The Good Dog Model
In dog training, we need a framework for how to approach our training set ups so that we can be highly effective and efficient in our work, and that fits within the Humane Hierarchy. The Good Dog Model can really help us to think about training scenarios.
In this model, we have three corners to consider. The first is MANAGE THE ENVIRONMENT. Management fits into the humane hierarchy at the antecedent level and regardless of the training situation it should be the first thing we should think about. Management simply asks us "what in the environment can we control or change in order to be effective?" If you want to teach a dog to lie down and stay for instance, you want to control the environment so that the dog is not trying to rush off to play with a friend. If you want a dog to learn not to jump up on guests, you might use a leash or a baby gate to prevent the behavior from occurring. At the far end of the model, you might work in full protected contact to prevent the dog from directly touching or interacting with you. At the far other end of the model, you might work in open contact, with other people and dogs able to interfere with your dog's work, and your dog would still be able to learn new things.
The second corner of this model is LEARNING NEW SKILLS. Skills help dogs to cope with new situations and scenarios. Sometimes the reason that a dog does not do as we wish is simply that he does not know how. The dog who bolts through the door can be taught to sit nicely when a person approaches the door for instance; the antecedent of the person reaching for the door handle as he or she approaches to leave the house can become the cue to the dog that sitting is expected. If we make this rewarding enough to the dog, the dog will learn to stay inside instead of bolting into the road. LEARNING NEW SKILLS works better when we MANAGE THE ENVIRONMENT. So in the example of teaching a dog not to bolt out the door by sitting when the door is opened, we would need to work on doors that don't lead out to a play yard to begin with, and then gradually ease the management by working on more and more exciting doors, until the dog is able to sit at every door, including the one that leads to the play yard.
The final leg of the model is CHANGING THE MOTIVATION. Changing the motivation recognizes that dogs often have strong emotional responses when faced with a given situation. If we have a dog who is afraid of new flooring, then it does not matter how enticing the treat is, he is not going to be able to learn a skill when faced with an unfamiliar floor. Let's consider that the dog may have an entrenched terror of new floors, as can happen in dogs who have never seen anything other than the floor of a research facility (often these are uniform in colour and texture to allow for ease of cleaning and dogs raised in such facilities may never have seen a tile or wood floor), we may need to use medication to help them to overcome their emotional response to the thing that concerns them. Generally, there are two ways to change a dog's motivation. We can either use desensitization and counter conditioning (we will have a chapter where we deal with this in depth) to help the dog to understand that something he is afraid of is not a threat, or we can use medication. Occasionally we can use a skill such as a one hour down stay to teach a dog to cope with something that he or she finds extremely exciting. When the dog's motivation changes, he or she is often able to LEARN SKILLS that will help to copes, and we can then ease up on MANAGING THE ENVIRONMENT.
The three legs of the Good Dog Model work together to help us to set up training scenarios where we can be successful. When we start working with a dog, we need to look at each segment of the model and see if we can ease up as the dog progresses, or if we have been challenged and need to tighten up on any aspect to allow the dog to be successful. Always keep in mind that in training, "normal" does not come into play; what is important is to remember where the dog is at the moment when we are interacting.
