact, but I thought it sounded like a good idea. Here are a few ideas to try: 1. Keep eye contact whenever you catch your dog looking at you.
When I stop to really pay attention to Ace, I notice he glances at my eyes quickly and looks away. This week I am trying to encourage him to look at me longer by talking to him, telling him what a good boy he is and looking back at him until he looks away. This will teach him that looking at me is safe, positive and he gets attention for it! He should be rewarded every time he looks at me. 2. Make eye contact when there are distractions. Once Ace has learned to keep eye contact, I can practice using it to keep him focused on me when there are distractions. For example, if I want him to sit and stay, he will have better success if I can get him to watch me rather than focus on other things around him. I will practice with distractions such as another person walking by, toys or other pets and practicing in new areas. 3. Don’t use eye contact to intimidate. The purpose here is not to make the dog feel submissive, but to make him feel comfortable. Yes, sometimes animals stare each other down, but just because my dog is making eye contact doesn’t mean he is challenging me. It means he is looking at me for direction and leadership. Give it a try and see how it works for you and your dog. Image from flickr.com |
