The Mechanics:The Human Half of Training

Angela Schmorrow, CPDT-KA

February 25, 2018

“Training is a mechanical skill.”“Simple but not easy.”-Bob Bailey

How Dogs Learn:Quick Review

How do dogs learn?

By association (Classical Conditioning) What is safe? What is scary?

By consequences (Operant Conditioning) What happens when I do this?

Classical Conditioning

Creating an association between two stimuli Primary/unconditioned – animal doesn’t need to learn to like or dislike it (food, pain)

Secondary/conditioned – animal learns to react to it based on its association with the primary stimulus

This is occurring ALL the time.

Pavlov’s dogs:

Food triggers salivation

Bell began predicting food

Soon, bell alone could trigger salivary response normally only caused by food.

Food Salivation

Bell Food Salivation

Bell Salivation

Operant Conditioning

Forming an association between a behavior and a consequence.

Triggered by an antecedent in the environment.

Behavior is changed by changing the antecedent or consequence.

Antecedent Behavior Consequence

Reinforcement vs. Punishment

Reinforcement BUILDS behavior. Behaviors that are reinforced become inherently rewarding on their own.

Example: Dog that is reinforced enough for going to a mat will begin to seek out that mat to relax on, even on his own.

Punishment TEMPORARILY stops behavior. Behavior may even stop for a long time, but in the absence of punishment, it will reappear,

and require additional punishment.

Key to All Learning

Reinforce what we want.

Prevent reinforcement for what we don’t want.

Steps to Teaching a Behavior

Get the behavior! Mark/reward.

Add a cue

CUE: A stimulus that elicits a behavior. Cues may be verbal, physical (i.e., a hand signal), or environmental (i.e., a curb may become a cue to sit if the dog is always cued to sit before crossing a road).

Cues vs. Commands

Cue = information that reinforcement is available for a behavior.

Command = implied threat, “do this or else” Generalize

Get the Behavior!

Capturing: Catch the animal naturally doing the behavior Advantages: Useful for behaviors that are offered frequently (sit), or that are

natural behaviors that may be hard to elicit otherwise (stretching).

Considerations: Need to be prepared and observant. May capture unintended behaviors.

Luring: Using food to lead animal into desired position. Advantages: Fast way to get certain behaviors.

Considerations: Animal may be following food, not as aware of behavior. Need to get food out of hand quickly or food may become the cue for the behavior.

Shaping: Rewarding successive approximations (baby steps) on the path to the desired behavior. Advantages: Builds strong behaviors. Empowering. Can get complicated

behaviors that you couldn’t elicit otherwise.

Considerations: Requires higher level of trainer skill (observation skills and mechanics)

How does dog know what behavior earned the reward?

Reward Markers Communication tool that has already been associated with a primary reward (food, toys)

Examples: clickers, saying “yes”, thumbs up signal for deaf dogs, touch on specific part of body for deaf/blind dogs.

Reward marker indicates the behavior that we are looking for – reward still will always follow.

Used for teaching a new behavior. Not necessary once dog understands.

ALWAYS predicts the delivery of a primary reinforcer – never used alone.

How does the dog know if he is wrong?

Absence of reinforcement provides enough information

No need for “No Reward Markers” such as “NO!”, “AACH!”, etc. Don’t provide any additional information

Too easily become punishers, resulting in same fallout as other aversives (over-arousal, fear, etc.)

Changes the trainer’s mindset – focus instead on looking for the “yes”

The Human Half of Training:Observation, Timing, Mechanics

Think, Plan, Do

Plan and practice your mechanics before trying it with a dog.

Observation: what are you looking for?

Timing

Treat Delivery

Leash Handling

Why Does This Matter?

Observation: Need to know what we are looking for.

Timing: Need to precisely identify to the dog what has earned the reinforcement.

Mechanics: Set up effective training sessions, placement of reward to increase likelihood of behavior continuing/repeating.

The better we are at all these things = faster learning, less confusion, less frustation

Mechanics of Dog Walking

Door entry/exit

Equipment

Leash handling How to hold leash

Rebalancing

“Silky leash” skills

Trainer Skills: “I need more hands!!!”

Leash and clicker in same hand, on opposite side of dog

Treats easily accessible on body (vest pocket, treat pouch, apron)

Deliver treats with hand closest to dog

Between reps – return hands to neutral and keep body quiet!

Trainer Skills

Observation and timing: Tennis ball game

Mechanics Treat delivery

Click, then treat

Click, treat on leash

Click, treat delivered on target

Put it together: Wait for behavior, click, treat

Shaping Games

Shaping

Rewarding “successive approximations” on the way to goal behavior.

Empowers the learner to interact with environment and earn reinforcement. Choices matter!

Good way to build more complex behaviors.

Does require good observation and timing.

Games

Demo

Pairs