c a n i n e steps can lead to the behavior modification program not moving forward as planned, sometimes without the trainer being aware of why. Missing pieces can result in: • Hitting a wall. The dog gets so far and can't go any further. • Too many regresses. • Owner frustration. • Searching for another trainer. • Confusing the dog or taking him too far too fast. • Not clearly evaluating where the dog is or what milestone was reached. • The dog never learns to relax but is still presented with his triggers. • Responsiveness becomes latent or the dog simply ignores the trainer. • The process takes longer than it needs to. • Retention is compromised. • Distraction stacking before the dog is ready results in flooding and regress.
#4. Real Life Equation four is Evaluation + Reaching Milestones = Progressing to Real Life (when the dog is ready). This occurs when all the techniques in equation three have been worked through to successful conclusions and the dog is ready to progress. Keep real life exposures low level at first and then progress slowly at a distance, duration and distraction setup that keeps the dog successful. Working in a cemetery with a teacher dog that has been used earlier and a strange dog at a distance of 100 feet with a duration of 1-5 minutes may be a good starting point at an early level of learning. Then, progress incrementally through new, real life goals and set new ABCs to
change the dog’s CERs. The planning and learning previously undertaken will help the dog acclimate to real life circumstances.
#5. Problem Solved The fifth equation is Real Life Application + Consistency and Clarity of Process = Problem/Puzzle Solved. This is where maintenance of skills and behaviors are important. Trainers/owners must be wary of slipping back into old habits or assuming that old habits can be revisited. After creating new antecedents, resulting in the new, desirable behaviors and the dog getting a different consequence, it is clear that revisiting old behavior should not part of the plan. Maintaining the learning achieved will take place for life and that learning will become stronger as undesirable behaviors decrease. n
Resources Garrod, D. (2016, March). Let Sleeping Dogs Lie. BARKS from the Guild (17) 18‐23. Available at: bit.ly/2G05PKk Garrod, D. (2017, May). Fighting in Multidog Households. BARKS from the Guild (24) 20‐26. Available at: bit.ly/2XG8vn2 Garrod, D. (2019, January). Addressing Aggression the Force‐Free Way. BARKS from the Guild (34) 32‐33. Available at: bit.ly/2CIQF9a Garrod, D. (2019, March). Getting to Know the Individual. BARKS from the Guild (35) 31‐33. Available at: bit.ly/2C4TdPu Garrod, D. (2019, May). Learning from Case Studies. BARKS from the Guild (36) 32‐35. Available at: bit.ly/2I0q777 Diane Garrod BSc PCT‐A CA1 FF1 is the owner of Canine Transforma‐ tions (caninetlc.com) based in Langley, Washington, where she con‐ ducts Treibball workshops, classes and private consults, specializing in canine aggression and reactivity.
The A-Z of Training and Behavior Brought to you by D is for... Dead Person’s Test: A mechanism of critical thinking used to determine if something is a behavior or not. If a dead person can do it, it isn’t behavior. This test can be used in the creation of behavior goals and behavior modification plans. Default Behavior: The behavior that has the highest likelihood of occurring; a preferred behavior. It could be the first behavior trained, or a behavior that is assumed to be enjoyable to the pet. Delay Conditioning: One of the four ways conditioning takes place in Respondent Conditioning. With delayed conditioning there is an overlap of the conditioned stimulus and unconditioned stimulus. Delayed conditioning is also affected by the length of delay between the presentation of the conditioned stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus; these delays are referred to as short and long delays. In respondent conditioning the amount of learning depends on the degree to which the conditioned stimulus predicts the unconditioned stimulus. With both trace and delayed conditioning, a conditional response begins to appear after the conditioned stimulus is presented as there is a high degree of CS-US contingency and there is an interstimulus interval.
Discrimination: Discrimination training is the procedure used to establish discrimination between stimuli. In respondent conditioning a pet can be trained to discriminate and behave differently in two situations. The pet may respond to the CS+ but not to the CS-. With Operant conditioning one stimulus, SD, indicates a behavior that will be reinforced, and the SA indicates the behavior that will not be reinforced. Both SD and SA are discriminative stimuli. Discrimination occurs when one consequence is more reinforcing than another and the pet behaves differently in the situations. Difficult discriminations can be shaped by gradually making the stimulus (CS+, CS- or SD, SA) more alike. Domestication: A change in the phenotypical expression and genotype of a pet, population of animals or plants, through a process of selection, in order to make traits that benefit humans more prominent. Dopamine: A neurotransmitter known to affect motivation, movement and emotional responses. Duration Behavior: A behavior that must persist for a specific period of time. Ex. A down stay that lasts for two minutes.
From: A Lexicon of Practical Terms for Pet Trainers & Behavior Consultants: The language you need to know! by DogNostics Career Center. Available from: bit.ly/DogNosticsLexicon
BARKS from the Guild/July 2019
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