Enigma - decoding your dog. Canine Behaviourist

Day 1: Why Both Ends of the Lead? Day 1 of the 2021 Canine Confidence Advent Calendar.

But dogs learn from each other using corrections so punishment and reinforcement is necessary for training dogs...

This is an argument I hear often. Consider this -

As a species we

Put and man on the moon
Invented the large hadron collider
Made the Rosetta space lander
Developed Vaccines
Understand germ theory
Built aeroplanes
Developed vehicles which travel at over 150 mph
and on and on

As individuals, the vast majority of us can

Run a household
Operate a computer
Make some sort of art
Tell stories
Plan for the future
Read, write, do complicated arithmetic
Order stuff online
And on and on

Do you know what else we can do? We can plan and think up training and learning protocols for our dogs which don't need the use of aversive training equipment. Yes, dogs use corrections with each other (although not nearly as much as some would have you believe) but ask yourself, out of the two lists above and all the other amazing things our species has achieved, can your dog do these things? They correct each other sometimes because they don't have other options. We do. Those options are not necessary for learning when we have a hand in the learning protocols. It's our own culture and learning history we need to change.

Love and peace.

A Marker! What is it and why is it important? 💡

How many of you have said to your dog when they did a behaviour you asked "wow woohoo what a smart puppy you are, yes you are- you're the smartest cutest puppy" (I'm sure many of you feel attacked lol)

When your dog does a behaviour or cue that you've asked- you need to communicate to them that they did it. However, saying "OHH WOW well done my fuzzy wuzzy fido bear bug" doesn't really communicate to your dog that they did a job well done. It's a steady stream of praise which helps- but isn't clear communication.

This is why in markers are used. Markers communicate to your dog exactly and clearly that the behaviour/action/moment is correct.

Markers are typically 1-syllable words like YES or GOOD (not OK as that is a release cue) or a clicker. Within 3 seconds of the marker word, you need to deliver a treat/reinforcement.

Save the fuzzy wuzzy lingo for cuddles and pets, and use marker words for training!

To learn more about dog training or behaviour, contact us for a consult whether online or in-person!

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https://ed.gr/dargh

Sit? Sit is usually the first people teach their puppies, without thinking about the consequences or why they do it. We wanted to know more about the sit, so many years ago we started the sit study...