Spoonfeeding

A couple of days ago I had a very interesting conversation with some doggy friends about luring.

I think using luring on its own should be used as a last resort. I think luring is the equivalent to spoon feeding Betsy and I try to keep its use to the upmost minimum.

I think as I have already explained in previous posts that training our dogs isn’t just about teaching commands but learning how to problem solve. I think like how body awareness is considered a soft skill in many dog sports, the ability to problem solve should be similarly important.

I would be very surprised if allowing Betsy to learn how to problem solve did not reduce frustration in training and make training quicker and more enjoyable. I also think it should be considered a core skill.

Lets consider for a moment this situation: I am lucky in the fact I love public speaking. I find giving presentations far less threatening than taking exams. However, when I think about this more, I think it is somewhat to do with my sixth form media studies teacher. She was always interested in what I had to say, made sure I was comfortable when working (sometimes she would let me use another room if it was very noisy and could properly ‘zone in’ to my work.). She was also very passionate about teaching and did so successfully at a number of different schools. She also would use whatever were our passions as students at the time to help reinforce our learning.

When I started my sixth form, I started by feeling I was being brave putting my hand up, let alone talking in front of my peers. This soon changed though, as she persuaded me to help set up the sixth forms debating society. She also got me ‘training’ the rest of the class by doing PowerPoint presentations on various software packages as I was the class computer geek.

What I didn’t know is bit by bit she was trying to help me become more confident with giving presentations by giving me loads of opportunities (not all obvious) to practice, become more confident in giving them and to find it more reinforcing myself as an activity.

In turn, through uni most of the modules I got firsts in are where I had to do presentations in front of several people.

Why are our dogs any different? Sure she could of just let me read off a set of notes, but that is hardly promoting confidence and a high value reinforcement actitivity. Like Betsy, she never gave me an opportunity where I was set up to fail.

Dog Geek Term #2: Suppression

Now, you are probably wondering what an earth I am talking about. However, from training Betsy, and from crossing over to FF, this is in the list top ten things I wish I learnt more about before I had Betsy.

SETTING UP DOGS TO FAIL DOESN’T WORK!

Now, imagine these two scenarios:

1) Imagine yourself as a kid. You have been told you can’t have a biscuit. Now, whilst other kids may of had impulse control, I would admit that I would probably of waited until no one was in the room to catch me so I wouldn’t get ‘caught’ .  However if I did get caught, next time I would of tried to hide any crumbs and open the jar more quietly!

2) We go out into the garden, and I leave a bacon sandwich on the side.  Our young rather greedy Labrador counter surfs and seems to inhale rather than chew it in a rather impressive short period of time. Before I had Betsy, I would of tried to “catch” him in the act and squirted him with a water pistol. 

Can you see how the two situations are almost identical, and how “getting caught and told off” didn’t actually work?

Like me, Archie learnt to wait until there was no one to squirt him, but would sometimes do it anyway as the behaviour was so reinforcing (worth it!)

So how about we try a different tactic?

Both Archie and me as a kid would probably not of found it so reinforcing if the situation was not reinforcing.

Now imagine the bacon sarnie and cookies were completely out of reach, so not actually an option- so not reinforcing.

Alternate behaviours then become reinforcing instead, i.e. eating fruit, reading a book.

When I taught Betsy to leave food, I taught her that if she left it, better reinforcement would come. If she left kibble, she would get cheese or an exciting game of tug.

Its exactly the same 🙂

Dog Geek Term #1: Reinforcement

Reinforcement is a confusing term. 

One of the biggest things I have learnt in training Betsy is to use what actually reinforces the dog rather than what you think should reinforce the dog.

If I had made a list before having Betsy, I would of made a top five list of things my dog should work for, and it would be something like this:

1) I’m alpha right? Follow the leader!!

2) You are my dog, you should want to please the pack leader!

3) Verbal praise (“good boy”)

4) Petting (ear scratch)

5) Kibble, and in rare events, chicken.

When I got Betsy, I realised that the above list was actually REALLY VERY DULL AND BEHAVING WAS NOT WORTH IT.

Can you imagine if you were offered a job, but then found about your boss would refuse to pay you? Maybe if you were particularly flush and full of good will you might of continued to work there anyway for a few weeks…but I bet (sorry) most of my readers would of thought ‘stuff this’ and found another job.

Which leads me on to the next post…