secrets of dog training professionals - operant conditioning
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Have you ever wondered how really good dog trainers come up with the techniques they use to solve behaviour problems in dogs such as excessive barking, destructive chewing, toileting in the house and jumping up on visitors? Or how top dog trainers come up with ways to train dogs in top obedience and working competitions? Apart from a few "naturals", most really good dog trainers have a very good understanding of how dogs learn. They have adapted theory from the world of behavioural science and turned that knowledge into real-life practical skills for training dogs. This article explains in plain English some of the science and theory behind dog training, these really are secrets of the dog training professionals!TRANSCRIPT
Secrets To Dog Training *Updated*Secrets of Dog Training Professionals - Operant Conditioning
Have you ever wondered how really good dog trainers come up with
the techniques they use to solve behaviour problems in dogs such as
excessive barking, destructive chewing, toileting in the house and
jumping up on visitors? Or how top dog trainers come up with ways
to train dogs in top obedience and working competitions? Apart from
a few "naturals", most really good dog trainers have a very good
understanding of how dogs learn. They have adapted theory from the
world of behavioural science and turned that knowledge into
real-life practical skills for training dogs. This article explains
in plain English some of the science and theory behind dog
training, these really are secrets of the dog training
professionals!Operant Conditioning is the term that scientists use
to describe what dog trainers call "training with consequences".
That is, any training that involves a consequence that either
reinforces or punishes behavior. There are 4 possible consequence
types used in Operant Conditioning, and 1 non-consequence. These
are:1. Positive Reinforcement: when we give a reward and the
behaviour increases or is maintained as a result, we call this
positive reinforcement (+R). e.g dog sits when asked, we give a
treat. Dog learns to sit when asked in future.2. Negative
Reinforcement: when we take something unpleasant away and the
behaviour increases or is maintained as a result, we call this
negative reinforcement (-R). e.g we ask dog to sit, pulling up on
collar, dog sits, we release pressure from the collar. Dog learns
to sit when asked in future.3. Positive Punishment: when we do
something unpleasant and the behaviour is decreased or eliminated
as a result, we call this positive punishment (+P). e.g dog goes to
investigate kitchen bench for food, we make a sharp noise. Dog
learns not to investigate kitchen benches for food in future.4.
Negative Punishment: when we take away something the dog wants or
enjoys and the behaviour is decreased or eliminated as a result, we
call this negative punishment (-P). e.g dog plays too roughly with
another more timid dog, we leash rough dog and remove the
opportunity to play. Dog learns not to play too roughly in
future.5. Extinction: when behaviour is no longer reinforced and it
eventually goes away, we call this extinction. e.g dog is used to
being allowed outside when he whines at the door, but is suddenly
no longer allowed out when he whines. Dog learns not to whine at
the door. Extinction sometimes makes the target behaviour worse
before it gets better, sometimes significantly. This is known as an
"extinction burst" and is usually a sign that the behaviour is
about to diminish rapidly. In the current example, the dog might
whine more often, more loudly, and for longer periods before
learning that whining doesn't work for him any more.Let's examine
the terms more closely. Apart from extinction, you will notice four
words that can be used in four different combinations. These are
"positive", "negative", "reinforcement" and "punishment" and they
are technical terms that scientists use when discussing Operant
Conditioning."Positive" means to add something. We add the reward,
or add the punisher. By contrast, "Negative" means to take
something away. We take away the reward, or take away the
unpleasant stimulus."Reinforcement" is when we increase or maintain
behaviour. The behaviour happens more often, more intensely, for
longer periods, or it continues to happen without reducing in
frequency, intensity or duration. By contrast, "Punishment" is when
we decrease or eliminate behaviour using consequence. We reduce the
frequency, intensity or duration of the behaviour.A common mistake
is to assume that we have reinforced or punished behaviour when in
fact in future we discover that the behaviour has not actually been
changed! Many dog trainers believe that praise is an effective
reinforcer. It may be, for some dogs in some circumstances. The
truth is we don't know unless we see the behaviour that earned the
praise increase or keep occurring in the future. The same applies
to punishment. Yelling at a dog might stop it from going through
your rubbish bin while you are there, but does it stop your dog
going through the rubbish bin while you're not there? Probably not.
A more effective approach is to use a more secure rubbish bin, or
put the rubbish bin in a place which is inaccessible to the dog.For
more information, please visit
http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/traininglevels/ for a Free
program and e-book that shows you how to train your own dog,
step-by-step, with the help of thousands of others using the very
same program to train their own dogs.Aidan Bindoff is Editor of
http://www.PositivePetzine.com, a free ezine for people training
their own dogs. Each edition has easy to use training advice based
on positive reinforcement methods. Subscribers have access to a
large archive of back-issues they can consult for just about any
behavior or behavior problem.As Featured On Best EzinesArticle
Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aidan_Bindoff
Secrets To Dog Training *Updated*