Have you ever wondered how really good dog trainers come up with the techniques they use to solve behaviour problems in dogs such as excessive barking, destructive chewing, toileting in the house and jumping up on visitors? Or how top dog trainers come up with ways to train dogs in top obedience and working competitions? Apart from a few “naturals”, most really good dog trainers have a very good understanding of how dogs learn. They have adapted theory from the world of behavioural science and turned that knowledge into real-life practical skills for training dogs. This article explains in plain English some of the science and theory behind dog training, these really are secrets of the dog training professionals!

You’ve probably heard the term “Reinforcement” before, but do you know what it really means?

Reinforcement is the term behavior analysts use when a behavior has been maintained or increased in frequency, duration or intensity.

An example, a dog learns to sit to be patted, each time he is patted he learns to sit more often or for longer.

This means if you want a dog to keep doing something, or do it more often, more intensely or for longer, that behavior needs to be reinforced.

The traditional method of reinforcement was to do something the dog didn’t like and stop doing it when the dog complied with the command.

These days most dog training professionals use Positive Reinforcement, we give the dog something he wants when he does something we want! This could be a food treat, a game, a toy, access to outdoors, a walk around the neighbourhood, a scratch behind the ear - the list goes on… but mostly we use food because it is convenient and all dogs need to eat!

Sometimes it’s not obvious to the dog exactly what we are trying to reinforce, and reinforcement of the desired behaviour does not occur as a result. The easiest solution is to use what behavior analysts call a “bridging stimulus”, usually a sound used to mark the target behavior. This can be a simple and consistent “good boy!”, but many dog trainers are discovering the advantages of clickers which mark tiny pieces of behaviour very precisely when used correctly. Like most things, it’s a case of getting some practise. I liken it to learning how to press the shutter on a camera at the right moment.

When can we say we have Reinforced behavior?

By definition, we can only say reinforcement has occurred when we measure the increase or maintenance of a particular behavior.

Scientists would carefully measure behavior, but for most of us we’re just happy to make a casual observation that a behavior has indeed been increased or maintained.

Some trainers make the mistake of assuming that behavior has been increased or maintained when in fact it has not.

Just because we have given a dog some praise, a scratch behind the ear, or even a yummy treat, it doesn’t mean that the preceding behavior has been reinforced. Only when we can actually observe that a behavior has been increased or maintained can we say that it has been reinforced.

Are you training your own dog? Join Positive Petzine at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/positivepetzine/ today for free training tips and hints!

Aidan Bindoff is intensely interested in animal behaviour and training and works with fearful, anxious and agressive dogs in Australia. He is also editor of Positive Petzine.

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Dogs are not people. It may seem like an obvious observation, but so many people make the mistake time and time again of expecting their dog to act and think like a person. They attribute human traits and emotions to these noble animals and thus undermine their whole relationship, sending confusing signals and stressing the dog.

Remember, the dog is an animal. Yes, even your cute little friend who curls up on the sofa next to you and loves to have his tummy tickled. He’s an animal, and he MUST be treated as such to give him a healthy, fulfilling life. Small dogs are particularly prone to being treated as children or babies and this can lead to a multitude of behavioural problems, not to mention confusion and misery for the dog.

Firstly, let’s look at the exchange of love between ourselves and our dogs. Most of us love our dogs and can feel a warm spot in the middle of our chests when we see them or think of them. Does the dog feel that too? We have to assume not. He loves us, but he loves us in a different way. He relies on us for his well-being and survival. He looks to us (if we are successful) as a leader of his pack and he trusts us in our decisions.

He is happy to be with you because he is a pack animal and his attachment to you may well be very deep. But he doesn’t have the complicated love-psychology of a human being. He doesn’t have the same concept of ethics and morality and he certainly doesn’t know anything above and beyond what his animal instincts tell him. If a friend of yours enters the house and your dog doesn’t like him, he’s not going to “be nice” to the friend for your sake! Conversely, he doesn’t misbehave or sulk to get attention or “pay you back” for something you did. These are human emotions and motives that we attribute to our dogs almost unconsciously.

We should also look at the concept of praise and punishment in training. On the whole, I advocate praising good behaviour and ignoring misbehaviour. I do not believe in punishing a dog for bad behaviour, but sometimes a short, sharp shout can be a good reminder to a dog that is doing something he knows he shouldn’t. It is essential to remember that you can only praise or give correction to your dog AT THE VERY MOMENT he is exhibiting the behaviour in question. He is not a child and will not know nor remember what he did five minutes ago. This is a fundamental difference between people and dogs and if remembered, will make training a much easier task.

So the key to this is “think like a dog”. Imagine you are a pack animal like him. Don’t ever think of him as a human, still less a child or a baby, whatever his size and however cute his face. You have to hard-wire this concept into your relationship with your dog and he will only thank you for it. He is a dog, an animal, and only by truly understanding this will you be able to fulfill his needs and form a meaningful, satisfying relationship for both of you.

Read more of Justine Kay’s dog training articles at her comprehensive site Dog Training Tips

Getting your dog’s attention is one of the most important things you can do to accelerate all other training skills. And if, once you’ve got it, you can keep that attention, then you’re really going to make some fast progress. Keeping your dog’s attention is essential in competition work, in the obedience ring for example, but also invaluable in everyday life.

Okay, so we’ve established the advantages, now we need to look at how to attain this goal. It isn’t necessarily going to be easy to keep your dog’s attention, and some breeds are certainly more difficult than others but here are some tips on how to achieve this with most dogs.

Use the sit command and a tasty treat. Your dog must already have learned this command and it must be solid - the dog must understand what is required of him and respond quickly to the command. You can read my article on teaching your dog the sit command if you haven’t already taught him this.

So, give the sit command, asking your dog to sit in heel position, and use his favourite tasty treat to encourage him to look upwards at your face. Praise him when he focuses his attention on you, give him the treat and release him from the sit command. Do this again and again, each time increasing the time where he is looking and concentrating on your face. You want to have his attention, so he is responsive to your next command.

Soon, your dog will automatically look at you when he sits, because he becomes accustomed to being praised and given a treat. As with all training, you can gradually replace the treat with praise, just giving him an occasional treat to maintain his interest. Whenever you are not giving your dog your undivided attention when he is sitting to heel and looking at you, remember to give your release command. He will quickly lose interest if you are busy, and you need to continually reinforce and reward this behaviour.

Once you and your dog are working well with this in a quiet location, you can gradually add other distractions, increasing these in small increments to allow your dog to adjust. Praise him when he gets it right, give the release command and play with your dog - he must know when he has done well, and training should be a happy, pleasurable pursuit for both of you.

The next step is to extend this principle to heeling and other obedience training. Using the same procedure as above, gradually teach your dog that is to his advantage to watch you, to be looking at your for your next command, during all obedience training. The key to this is to build his attention span by tiny increments and praise him when he has done well. Never get frustrated or angry with your dog if he loses attention. This will be detrimental to his training - simply praise him when he gets it right and make sure, at the beginning, that the treat you choose is his absolute favourite. Praise, fun and patience are the three things that will gradually build obedience in any dog.

Justine Kay is an experienced dog owner and trainer. She is the webmistress at Dog Training Tips where she writes dog training articles and discusses the intricacies of dog psychology.

I cannot tell you how many times People have said to me that their Dog thinks it is human and I always give the same answer “No it doesn’t it thinks you’re a dog.” Although not strictly true it serves to emphasize that dogs are not humans in little furry coats.

If we could teach a dog to draw and give the concept of “God” it would draw God as a dog. Many so called dog trainers and countless owners have a mistaken perception of what really constitutes a dog and have expectations far above their actual ability.

Some people believe that their pets are able to understand complex thought patterns, and comprehend our moral and ethical codes; they assume a dog’s level of understanding is on a par with our own. Dogs work on drive levels and instinct. It is vital to keep in mind that they do not have the capacity to comprehend the complex thought processes that bring us to understand human emotions, language and behaviour.

There is a scientific name for this Anthropomorphism: The textbook definition of anthropomorphism is “to assign emotion or thought patterns to animals or objects, which are incapable of achieving such dimensions”. This is like explaining that a vine climbs up the tree to get a better view.

I believe that anthropomorphism is one of the main reasons we find immense difficulty communicating successfully with our pets. So why do we do it? Humans find it easier to relate to something when they see their own emotions and thought patterns into the actions of their animals.

Using the vine illustration, this is an example of projection. Projection is a psychological phenomenon in which one projects their feelings upon others, animals, or objects. This is useful in everyday life for it takes the guesswork out of reality. Instead of constantly contemplating why something is as it is, you simply put it into context with how you think and your everyday life.

Dogs are capable of linking ideas together, but are incapable of linking actions that are separated by time. If for example a dog makes a mess during your absence there is no point in telling the dog off or rubbing its nose in it, which to my mind is barbaric, you wouldn’t rub a child’s nose is a soiled nappy? and even if you did what learning process would the child get?

The dog’s brain cannot link the action with any passage of time. So many people say, “He knows he has done wrong” or “He looks as guilty as hell”. No he doesn’t he looks submissive because he can read your body language and is aware you are annoyed, but not why. Their brains are not formulated to feel guilt as we perceive it.

A dog’s brain is much smaller than a humans, especially in the upper part of the brain called the cerebrum - the portion of the brain associated with intellectual functions such as speech, memory, consciousness, and logical and emotional thought.

Dogs cannot understand human language. It is far more important to use sound patterns, intonation, facial and body language as a form of communication. A dog wants to please and all learning should be based on positive reinforcement. We should be aware that a large part of a dog’s brain is occupied with sensory activity, particularly the interpretation of scent.

Instinct?

Dogs natural instinct plays a vital role and often it is difficult to understand why so few dog owners cannot differentiate between instinct and intelligence. Instinct is an urge from within. Instinct makes a dog act in certain ways and has no connection with intelligence.

Dogs first instinct is to survive, when a pup is born he squirms about until he finds a teat and then sucks it. This does not require intelligence or a learning process it is purely instinctual. The maternal instinct tells the female to clean up the foetal membrane, and in the first 3 or 4 weeks to also eat the pup’s faeces in case wild animals smell them and kill the pups.

Of course we know that no predators are going to attack the litter but try explaining that to the mother? She is not taught these actions, she has not seen another female do it. It is instinct. Most instincts provide pleasure to the dog, and because it associates the action with pleasure, the instinct grows stronger with usage.

This is the basis of all training to harness your pet’s instincts and shape it’s behaviour patterns so that it is acceptable to what we perceive as our requirements.

Instinct can be strengthened, weakened or even diverted. However, if an instinct is not present in the first place it cannot be added, and it cannot be taken away. It might lie dormant, but once developed it can never be weakened. A dog with an obsession for chasing cyclists can be controlled by shaping its behaviour, obedience training and by providing alternative outlets for it’s energy.

The same if a dog is corrected the first time he chases another dog or a jogger it may give up the idea, but if it is allowed to chase joggers or dogs then this instinct becomes much stronger and can then become a problem behaviour that is difficult or even impossible to cure.

Basic Training

To start to teach your dog your language, you need to combine the words with an action that shows the dog what you want, and some reinforcement - either positive or negative. Say your dog’s name. Does the dog respond (look at you, wag his tail, move toward you)? Your dog should ALWAYS have a pleasant experience when he hears his name - NEVER unpleasant.

Some people create a new “Bad Dog” name to use for those bad dog times. To teach the dog his name, position your dog close enough to touch, preferably on a leash so he doesn’t move away. Say the dogs name cheerfully and give his ear or leash a tug toward you, or move his muzzle in your direction. When the dog looks in your direction, immediately use your “Good Dog” voice and praise and stroke your dog on the head or chest and start by giving your dog a treat

Practice this until looking at you happens without the tug or treat, continue to practice for the dog’s entire life! It reinforces the communication link between the owner and dog.

Teach other words the same way. Simple one word commands work best. Say the dog’s name (to get his attention - remember that communication link!), follow with a command, and then SHOW him what you want. PRAISE IMMEDIATELY when the action is completed - even if you MADE him do it! Eventually you dog will learn to respond to the command without needing to be shown - but you should never forget to praise

Getting your point across

Sometimes words are not enough when communicating with a dog. Since dogs must learn what each word means, all the other “extra” words are just a bunch of “Blah, Blah” to them! Remember the Gary Larson cartoon that shows an owner scolding his dog, Ginger, then shows what the dog hears “Ginger, blah, blah, blah, Ginger, blah…”

The word NO is used far too often and actually means very little to a dog, it is better to use specific words. Keep them short, don’t use words like “sit down”, it can confuse use with either sit or down depending on what you wish to convey.

Stan Rawlinson

Dog Behaviourist and Obedience Trainer, who has owned and worked dogs for over 25 years, starting with gundogs then moving to the behavioural and obedience side of training companion dogs. He now has a successful practice covering
Greater London, Surrey, and Middlesex.

Stan is recommended by numerous Vets, Rescue Centres, and Charities. He writes articles and comments on behavioural issues and techniques for dog magazines including Our Dogs, Dogs Monthly and K9 Magazine and Shooting Times. He is also the founder member of PAACT The Professional Association of Applied Canine Trainers.

http://www.doglistener.co.uk
enquiries@doglistener.co.uk
http://www.paact.co.uk

In the 30 years since the first “shock collars” became widely available in the United States, these increasingly popular electronic containment and training collars have been refined by PetSafe to produce more effective results in ways that have proven not only to be humane, but also gentle. PetSafe’s LiteTouch training method is a great case in point. While the technology behind modern dogtraining collars has come a long way, some veterinarians and consumers harbor misconceptions about these products and their effect on dogs based upon their impressions of older, crudely designed systems of the 1970’s. To the contrary, studies in recent years offer conclusive evidence that the proper use of modern electronic dog fences and training collars does not lead to adverse effects on dogs. In fact, it offers dogs a new found freedom they never had before while remaining safe and secure in their yard. A wide range of credible experts believe that the average dog owner with basic training knowledge can effectively and humanely use electric dog fencing and electronic training collars for behavioral modification, obedience training and containment needs. The safety and effectiveness of modern electric dog fences and electronic training collars are supported by The Humane Society of the United States, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and the International Association of Canine Professionals, International Association of Canine Professionals, among others.

Responsible dog owners want to make sure their dogs are safe, that they do not create nuisance and more important do not cause accidents. Each year thousands of electric dog fences are installed by caring dog owners. These fences work by providing a static electrical stimulation to the collar of a dog to deter him from crossing established boundaries.Martin Deeley, President of IACP, endorses Gentle ‘LiteTouch™’ Training, “So many presume that the use of electronic collars involve harsh corrections. This does not have to be the case as is proven in the ‘LiteTouch™’ approach. Many containment systems have been taught to the dog using a much stronger jolt early in the training program. The dog will sometimes relate this strong stimulation to many things and what he learns we can never be certain, plus it generates a high stress level not conducive to his education. With ‘LiteTouch™’ the trainer guides, shows, gains understanding, and develops an appreciation from the dog of boundaries and where he is safe to play and have fun. We applaud this move by PetSafe. It is responsible, far sighted and shows compassion to the dog. More than that, it alleviates the concerns many dog owners have that the experience of learning the containment fence will ‘hurt their dog’. I highly recommend PetSafe electric dog fences and electronic training collars both for their technology and their revolutionary Gentle LiteTouch™ training program.For those who want to keep their dogs safe and happy in their own yards, a electric dog fence is an excellent investment.

“We recognize that older products were often unreliable and difficult to use humanely. But we feel that new technology employed by responsible manufacturers has led to products that can be and are being used safely and effectively to preserve the safety and well-being of many dogs and strengthen the bond with their human companions.”

Randall Lockwood, PhD Vice President for Research and Educational Outreach The
Humane Society of the United States