Dog Behavior Training and Advice

Posts Tagged ‘dog training’

dog training action plan and human friendly dog training

An action plan functions as the controlling signals for taking needed action. When we first start a new endeavor we often don’t have enough experience to know what actions to take. One of the tasks of an experienced teacher, instructor, or coach is to teach us what we need to do. I know this is true in dog training. It seems that everyone has an opinion and advice on how to train a dog. I often arrive at a person’s home to find they’ve tried four or five training suggestions from friends and family members. On top of friendly advice we now have television advice too. Not only is there a lot of free advice, but a lot of it is contradicting as well. One person will says you’re not human if you do one training technique. Next you are told by another that you have to do that same technique to be a good dog owner. What is a person to do? What is a person to believe?

To separate the chaff from the wheat it’s helpful to get advice from a well rounded professional. However, some professionals are better at harvesting the meaty kernels of truth better than others. Dog training is an interesting blend of tradition, myth, and science. I happen to be one of those strange people who does not condemn many training systems. I do have some reservations about some training styles, but I acknowledge their functionality.

I believe through dog training we have more to learn than just how to control our dogs. This insight probably puts me three quarters the way into the holier than thou positive reinforcement camp. I believe that humanity must learn how to use positive reinforcement as a default response if we are to survive as a species. On the other hand I also see the value of using aversives in controlling behavior. While I don’t like that the primitive use of aversives works so well in some oppressive societies, it’s been my observation that they can be effective. I feel the primitive use of aversive control does tend to make us more animal like and therefore speaks to our more primitive lower nature.

My observations and insights have put me in an interesting situation. I know what needs to be done to help owners in a way that will give that individual the best results within certain limits of a household’s dynamics. I also must be aware of what training aversives the people in the house are inclined to use and will accept. Aversive control is usually thought of as punishment or negative reinforcement. Usually people are more likely to want to use punishment or negative reinforcement when the dog’s behavior problem is aversive to the humans. I feel it’s justified to use strong aversive control if it’s needed to save a dog’s life.

When implementing a training program I judge what a person will accept by how they handle the dog. It’s best to structure and apply aversives in a way that will be useful and have the most benefit with the least chance of doing harm. The training plan should set up rules that replace random emotion based punishment with a very measured and well planned response. Developing control over the use of punishment and negative reinforcement allows us to transition into using less aversive control. As we use fewer aversives we can increase our reliance on positive reinforcement.

I also know what CAN be done with positive reinforcement. The problem is what can be done and what most people do are two different things. The plan is that once we are involved in a training program the dog’s behavior will begin to reinforce the family’s increased use of positive reinforcement. I try to give the people in the household some choices in which training technique to use. Most of the time people will pick what works best for them and their dog. What works best often revolves around time? When people realize that rewarding behavior is less work than other forms of control they chose to use positive reinforcement. The idea is to let the dog’s family choose to use positive reinforcement without forcing them to conform.

The whole point being that there is often a plan behind a method. I have a very strong feeling that most of the positive reinforcement trainers I know really don’t like the way I train. However, I do train with positive reinforcement, it’s just that I emphasize being human friendly.

Wishing you the very best in dog training and in life,
Andrew Ledford

At a recent Southern California Dog Trainers forum we had an interesting meeting where many people discussed the various seminars they have attended. One person’s account of using non familiar training techniques struck me as particularly interesting.

Without the familiar training tools, teaching the dog a new behavior was a novel experience. The novelty seems to transcend human preference and includes the dog as well. From the trainers account it appears the dog was also conditioned to a certain familiar style of training. The dogs conditioning brings up some interesting points. The first is that it may be possible for dogs to learn a learning strategy adapted to the handler/trainers preferred style of training. I believe the idea that certain dogs are better adapted to particular training styles is seen in the field of protection dogs. I have talked with a successful competition protection dog trainer who has mentioned that in Europe, training clubs breed dogs with traits best suited to the clubs style of training. Again we see that evolution and environment follow a similar course. It may be that the practical application of the nature – nurture debate is not about either nature or nurture. It could be about adaptation.

When I hear these stories I always think about Captain Haggerty saying he was a dog trainer. Not a this kind of trainer or that kind of dog trainer, but a Dog Trainer. Now many dog trainers I know didn’t like Captain Haggerty or his style of training, but I liked the Captain. He wasn’t a clicker trainer or a leash and collar trainer but he was an extremely knowledgeable Dog Trainer.

Even though the Captain is no longer with us he can still teach us many good lessons about dog training. One of those lessons is to move past our prejudices for or against training methods.

I like positive reinforcement training. But I recognize the limits of teaching with all positive reinforcement. The biggest problem with positive reinforcement training is that positive reinforcement is not the default behavior of people under aversive control. Most people contact me because their dogs are doing something the people don’t like. If you don’t like a behavior, that behavior is most likely aversive. The fist response most people have to adversity in their lives is emotional. That emotional response is the precursor to action. The action is usually in the form of offering some aversive to the one causing discomfort. Seldom do we want to reward those who cause us trouble. Desires and wants are emotions.

I do think as a culture we can learn how to be more positive reinforcement oriented. I also think that dog training is one of the best places to learn how positive reinforcement works. But, I do not think I have ever met what I would call an all positive reinforcement dog trainer. I have met plenty of dog trainers who primarily use positive reinforcement dog training techniques.

When someone hires me they are expecting results and I try to give them results with training techniques they can implement with the most ease. Even when working with and complimenting the owner’s human nature there is still a huge amount of new information the owner/handler needs to learn. The handler also need to develop new behavior patterns and needs to change many old behaviors. While I can introduce the new handler to reinforcement theory and techniques with a package of lessons, I probably can’t change the emotional responses to aversives in that time. It’s also unlikely I can change years of learning and conditioning within the time it takes to train the dog. However, learning the positive training techniques can begin to condition new patterns in the handler.

If someone really wants to change their moral character and how they interact with others I have developed two seven step programs. At this time I have not found too many people who want to change from a competitive and confrontational orientation to an accepting all positive one. For the time being I will match my training techniques to the underlying orientation of the paying owner/handler.

Wishing you the very best in dog training and in life
Andrew Ledford