Feedback from the courses

Previous participants share their passion and enthusiasm for learning on line:

Making soufflé

Christina Bond

The Microshaping course is *excellent*. You've done a beautiful job structuring the course, building the course materials, and giving all of us the tools and guidance to learn.

I am finishing the course with a better understanding of teaching dogs, learning from dogs, teaching people, learning from people. Also, with a glimpse of the true depths of "basic skills".

A couple of years ago, I complained that I wanted more science, more interesting stuff to learn. You suggested perhaps I revisit the basics. I knew what you meant then, but felt it would be so boring. Like practicing scales.

Now I see it, feel it, get it. And it's all very exciting. New learning to look forward to every day, with just the basics. Kind of like making souffle': Simple ingredients can lead to amazing results when combined with knowledge and exceptionally good quality basic skills. The difference between a puffed souffle and a flat souffle is the basic skills.

Thank you again for being an inspiration, a creative spirit, for so many who are dedicated to learning.

Sharing the Learning Curve.

Anne Bove

As I was reading Lesson One for today's Modifier Cues class, I momentarily lost focus on a particular paragraph that spoke to me regarding students, dogs and learning. Kay wrote:

"I know some of the dogs will be able to continue through and you can learn from their training as much, if not more, than training your own dog. This is reflected in all the WagMore classes where learners are at different levels teaching behaviours of their choice, but sharing the same learning curve. Everyone learns from each other – by going over the foundation elements again with the new learners, and the new learners getting to see where they are going and setting their goals."

I stared into space as I silently repeated the phrase, "Everyone learns from each other." It was not the first time I had heard this from Kay.

Modifier Cues is my fourth LAD's virtual class. From Targets back in December, to Reinforcements in January, and most recently Microshaping in June, I experienced those prescient words in action on the forums in Moodle: "Everyone learns from each other...." including learning from the animals.

Not only have I benefited from the invaluable gems found in the bimonthly lessons from each of the courses, but I've gained priceless knowledge from unexpected sources, namely, mine and other student's videos, student responses to classroom questions, and from the supportive, sometimes cajoling banter found in the day-to-day conversations on Moodle. It's all been good.

When we sign up for courses taught by our favorite professionals, there's an expectation we will learn (or as the saying goes, hang) from their every word, and fortunately, most of us do, but there's a wealth of knowledge awaiting discovery BETWEEN classroom hours when the tutor and/or mentor are not available.

Kate and Mary, via their excellent training videos, have been instrumental in teaching me their versions of precise cues, quality repetitions, and superior methodologies!

Susanne, via her first-rate videos, portrayed the value of reinforcement placement for Galen as he learned to stand front paw stationary on a single pod while shifting his weight off a second pod to pursue a treat at his side.

Pam taught me the merits of creating a well thought-out plan with emphasis and focus on process to help enhance the dogs skills.

Caroline, taught me the worth of having both Aspen and Galen present during Galen's training sessions. This made Aspen happy while it helped Galen focus more fully on the task at hand. The distractions, as it were, helped Galen generalize behaviors.

We hear the words 'errorless learning' quite often in Kay's classes. We all strive to make it an ideal for our special animals. But we DO make mistakes. I have learned a great deal from my omissions, co-missions, miscalculations, blunders, inaccuracies..... the list goes on. I've also learned much from the mistakes of others, for they have taught me what not to do in particular situations. This too is good.

In the next 12 weeks or so, I look forward to learning about Modifier Cues with Kay teaching,  support from Chris the Mentor and my all of my fellow classmates. May we all learn from each other to make this a productive and enjoyable course.

Review of Microshaping Course

Kate Mallatratt

I know I have said this before, but there is no going back once you have been on one of Kay's courses!

After completing this course the whole process of training a behaviour now looks totally different, like a jigsaw and I am working on each piece, sometimes one muscle movement at a time, to bring about the big final picture. I don't see "one" behaviour any more, I see many many elements within one behaviour.

I jotted down a few thoughts this morning regarding what I had learned from this course. This is a great exercise for consolidating our thoughts and, may I say, congratulating ourselves on what we have each learned and achieved - possibly beyond our expectations?

1. Plan, plan, plan! If your goal is for error-free learning, 90% of the work must be in the planning stage.
2. At every stage, ask what are the learner’s needs? and what is the learner learning?
3. Consider Action, Outcome and Learning Process
4. Flexibility – stop if things are not going to plan, go back to the drawing board, rethink, put yourself in your learner’s “paws”
5. Generalising micro-elements of a behaviour early in the training, rather than generalising the finished behaviour
6. Using play to build mental and physical stamina
7. Benefits of analysing a video of training and logging the results – and being prepared for some surprises: did I really do that?/click that?/feed that quickly? etc!
8. Ensuring each building block of behaviour is sufficiently robust to have another behaviour layered on top or run by the side
9. The joy of seeing a well thought out plan coming to fruition with no errors – (Mabel’s first stand on the skateboard was error free, three legs on, one on the ground, because of microshaping the previous steps)
10. Just how clumsy my old shaping habits feel, in comparison to microshaping!
11. The need to keep a high reinforcement rate.
12. Reinforcing the base position at the beginning and between behaviours.
13. Placement of the reinforcer is critical, using the reinforcer to reposition the dog, how the reinforcer can become a cue for a behaviour or using the reinforcer as part of the behaviour (Mabel skateboarding, click for 3 paws on board, but feed ahead to encourage paw 4 to hop forwards)
14. Balancing out both sides of the body – ie teaching right paw, then left paw
15. Only work on three behaviours at a time
16. I need to learn self-discipline as a trainer, improve my skills to help improve the communication between teacher and learner
17. How one behaviour which is “favourite” (Mabel’s take a bow) can overshadow the less “favourite” behaviours in a chain (walking back) if a one to one ratio is applied. A four to one ratio worked well: four walking back’s to one take a bow
18. Using the correct sized targets to eliminate errors, such as the correct bowl size for one paw
19. Using two cues simultaneously for one behaviour (verbal: take a bow, visual: cross paws)
20. Which of us is the teacher?
21. The benefits of shaping and the benefits of luring
22. The fun our learners are having! No whines of frustration or puzzled looks – what on earth am I supposed to be doing? “Thinking” looks, yes. The benefits to the learners are enormous. And lots of tail wagging during the shaping sessions!
23. The deepening bond that microshaping develops between teacher and learner
24. The joy of watching my classmates learn, grow, analyse behaviours, discuss aspects of their plans etc and sharing our triumphs and not-so-triumphant moments
25. The joy microshaping brings to the learner – wondering where Mabel was, and finding her standing on the grooming table (where we have done shaping) in the training room having gone there on her own initiative. And the micromoments of warm glows of joy that a microshaping session brings to the trainer!

I know I will be revisiting my course notes on microshaping many many times in the future! I think microshaping will be a life-time's learning. Thank you guys, especially Kay and Chris, for a most interesting mind-stretching course. What a shame it has to end