I'm working on a column for Bark magazine about positive reinforcement. It's such a simple concept once you get it, but it's a bit like riding a bicycle . . . it takes awhile to be able to do it comfortably and effectively. In the column, I want to stress that it is the receiver who defines what is "positive reinforcement," not the giver. I find that to be one of the biggest mistakes that we humans make: doing things we think our dogs like, that they actually define as aversive (and therefore act as positive punishment, exactly the reverse of reinforcement!). The most common example of this mis-communication is when people praise and pet their dogs either in ways the dog does not enjoy (especially patting on top of the head) or at a time that the dog doesn't want to be petted (while Read More
Wow Willie, What a Good Dog
Oh my my my. Life has a way of being so interesting. Last night Willie boy reminded me of the joys of a well-trained dog. I am still full of relief and pride that he was such a good boy. Here's what happened: Willie and Hope and I were outside right before dark, enjoying the perfect evening (most appreciated after a week of hatefully hot and humid weather). We tend to stay behind or beside the house, because of the road that runs by the farm in the front of the yard. We are situated at the bottom of a steep, curvy hill in one direction, and a blind curve coming the other way. There aren't a lot of cars on the road, but when they go by, they go by very, very fast, and most of them couldn't stop if they wanted to. Needless to say, if I'm going to have dogs loose outside in the yard Read More
Final Exams — Puppy Style
My UW students just took their last exam, and along with grading all 150 of them, I'm off with Jim to pick up the pup tomorrow. He'll be nine weeks, a male Border collie of excellent herding lines who are also carefully bred for health and temperament. I've known his dad for years, always considered him a "bomb proof" dog--so much so that he was the first dog that Will was allowed to be in physical contact with after a year of classical and operant conditioning to turn his dog-dog aggression around.) Some background: Two days after Lassie died I was online looking at rescue sites and shelters. I've never done that before, always needing a long time to let the other dog go. I'm not sure why I did it after Lassie died. Her death was profoundly difficult for me; the loss of her was hard Read More
Miscommunication about Meta-Communication
Well, I just hate it when I mess up. And I did... instead of clarifying something I confused it. Sigh. Let me see if I can do a better job this time: In my last post I talked about saying "Ready" before I lifted Will's paws to clean them, and how valuable I felt it was to communicate to a dog what you are about to do. Readers responded (so beautifully I might add) with their own examples of the value of communicating one's intention rather than always just giving a "cue" asking the dog to perform an action. All good so far, and if you haven't read the comments yet, I'd advise you do so, because there are so many good ideas about how to help your dog prepare for what is about to happen. (I liked them so much I printed them out.) At the end of the post I labeled this as Read More
Interactive Toys
A generous friend just sent me one of Nina Ottoson's interactive dog toys, and Will and I have been having a great time playing with them. Well, he plays, I watch. And, I think he is having a great time. And that's the question for the day. Is he really? Do dogs enjoy these toys as much as we like watching them? I thought of this the second or third time that Willie worked with the toy (Dog Fighter--an unfortunate name in this country, but probably not relevant in Sweden.). He had learned that there was food under the wooden knobs, but hadn't yet figured it out how to get to it quickly. After pawing unsuccessfully, which only pushed the knob in the opposite direction of what would release the food, he tried to chew on the knob. As suggested in the instructions, I quietly moved my hand Read More
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