If you have a dog that continues to move to the end of the leash, bark for attention, jump on people, or bump your leg at the dinner table despite your best efforts to teach an alternative behavior, there are many reasons it could be happening. One of those reasons could actually be that you are inadvertently teaching your dog a behavior chain – and those behaviors are part of it. [Read more…] about How Behavior Chains Cause Dog Behavior Problems
operant conditioning and dog training
Understanding Associative Learning
Remember – there is always a reason for behavior.
Through life, all of us – including our non-human friends are continually learning from our past experiences associations that impact our emotions, our thoughts and our behaviors. [Read more…] about Understanding Associative Learning
Distractions As Reinforcers
Grass to sniff. A yard to run around. Dirt in which to dig. A human taking the leash means walk time! People who move around and give lots of attention. Ugh, what do all of these have in common? They get many tails wagging and they have the potential to be major sources of dog handler stress.
…but they don’t need to be your enemy. In fact the opportunity to do all of those things can actually be an asset to your teaching and strengthening of wanted behaviors. [Read more…] about Distractions As Reinforcers
Putting The Joy In Learning Through Classical Conditioning
I talk a lot about how animals learn from their consequences; and how, those immediate consequences of their behaviors are what determine the future rate of those behaviors. In scientific terms, this is called operant learning or operant conditioning. [Read more…] about Putting The Joy In Learning Through Classical Conditioning