Helping Dog Owners Learn To Train
Shaping behavior in people Getting owners, handlers or caregivers of dogs and other animals, to use food without reserve or guilt, is one of the skills trainers need to master. It is not unusual for an owner to want to show me how they can get the animal to do something, without using food. I’ve ...
Don’t Shame The Kindness Out Of Them
I should start by saying that my parents were kind people. They modeled being helpful and supportive of people who might struggle in the world because they were different from the other people in their family or community. They gave me a puppy for my birthday when I was 16, which makes them just about ...
It’s Not Just Behavior Modification
Talking About Training It's not uncommon to hear trainers talking about using behavior modification to train. It's likely due to habit and a lack of familiarity with the progression in the ways we use operant conditioning to teach new skills. Behavior modification refers to some of the early, basic and often unethical practices based on ...
Applied Behavior Analysis
Thank you Dr. Skinner It's common to find in the animal training industry people who either are unaware of the work that has been done in the field of behavior and learning, or who choose not to recognize it. The approach I take to the training and rehabilitation of dogs and other animals is not ...
The Rat Is Always Right
Punishing Mistakes Isn't Fair Why wouldn't animal do what they needed to do, to get what they wanted? One reason is they don't know what to do. Or can't do it. If we see that an animal wants something, but our attempts to get them to do what we want aren't working, we need to ...
When We Know Better We Do Better
Learn with us at Lemon's Hope Sanctuary Working with problem behaviors requires more than simply following a protocol. You need to be able to wrap your head around a number of concepts, some that might seem in opposition to each other. The idea that using positive reinforcement to train is a good thing. It has ...
How To Get Started Training
Find the joy and delight for fearful, shy, aggressive or reactive dogs I have specialized in the training of dogs with extreme problem behavior for over 15 years. The biggest challenge with these animals is not simply the problem behavior, but finding stuff they love to do, eat, chew, chase (or even roll in if ...
When Behavior Is A Problem
Working with fear, aggression or reactivity To train a fearful or aggressive animal the first thing you need to know is how to make them feel happy, and safe. It’s often obvious what they want, they want you to leave them alone, let go of them, stop touching them. In any training we are going ...
Drive Is A Figure Of Speech
When I think about all the different dog breeds, and the way people talk about them-this breed being more challenging, more driven, more one thing or another compared to others- it's helpful to bring it back to behavior and reinforcement. Different breeds find certain activities or consequences to be more or less reinforcing. When ...
