Dentler's Dog Training, LLC
  • Home
  • About
    • The Trainers >
      • Why Certification?
    • Training Philosophy
    • Testimonials
    • Affiliations/Resources
    • Contact Us
  • Services
    • Private Training
    • Trick Training
  • Project Trade
  • Multimedia
    • Videos
    • E-newsletter
    • Woof! The Blog
  • Muttz Mart

​

It's Not Rocket Science

7/12/2017

 
Picture
I just got back from meeting with a client. I had worked with Buster* and his people in the past, when he was a puppy, teaching him his basic manners. The training went well, but Buster's mom was hesitant to use treats from the very beginning, and couldn't wait to fade out their use. They recently called me because Buster is pulling on the leash, especially when he sees another dog.
 
We took Buster for a walk and sure enough, he pulled. I saw that Buster's mom held the leash very tightly and gave Buster only praise when he did offer polite behavior. It was apparent that Buster was very frustrated and overly stimulated by the environment and needed help to focus. I then took the leash and, with Buster next to me, immediately clicked and treated him with bits of turkey, and continued to do so with a high rate of reinforcement. What happened then was Buster began to happily trot next to me while giving me extended eye contact.
 
What happened? Did I say magic words? Sprinkle fairy dust? Nope. I just used science.
 
The science of behavior is very clear: Behavior that is reinforced strengthens. Behavior that is not reinforced weakens.(1)
 
Think of the things we ask our dogs to do - sit, down, stay, walk on a loose leash, not bark at the delivery man - as the dog's job, and they should be paid according to the difficulty of the job. For Buster, like many dogs, walking nicely in the big, distracting world is really hard. For him to do it well requires pay (reinforcement) that is valuable to him.
 
How would you feel if at the end of the work week you went to pick up your paycheck and all your boss did was pat you on the back and said "good job"? That's essentially what Buster's people were doing to him.
 
Don't be a cheap boss. Pay your dog well in order to strengthen behaviors.

​It's not rocket science. But it is science, and it works.


 
* Name changed to protect the innocent.

References:
(1) http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/behavior/operant.html


Comments are closed.

    Author

    Jeff Dentler, CPDT-KA, IAABC-ADT, FFCP, CTDI

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012

    Categories

    All
    Quotes Of The Week

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • About
    • The Trainers >
      • Why Certification?
    • Training Philosophy
    • Testimonials
    • Affiliations/Resources
    • Contact Us
  • Services
    • Private Training
    • Trick Training
  • Project Trade
  • Multimedia
    • Videos
    • E-newsletter
    • Woof! The Blog
  • Muttz Mart