Post by animalexpert on Sept 13, 2005 8:58:01 GMT
There is a long-standing canine myth that says dogs should perform solely out of love for their owners and a willingness to please. However, dogs are opportunists. They do what works to get what they want. If they were not that way, our ancestors might never have formed the unique relationship that we humans share with our dogs. Whether or not your dog will do what you want him to do has nothing to do with love, but instead, depends upon several other things: 1) if he has learned what you want him to do; 2) his physical ability to do what you want him to do and; 3) his own motivation to do it. A well thought-out training plan for your dog, using the right motivation and rewards, can be a wonderful experience for both of you.
Motivation is a very important component of training. Without it, there is no learning. Pamela Reid, in her book Excel-erated Learning, describes motivation as being “like the gasoline in your car”. No matter how well your car is functioning, without gas, you will never see how well it functions. But ask most dog owners what they think is the single most important tool in training, and they usually name a piece of equipment. It seems most people think the secret to a well-behaved dog lies in having the “proper training collar” and using it the “right way”.
Lots of things motivate dogs. The motivation you provide has to be stronger than his own motivation to do something else. What motivates an individual dog depends a lot upon his family tree. There is a theory of motivation called “drive theory”. Although not used much in pet dog training anymore, knowing what motivation (prey, pack, or defense drive) may be “hard-wired” into your dog through breeding is helpful in finding suitable things to reward his behavior. Many owners refuse to use food as a reward for their food-motivated dog because they buy into the “Love Thy Owner” Myth. They believe that if they use food as a reward, the dog will not perform without food. These owners rarely see how well their dog can perform. Without motivation, your dog will not do what you what him to do. We can manipulate our dogs’ motivation and realize their potential if we can let go of myths.
Rewards can be food, toys, play, petting, or whatever you know really motivates your dog. Owners often take rewards for granted, but rewards are very powerful and have a very direct effect on your dog’s behavior. Rewards can be used to motivate or rewards can be used as a “thank you” for excellent behavior. “Thank you” rewards should be delivered within three seconds of the desired behavior. Any longer than 3 seconds and the dog has moved on to thinking about other things, any one of which you might not want to have reinforced! The use of a verbal or mechanical marker (a whistle, a clicker or “Yes!”, for example) can be used to let a dog know that a reward is coming, even if it is not coming immediately.
The type of reward, the amount, how good it is (from the dog’s point of view), how often it is delivered, and the timing of the delivery, all have an effect on training. Hungry dogs work better for food. Dogs perform better for tastier food rewards. A tasty reward is tastier if it is delivered after a not so tasty one. A reward that is not so good seems even worse if followed by a really tasty one. The same tasty reward delivered over and over again begins to not be so tasty after awhile. All professional dog trainers use some type of schedule of reinforcement for rewards. Rewards are delivered on a continuous, variable, or fixed ratio of reward to behavior. A continuous schedule means that each time the dog is asked to sit and sits, he is rewarded. A variable schedule means that the dog’s reward for sitting varies from one instance to the next (this is not a totally random delivery of reinforcement because there will be a certain average number of sits required – much like a slot machine works on an average number of pay outs). A fixed schedule means that the dog is rewarded for every third sit, for example. Reward schedules can also be based on response within a specific timeframe. All of these effect how well your dog will respond to your command, how quickly and how often. There is a wealth of information about motivational training in books, on videos and free on the Internet. I encourage you to read more about it. Happy training!
Motivation is a very important component of training. Without it, there is no learning. Pamela Reid, in her book Excel-erated Learning, describes motivation as being “like the gasoline in your car”. No matter how well your car is functioning, without gas, you will never see how well it functions. But ask most dog owners what they think is the single most important tool in training, and they usually name a piece of equipment. It seems most people think the secret to a well-behaved dog lies in having the “proper training collar” and using it the “right way”.
Lots of things motivate dogs. The motivation you provide has to be stronger than his own motivation to do something else. What motivates an individual dog depends a lot upon his family tree. There is a theory of motivation called “drive theory”. Although not used much in pet dog training anymore, knowing what motivation (prey, pack, or defense drive) may be “hard-wired” into your dog through breeding is helpful in finding suitable things to reward his behavior. Many owners refuse to use food as a reward for their food-motivated dog because they buy into the “Love Thy Owner” Myth. They believe that if they use food as a reward, the dog will not perform without food. These owners rarely see how well their dog can perform. Without motivation, your dog will not do what you what him to do. We can manipulate our dogs’ motivation and realize their potential if we can let go of myths.
Rewards can be food, toys, play, petting, or whatever you know really motivates your dog. Owners often take rewards for granted, but rewards are very powerful and have a very direct effect on your dog’s behavior. Rewards can be used to motivate or rewards can be used as a “thank you” for excellent behavior. “Thank you” rewards should be delivered within three seconds of the desired behavior. Any longer than 3 seconds and the dog has moved on to thinking about other things, any one of which you might not want to have reinforced! The use of a verbal or mechanical marker (a whistle, a clicker or “Yes!”, for example) can be used to let a dog know that a reward is coming, even if it is not coming immediately.
The type of reward, the amount, how good it is (from the dog’s point of view), how often it is delivered, and the timing of the delivery, all have an effect on training. Hungry dogs work better for food. Dogs perform better for tastier food rewards. A tasty reward is tastier if it is delivered after a not so tasty one. A reward that is not so good seems even worse if followed by a really tasty one. The same tasty reward delivered over and over again begins to not be so tasty after awhile. All professional dog trainers use some type of schedule of reinforcement for rewards. Rewards are delivered on a continuous, variable, or fixed ratio of reward to behavior. A continuous schedule means that each time the dog is asked to sit and sits, he is rewarded. A variable schedule means that the dog’s reward for sitting varies from one instance to the next (this is not a totally random delivery of reinforcement because there will be a certain average number of sits required – much like a slot machine works on an average number of pay outs). A fixed schedule means that the dog is rewarded for every third sit, for example. Reward schedules can also be based on response within a specific timeframe. All of these effect how well your dog will respond to your command, how quickly and how often. There is a wealth of information about motivational training in books, on videos and free on the Internet. I encourage you to read more about it. Happy training!
Copyright 2005 Kathie Compton mARFa Dog Training - www.texasdogtrainer.com