Simplifying Dog Learning Science -10 FAQs

[moscowitz]

Thank you. But is your analysis harder to train a dog? Because now you have to think like a dog and not think about what makes you tick. And now train changes from testing to teaching or am I confused? I like this topic. Thank you it has me thinking.

[Keith Stroyan]

More specific dog training examples, please.

[MooseGooser]

Didnt understand all of it,, but the specific training examples helped a bunch.

I would really be interested in reading more.

Thanks

Gooser

[Bud]

Loved it Dennis and please provide more. I very interested on your thoughts about indirect pressure, and well anything in the training realm. Thanks.

[Paul Rainbolt]

Dennis thank you for taking the time to post on RTF. Your magazine is absolutely the best retriever reference available and i personally recommend it to anyone with an interest in advancing their dogs.

[Marilyn Fender]

Nice to see that some people are interested in this topic. I have had articles on the topic in Retrievers On Line for many (well over ten) years now ---- probably around 80+ or so of them. One segment is an entire series on starting pups. There is usually a limited audience that is interested but there is some following and encouragement for me to put them out in a manual. Maybe one of these days I will have time enough to get it done.

My primary actual career was teaching (and researching) effective learning strategies , based on applied behavior analysis, for the hard to teach. The principles work just as well for dogs as humans that I was teaching and researching. The articles translate (in fairly simple terms) what principles are used done in training that make it work or not. Keep in mind that these principles are working every time someone teaches or trains --- regardless of whether anyone knows any of the terms or not. It is just like gravity --- it is there all the time whether you think about it or not.

Correct use of principles and concepts are what make dog training easy and effective (happy trainer and dog) or if used wrong, make it a mess and unhappy situation and bad dog attitude. No one needs to know the exact terms to be a good trainer. Actually sometimes the words get in the way. A 15 minute session of double-T would take a grad class about an hour or two to discuss effectively.

So -- easiest place to get examples of training using the principles and concepts is to contact Dennis and order the last ten or more years of ROL if you don't already subscribe. I also have published in a variety of other magazines but ROL has been the primary place. Dennis and I talk about the topic all the time.......but it does not interest many. It does make a difference in training success --- regardless of whether the terms can be named.

BTW -- ROL is also filled with other valuable articles that help train more effectively. Dennis writes at least two or more each issue and his success is obvious if you look at his history. He trains alone a great deal of the time and has had two Canadian National Amateur Champions and a Canadian National Open Champion and multiple FC AFC titles in USA and Canada. He has a DVD coming out soon (we hope) on training alone.

No I don't want to get involved in a long discussion thread on this topic --- just don't have the time.

Happy Retrieving,

Marilyn
Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh

[Kevin WI]

This may help a bit...to understand the roots of operant conditiong...it's sort of the cliff notes version, but it explains it a bit more...Dennis did a very good job of relating it to retriever training....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operant_conditioning

[Brent Keever]

That is pretty cool I am a safety coordinator in the oilfield and all of our training for safety is behaverial based. excuse the spelling.

[cgoeson]

Ok, that's great stuff... Let me ask a question though. How do you know when to use positive or negative. Can you give more examples as it relates to new puppy training?

[dr_dog_guy]

This is wonderful stuff, Dennis, and thanks. Its interesting, useful, and appropriate. I for one would love to read more (and I do read Marilyn's articles in ONLINE, too).