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Articles on Training
Likely to expand your horizon, make you ask questions of yourself, your understanding and your expectations. For browsers, for passers-by and of course for training geeks.
Normal is always changing
What was normal in training 20 or 40 years ago is not the same today. There are folk persistently maintaining the normal of 1976, but fortunately there are enough folk with a deeper understanding of the processes that have moved normal forwards.
Shaping by rewards
When I see a dog showing a behaviour that is heading towards potential conflict, my first question is “what rewards are available?”
Can’t not learn
Dog, puppy or person, we can’t not learn. The environment is “playing on us” all the time, when we are watching TV, FaceBooking, listening to a podcast, in a lesson, we cannot not learn. Are you aware of what learning is happening?
Learning About Dogs
The core of our education. How health impacts learning. How lifestyle impacts well-being. How our beliefs, traditions and culture affects the lives of our dogs.
Wheat or Chaff?
What is the purpose of this video? To sell a product, to instruct or to inspire? It should be clear from the first viewing. Often we are seeing an unhealthy blend of talking head, dripping treats into bored dog, convincing you of their innate expertise.
Confused by Collies?
The classic training protocols are too often about supressing the annoying behaviours without realising that a sheepdog can no more stop being a sheepdog than you can stop being a human and become a hamster.
Duration or is it Breakfast in Bed?
Teaching duration has become a very muddied understanding or what it is and how to teach it. This is partly due to how we use words that are the same but have entirely different meanings.
Kay’s Blog
Thoughts and ideas that keep me awake at night, followed by a sudden urge to share. Sometimes forthright, sometimes tongue-in-cheek, but worth the time to read.
Isolation hell or solitude heaven?
Strange times often give birth to new insights and understanding.
Certainly a new aspect of empathy as we experience social situations that may not be of our choice.
The Table Game
Coming up to 20 years since I designed this game for my college students in computing – to improve communication!
Who knew it would become a future piece of technology for world of training and behaviour analysis?
… and cruises of course!
Pea, Chick Pea
Chick Pea is a lone survivor. July saw a pen of 12 happy birds of various backgrounds, September left just one.
Must Read
Really good stuff that can significantly change the way you approach your training and understanding of dogs.
Just because it is better than it was
Are we coasting or are we improving? Is time so precious that we cannot invest in doing better? Looking at “Leave it” protocols, which are just another way of saying “no”. If we focus our training around what we don’t want the dog will focus on what to avoid. Focus on what we do want.
A Cue or not a cue?
With thoughtful planning and a good understanding of the relevance of antecedent selection we can teach the dog the skills of sorting the wheat from the chaff, finding the bones of the exercise. This skill is critical to being able to distinguish between distractions, which are just cues for an alternative reward opportunity, and cues which signify a guarantee of success.
Unzipping Zip
Follow the experiences of Zip joining the Genabacab family.
Shaping by rewards
When I see a dog showing a behaviour that is heading towards potential conflict, my first question is “what rewards are available?”
Zip Early Learning
She is a wild running, butterfly-working dog. Or more scientifically: a dog with a compulsive behaviours that responds very fast to arousal and movement in the environment.
Pea, Chick Pea
Chick Pea is a lone survivor. July saw a pen of 12 happy birds of various backgrounds, September left just one.
A new puppy? Oh Joy
Impulse buying the wrong sofa can be rectified if you swallow the expense. Impulse buying a puppy …
Approval or attention ?
Jumping up is nearly always viewed, by both positive and negative trainers as A Major Sin …
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Construction or supression
The way the behaviour is carried out is the most important element and is the product of all the considerations.
Fast rate or high rate
Examine how the behaviour is carried out and measuring progress in quality, flow, and confidence, NOT speed …
Reasons to use a clicker
The fakery of our times? The clicker is a simple tool that provides clarity and understanding in teaching.
Nose target, no thanks
It seems easy to teach and have practical application, but it is often not such a pleasant experience for all dogs.
More than a reinforcer
The delivery of a treat is a highly valued process, eagerly sought by the dog and is so much more than “dump-and-swallow”.
Changing is growth
It takes mentally energy to note what we are not doing well, recall what changes we need to make, find …
She has a lot to say
You will love him again
The puppy that you adored, could do no wrong, is now a living horror story. We want to use positive reinforcement ….
A world of lure
Luring teaches trainers essential skills. We learn how to use suggestion and guidance to shape behaviours….
Stop doing that
Can we teach an effective cease that behaviour? Absolutely. We can teach that positively, without harm ….
Learn something new today
How do you know ?
What is the difference between professional, self promoted and well marketed …
Release or stay cue
Is the sit, or down, going to be a terminal behaviour, or a temporary position?Do we assume stay or add stay?
When time is right
Why is fast training considered better or ever a solution? Does fast training wall us off from asking deeper questions?
