Are you coasting?

Are you coasting? by Kay Laurence | Jun 4, 2018 Just because it is better than it was, does that make it the best we can do? This is part of the “good enough” resolution or avoid-any-more-hard-work ethos. Is time so precious that we cannot invest in doing better? Much of the material we integrate into our training, whether daily lifeskills, work or sports activities has reached from the world of science, usually in the form of rat in a box or pigeon on a table. (Search for BF Skinner demonstrating operant conditioning, many videos from the original experiments. Quite eye opening - but much coffee needed.) These restricted environments were a necessary part of the research process of seeking evidence and we are indebted to the work of the scientists and how it has enriched our world of training and learning about dogs. One element integral to the process was to measure the success of the experiment by the rate of response, where 80% was calculated as successful. The rate of response was of a press of a lever or peck to a disc. How the behaviour was carried out was not measured – with joy, distress, pleasure or anxiety. These are factors we have an interest in monitoring today. Here I need to explain the phrase “ was of its time ”, in other words, yes, it was accurate at that time with the knowledge and understanding of that time (1940 – 50s). With today’s knowledge, understanding and experience we can expand on that statement, ignore it or update it. Without doubt we should have moved on and not be still considering 80% a success rate or ignoring the emotional component, otherwise we are just coasting. Are you coasting? If we are not getting better at what we do and just coasting along we are wasting our valuable resources of our time, energy and this dog, here and now. We do not strive to get better at watching TV, but we often strive at making better coffee, eating a better diet. As dog trainers and learners we should be striving to improve our training all the time and for everyone. No coasting. We need to make an effort to look in diligent detail at the inherited presumptions and not just carry on the way it has been done in the past. The phrases guaranteed to excuse coasting: “better than it was” and “everyone does it”. Positive reinforcement training is overloaded with coasters. There seems to be strong motivation to make the leap to positive reinforcement but to then stand still, as if positive reinforcement alone is enough. It has as much inclination to become sloppy as any other protocol and deteriorate beyond what it used to be. An 80% success r

ate on a “return to me” call is not good enough. That means on 1 in 5 occasions it is unsuccessful. It is certainly not a good enough ratio of success for me. I measure success in the way the behaviour was carried out AND the rate of success. 98% is closer to my standard with an expectation of joy and pleasure in the way it is carried out. Here is an example where the protocol or recipe “was of its time” but we should not carry on coasting and avoid the hard work of learning more and learning to be better. “Leave it” protocols These come in many varieties, from the “aah-aah” to prevent food being taken from the hand, the fist closing or withdrawal of the food hand or dog bowl. If you need some enlightenment you can begin here . These protocols all rely on an extinction process. The pup or dog will see an opportunity to take a piece of food, in the hand, at the table or on the floor and “make the error” of trying to get it. When doing so the opportunity is removed, in a variety of ways some more obnoxious than others. The outcome is a dog that is now confused on the presentation of the stimuli: food in the hand, and hands in general. The protocol is justified on the basis that the dog made an error that needs to be extinguished, and that it builds resilience. I see a dog deliberately set-up to make the error. The Person tells the dog “leave it” and reinforcement is delivered for backing off, or averting interest in that available opportunity. Reinforcement is delivered for the absence of a specific behaviour (taking the food). For some dogs that offered a consistent aversion to taking the food, this reinforcement of an alternative behaviour may work. But for dogs that offered several avoidance behaviours all of which receive reinforcement we are just embedding confusion. The dog will begin to hesitate when they scent food is in the environment and likely begin to wonder what they should NOT do, rather than the same stimulus trigger thoughts of what they CAN do. If we believe the marketing and wishful thinking this is supposed to teach impulse control, but as much as the threat of speed cameras reduces speeding: when they think they can be caught. The addition of the cue “ leave it” , is justified so that “in real life” should your dog approach a chicken bone on the ground you can shout “leave it” and they will halt their progress. That is neither impulse control nor training by positive reinforcement. It also requires The Person to be vigilant at all times so that they can act as a speed camera. Perhaps we all know the outcome of “no speed cameras on this

road” …….. speeding? We may just as well teach the dog “no”? The main question I ask of this industry faithful: why is it necessary to let the dog make the error to be able to remove it? How is that in the sphere of positive reinforcement? (For more on Errorless learning an article by Susan Friedman) Let’s focus ourselves on teaching the dog what we want them to do, and find lots and lots of different ways to reward them for doing that. I want my dogs, in particular young learners laying down their foundation skills, to view their environment as opportunities to earn. Earn food, earn affection, earn interaction with enjoyment at the root. When they scent food in the air, I would like them to think, “oh cool, a training opportunity, where’s My Person and what can I do for them?” If I considered a future of walking amongst chicken bones, then I would teach the dog a specific return to me behaviour that I would recognise so that I can supply a reinforcement, much like mine detection! This is Just Training, not impulse control, just learning that when that stimulus is present then this opportunity of reinforcement is available, and it is reliable. The Leave It trained dog is likely to smell the chicken bone, check if the owner is looking (speed camera working) and make a rush for the bone before the owner is awake. Then we have to progress to the Drop it protocol. Smell chicken go fetch Person We want to focus our effort and resources on teaching the dog what to do when they smell chicken. Beginning with the scent of the food, in a container out of reach of the dog, when the dog engages and enquires to you, you can step to the container and collect a piece of food. This should be delivered in a smart, no hesitation fashion, to where the dog is at that time. For folk unsure of the hand to mouth delivery it is good to practice this in advance of delivering a piece of food. A marker would help clarify to the dog what earns the “Person Goes Shopping for me” process, but equally of value we need to ensure we do not actually teach the dog to make a lunge toward the hand as it approaches to feed. We need a clean, prompt arrival of the food, in a “pony-style” hand direct for the dog to take the treat without the need to move. If we look carefully at the image where she is taking food from my hand, note that there is no loss of balance, she does not have to reach forward to get the treat, or move backwards. It is exactly where she expects it to be, and she can eat directly off the palm with ease, no stress or extra effort. This process needs a bank of repetition upw

ards of 20. The dog will get a substantial amount of information, understanding and food for holding position (it can sit, stand or diddle on the spot) and engaging with Person. This is paired with the continual scent of food. The dog will learn that engagement and enquiry, the silent type not the vocal type, pays off under these conditions. Reliably. The dog will learn to trust hands that deliver food, WILL deliver food and not pull back at the last minute. This is positive all the way: the experience the dog will enjoy, the engagement as the foundation for training and interaction, safe hands, and perhaps gobby hands, but they can be washed. But if the gob-on-hand is an issue, have an empty food bowl adjacent to the dog and drop the treat to the bowl or put the food in a cup on a stick and put the food to the floor in front of the dog, or lion. Once this process is established, upward of 20, then we begin to fade-in food in the hand. Since we are the lucky owners of 2 hands, I would suggest the non-active hand holds a couple of treats in the early introduction, not the hand that delivers. When we see solid, “I smell food, where’s my Person” behaviour we can progress to delivering from the hand containing food. My recommendation is to keep it variable. Sometimes from the food in-hand supply, sometimes a step to the food container, sometimes a journey to the fridge. But it is a lifelong, reliable rewarding process. In the video you can see I wait for Merrick to see a box of chicken treats and show me her foundation behaviour. A behaviour of engage and enquire: " what can I do for you? " The reinforcement process is then extended by including behaviours she likes to do. To apply the fade-in protocol for the misbehaviour of speeding, we would design an engineering gizsmo that prevented an excess speed along a specific track of road, perhaps a road-type where limited speed should become a conditioned response – a residential street. As the driver progressed, fuel bonuses would be added, rewards for maintaining the restriction, even though making the error was restricted. This is the same as a box of treats, out of range on a unit or work top. Error is restricted. Much mileage is achieved in these types of streets. Very slowly the residential area is faded away and the road opens up to “tempt” acceleration. As the driver maintains the limit, more bonuses are added, and these increase depending on how difficult it becomes to maintain. Additional bonuses or rewards, can be offered, time to enjoy the views, a stop for a coffee, good conversation with a passenge

r, podcast from the radio. Including the satisfaction from adhering to the rules, removing potential dangers and arriving safely. If we focus our training around what we don't want the dog will focus on what to avoid. Explore COURSES All courses Key Reading You did everything right but …. But it still hasn’t worked out, even after 6 years? Yeah, it can be disappointing, but at times even the “perfect” protocol, applied with accuracy can undo itself and we go around in the circle again. Read More Learning is not for spectators Are you an Active Learner? Or: Are you getting your money’s worth for online courses? It would not matter what subject we are talking about:... Read More Ear Myths There is a myth surrounding Border Collies that ear shape, coat colour or texture, and even eye colour are indicators of that dog’s personality,... Read More A View to a Kill? We often hear the claim that the Border Collie is exhibiting predatory behaviour on sheep. But are they really seeking to kill? Read More The Need to Correct an Error When learning is littered with costly mistakes we will carry anxiety and avoidance. Errors are feedback. There should be no fear of error just opportunities to learn. Read More What Words Conceal The language across all kinds of media paints a picture of dogs and our relationships with them. Read More Do We Want Impulse Control? Teaching your Collie “impulse control” is the wrong way of thinking about their urges, and certainly an unhelpful way of dealing with them. Read More Collies : Masters at Laser Focus When we ask the dog to Be Collie and use all their inherited instincts, part of that package is the exclusion of stimulus irrelevant to that intense predatory focus. Read More Since the Dawn of Dog Training The old joke reminds us that the only thing dog trainers can agree on is that their training method in the best one. It becomes increasingly difficult to know which method is “right” and whether it will suit the dog, the situation and trainer’s skills. Read More Back to Basics? The word “basic” is often derided as synonymous with “shallow,” but in its origins it is the very opposite: foundational, profound, supportive. Read More Top Training Living well through movement “The purpose of learning is to get more or better rewards” W. Shultz Can we assume that the more we learn the more rewards we can enjoy? Often these... Read More What We Get Right About Dogs We can learn from remarkable people who have worked with remarkable dogs: training and learning are not the same thing at all. Read More Herding Games For All Dogs? The wrong

herding game is like trying to make a tennis player succeed at football Read More Teaching People: more than rewards and reinforcers Familiarisation with the behaviourists’ models of reinforcement, punishment, shaping, extinction, can prevent us from looking outside the windows for either dogs or people … Read More Cognitive Approach for the Dogs Training is something done TO the dog. Learning that is something done FOR the dogs. Read More Location is Their Cue We begin teaching the dog to go to a target, such as a mat or platform and in this process our focus is on the outcome – the dog can place feet on the object or settle down. But at the same time this learning is happening the dog is also noting the location: where this is happening in this room, in the house, relative to the food-machine (you). Read More Cue Seeking is Connection Connection is very individual and to be authentic we have to observe, slow down, understand our dogs and meet them where they are. Read More Back to Basics? The word “basic” is often derided as synonymous with “shallow,” but in its origins it is the very opposite: foundational, profound, supportive. Read More Do you see what I see Doing better is the reward from doing the work. This work needs to be the right work at the right time with the right intent done in the right way. Read More What’s Cooking? A Warning About Recipes Recipes for “training” dogs are so prevalent in how we live with and talk about them that their existence often goes unquestioned. Read More 6 Comments Christina on 19th June 2018 at 6:19 am I love this approach to “leave it”, I haven’t been happy with my own approach to teaching this to my clients. I have paired a cue with food but the bridge for understanding has been lacking. The result of this is that you have to be on alert on your walks and to pick up the changes in your dogs body languages very early. I am now in the process of thinking how I can teach my dog to mark on chicken bones in the nature very similar to nose work I am sure we both would enjoy this a lot and a new step for me in becoming a better trainer. Reply Kay Laurence on 19th June 2018 at 8:40 am Sounds an excellent idea for a nosework project! I purchased a handful of small cages that hold bird food, I think fat balls etc, and placed the “I’d rather you didn’t eat this” inside, so that it was not consumable and the dog needed to alert to me (with a return and indicate). On some occasions we would Go To the source and I would use my special tools (thumbs) to open the cage and deliver the goodies, other times we would go to a com

pletely different source for reward. I do think running with the dog to a source is an intricate part of the pleasure for the dog, not just return to me for food from my pocket. A great game, we call “chicken in a basket”, and many variations can really help the dog with a fun and interactive activity. Reply Sanna on 8th August 2018 at 9:07 pm Awesome! It’s really nice to notice how positive is not simply a technical term but you really make an effort to carefully train in a positive way. Thank you! I have also been thinking about the leave it training a lot. I train it with the hand in a fist at first to avoid negative reinforcment of the closing hand. However there is still always the extinction part where the dog tries to get the treats from the closed hand and only gets the click and treat when it stops. I started to doubt this system when i realised that my newest addition to my furry family was not really “fighting for the reward” because she had learned that “giving up” is the way to get the treat. I think I will change the way I teach clients now as well so that there are no “hands involved” in anything but the reward. The only thing I was wondering is how would you react if instead of orienting towards you the dog would’ve gone and done its best to get the stuff in the box? Or is the box truly out of reach in the beginning? For instance too high for the dog to reach it. Thank you for this… mind blowing!! :D!! Reply Kay Laurence on 9th August 2018 at 10:19 am Thanks Sanna. I think you make an important point about “giving up” becoming part of their perception of training …. that would make an excellent blog! (Hint hint?) If Merrick had helped herself to the chicken …. I would have sighed … and then and cooked some more, but started the next session differently. She has be familiar with “available” food from a puppy. Although I could put the food on the floor in the box for the collies, that would be a step too far for her at that age. She is about 14 months here. There comes a point when free food is just free food, I often have scatter parties in the garden, especially when there are deliveries at the gate. Training with me is more than a piece of food – it is the signficance of me collecting the food, choosing what is best for her and then delivering it with sincerity. I think anticipation plays an important role. We are building the resources for Good Food Delivery if you would like to browse …. https://www.learningaboutdogs.com/training-with-food/ Reply Al on 16th June 2022 at 9:01 pm I would love to know how to apply this brilliant concept t

o my training challenge. We are 75% through teaching my GSD to be able to encounter passing dogs when out on walks and not react to them, which she used to do even at considerable distance. We can now pass on the pavement with encouragement, reinforcement and, wait for it, gentle and quiet use (almost a whisper) of “leave it” and a loose (or pulsing) lead. I can see that I need to teach her to “do” something rather than “not do” something. I don’t feel it is right or fair to adopt the “focus on me” where it causes her to take her eye off the dog, because that causes her anxiety. I am trying to continue building her confidence to the point where she will no longer need my verbal “guidance” but am at a hiatus and unsure how to take things forward. Reply Kay Laurence on 17th June 2022 at 9:58 am The challenge is often trying to find an activity appropriate when on the street, that will not attract other dogs, your dog is comfortable with and can be initiated by your dog wen they see a stimulus they would rather avoid. I often have several pockets, or suitable hiding places, particularly in winter clothing, and good bit of drama self searching about these pockets for a toy or treat will often engage the dog to help me. I have been known to poke food down the tops of my socks as part of this “help the person” food search! Whatever the activity it represents an opportunity for rewards ….. Reply Trackbacks/Pingbacks Stop Your Dog Mugging for Food: Develop your own skills – delight in dogs - […] Kay Laurence’s thought provoking article Just Cause it is Better than it Was […] My dog is chewing my hand off – #BEINGWITHDOGS AND SUCH - […] are more elegant ways to achieve that goal. Read this article by Kay Laurence over and over again; there’s… Submit a Comment Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Comment * Name * Email * Website Submit Comment Δ