How to train a dog
This article is intending to give a very basic explanation on how dogs learn. Introducing the most effective laws of learning that should be commonly used when training a dog. It is not a dog training guide that explains how to actually train certain behaviors.
Everybody always asks me “what kind of method do you use to train a dog”?
There isn’t any “method” per say!
The laws of learning work the same way on any animal on earth.
Any animal would do whatever it takes to make his situation better!
Making it better means:
1) Getting rid of discomfort
2) Obtaining a reward
Now the challenge is to convey which behavior might be required to succeed. Especially if we can not communicate with the animal via language.
Either for the reason of #1 – or #2.
Commonly people think that a dog could be punished for a behavior he DID NOT DO….
It is impossible for the animal that is not capable of understanding language to be able to comprehend this scenario.
Think about it for a second:
Let’s pretend that you don’t speak English, and I tell you to sit.
You don’t do it- I kick you, or shock you, or slap you.
What did you just learn?
The only thing you possibly learned is that the word “sit” is followed by unpleasantness. You have learned that I personally could be the unforeseen source of discomfort.
You have certainly no clue what I wanted from you, or how you could possible act to avoid the situation, unless you have a chance to run away- which we don’t want from our dog at all!
If a dog would be capable of understanding that “if he behave a certain way, he will get a T-bone steak”, he would definitely perform in less than a second. If we could communicate to him that if he behaves a certain way, an unpleasantness will be avoided, he would behave accordingly. Unpleasantness used as punishment is NOT effective!
But he can not understand what you demanded within the sequence of events described above.
How dogs learn active behaviors is mainly -and almost exclusively- by
#1 Rewarding the right behavior with a Reward- or
#2 by release from discomfort.
He does not learn an active behavior by receiving Punishment for not performing the behavior.
Getting something he desires- is very rewarding. Thus, whatever he did to obtain the reward, he will more likely do again to get more of it. If he understands what he has received the reward for!
For those of you that object by saying “I don’t want to reward him every time he does it”, I have news for you:
You don’t have to reward the right behavior every time – after it is learned.
I like to compare my reasoning for saying that by talking about Coke machine versus Slot machine.
You are rewarded for the behavior of putting money into the Coke Machine, every time you do it. If the machine does not provide the Coke (the reward for your behavior), you will most likely stop the behavior of feeding money into the machine after one more repetition, won’t you? – unless you are dumb- you will stop.
The slot machine has figured out a way to make people perform the behavior of sticking money into it – all night!
What is the difference?
It is that it makes you hope to get the reward because you never can figure out when you will get it, your behavior is getting stronger.
Once the behavior is learned by continuously being rewarded, it needs to be put onto random reward schedule. Of course with a high success rate at first. That means that only one out of ten repetitions are NOT rewarded, when in the process of switching. This will create your hope and anticipation of getting rewarded eventually. Especially if he never knows which repetition within the sequence of ten will not be rewarded.
#2
Getting back into balance after you were disrupted, is very rewarding. It is a natural desire to release stress. Whatever behavior you did in order to get back to comfort, you more likely will repeat if the same situation occurs.
If you have a tooth ache, you will do the behavior of going to the dentist. After you performed that behavior, the pain will be gone. – Very rewarding, isn’t it?
This compares to a trainer that
1) applying some sort of pressure (discomfort) , 2) the dog performing the behavior, and 3) as a reward, the pressure stops.
As we are talking about discomfort, don’t get confused!
I did not say, that you went to the dentist, and the pain started as a result of doing the behavior (which some times could happen if your dentist is a bad trainer)- you had the discomfort first!
Logically if the pain would be a result of “going to the dentist, you would be more likely not to pay him another visit.
This is the reason for most dogs being reluctant to training with discomfort. The trainer is typically trying to punish the dog for behaviors he did not perform. He did not sit- he needs to mind – boooom. Wrong sequence of events!
The reason for most dog owners being reluctant to use any kind of force in dog training, is that they luckily observed that the wrong sequence of events in training does not work and can have very heavy negative effects on the dogs perception of training.
Our philosophy carries it even further:
If a dog has learned to do certain behaviors in order to get back into balance, he will receive an actual reward in addition!
Now behaviors are getting very strong as the motivation is at maximum level.
It is as if 1) you have a tooth ache, 2) you perform and go the Dentist, 3) the pain stops (first reward) 4) the dentist would pay you on top of it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That being said, you still do the behavior even though he will never pay you…….but just imagine…