Training Basics - Guest Blog

A special THANKS to Kassandra Schmid, a former coworker of mine who has taken on some dog training of her own and has been gracious enough to allow me to post her blogs here on my page! Kassandra has used the same and similar techniques as I have and while she's newer to the training industry, she has what it takes to be very good at what she does! She has a deaf Aussie named Aspen and a hound mix named Chloe. She is a proud pet parent, a wife and stepmom to two wonderful kids who are fast growing into young adults. With her family, she loves fishing, RC racing/crawling, camping, video games, playing games like cards and bags, and hanging out. I am pleased to have Kassandra guest blogging here! Enjoy! ~ Rebecca Hart

by Kassandra Schmid When I first started training with a professional, "positive reinforcement" was all that I remember. I translated this in my head to cue -> desired response -> treat. A simple formula with endless applications, right?

In my journey with the three musketeers, I kept running into roadblocks with this formula. It wasn't one-size-fits-all and felt quite ineffective in some situations. Well, surprisingly (or unsurprisingly, for those of you more versed and experienced in training than I), training and behavior modification can be very complex in practice. In fact, some of the most experienced and best trainers out there have PhDs in Animal Behavior Science. I'm secretly starting to think I missed my calling, but I'm happy to self-learn and develop to the best of my abilities, and share some of the golden nuggets I pick up along the way.

As I continue to post, I want to share some of the basics of training and behavior modification, as I'll reference many of these terms and concepts on a regular basis. I found many of these ideas confusing at first - if you Google these, you're delving into a lot of psychology jargon - so I'll do my best to explain as clearly as possible.

Classical Conditioning (or Associative Learning)

Dog associates a signal (no value) with something that evokes an emotional response (value).

It comes in three steps:

1) A signal happens, which means nothing to the dog at first

2) Something happens directly after the signal that creates an emotional response in the dog

3) Steps 1 & 2 repeat with the same signal and response - usually multiple times - and the dog makes the association

Example 1

1) I take out my black tennis shoes, which I only use for walks, jogs, or agility

2) I take the dogs for a walk, jog, or to agility, which my dogs love

3) My black tennis shoes predict a walk, jog, or agility practice

Result: Dogs get amped up and start ringing the bells on the door to go outside when I take out my black tennis shoes

Example 2

1) Bella takes a ball in her mouth

2) Bella runs with the ball, exciting Aspen's herding instincts

3) Bella with a ball predicts a game of chase/herding for Aspen

Result: Aspen runs at Bella as soon as Bella has a ball, even if Bella hasn't moved yet

Example 3

1) I take the ear drop bottle out of the drawer

2) Drops are put in Aspen's ears, which is uncomfortable for Aspen

3) Ear drop bottle predicts drops in ears

Result: Aspen runs away when she sees the bottle

Example 4

1) Chloe goes around a jump in agility

2) I make a frustrated sound and look at the ground, confusing Chloe

3) Agility jumps predict my disappointment

Result: Chloe loses motivation to go over jumps at all

As you can see, classical conditioning happens constantly and often we don't even realize it. When dealing with undesirable behaviors or responses that stump you, take a step back and see if a classically conditioned response is part of the issue. On the other side it, you can use reinforcers to help your dog create associations without any prompting! The entire principle of clicker training is based on classical conditioning. Your clicker, "yes," or a similar cue becomes your positive reinforcement signal via classical conditioning and allows you to better communicate with your dog.

Counter-conditioning is a form of classical conditioning used when a dog has a negative association with something, such as fear, anxiety, etc. When using counter-conditioning, you're creating a positive association with the thing your dog doesn't like or feels threatened by. It can be used for something as simple as the Check It Out game to help your dog gain confidence in new environments or for complex behavioral issues, such as resource guarding, leash reactivity, and many others. When addressing issues tied to aggression, extreme fear or anxiety, please consult with a professional behaviorist to create the appropriate training program.

Operant Conditioning

Dog associates their behavior with a consequence.

A reinforcement is any consequence that makes a behavior more likely to happen again. A punishment is any consequence makes a behavior less likely to happen again.

The consequence always includes adding something ("positive") or removing something ("negative") from the situation.

You really don't need to know the different types of reinforcements or punishments. For dog training, the most important operant conditioning concept is positive reinforcement (R+), as this has been proven the most effective way to establish consistent, reliable behaviors.

Positive reinforcement is increasing the likelihood of behavior by adding something to the situation. Timing is key; positive reinforcement should be delivered during or within 3 seconds of the desired behavior. If your delivery is late, you could be rewarding a different behavior altogether or otherwise slow down the learning process. When dogs learn fast via operant conditioning, it's because of precise timing.

Training Aspen to wear her goggles using R+

Example 1

Behavior: Chloe keeps all four feet on the ground when people walk in the house

Consequence: Chloe gets a piece of turkey dog, which tastes delicious

Result: Chloe is more likely to keep her feet on the ground when greeting people instead of jumping

Example 2

Behavior: Aspen jumps up and puts her paws on my arm when I walk in the door

Consequence: Aspen gets pets and kisses

Result: Aspen is more likely to keep jumping up when I come inside

Above, Example 1 is what most people want. But how do you get there if Example 2 keeps happening? It won't, and there are many techniques to train a desired behavior and eliminate undesirable behaviors using positive enforcement, including luring, shaping, putting a behavior on cue, and redirection.

Motivators

Not all motivators are equal. Some dogs love getting pets and others don't. Rewarding carrots might not increase behaviors, but a piece of steak will. It's important to understand what is truly motivating to your dog. For instance, Bella is obsessed with tennis balls. Chloe loves to sniff. Aspen will work for almost any type of food. If you're "reinforcing" your dog and the behavior your training for decreases, your dog isn't getting rewarded at all. Whatever your using isn't motivating to them and it's time to try a different motivator!

Self-Reinforcement

Behaviors that reinforce themselves are more difficult to train through, if undesirable. Usually they're fulfilling a dog's natural function, which is extremely motivating for the dog to repeat and hard to compete with using other reinforcers.

Example

Behavior: Aspen pulls at Bella's collar to herd her

Consequence: Bella moves in the direction Aspen pulls her, satisfying Aspen's herding drive

Result: Aspen is more likely to pull Bella's collar

Extinction

If a dog isn't getting reinforcers or enough reinforcers, this will decrease their likelihood to repeat the behavior. Eventually, they'll stop the behavior altogether, so some trainers will use this approach to reduce or eliminate undesirable behaviors. However, many undesirable behaviors we often see in our dogs are a result of classical conditioning or are self-reinforcing. This means removing a positive reinforcement isn't necessarily going to stop a behavior alone. Alternatives like redirection and putting an undesirable behavior on cue are very effective in creating new, more desirable behavior chains.

Closing

This is not the be-all, end-all guide in training basics, and as a reminder, I'm not a professional trainer. I'm simply a woman with three dogs, fully dedicated to learning all I can to give us the best possible lives together. Check out Kassandra's other posts with this link to her blog: https://three-dog-blog.wixsite.com/noearshere/my-blog