“Train That Dog”
How often is someone told to “train that dog” when the dog is doing dog things? Dogs are mischievous, thoughtful, creative and determined, they are interested in smells and opportunities that baffle humans and challenge us to live with them. The primary role of dogs in North American homes is as a pet, and this job is one of the most difficult things we could ask a dog to learn to do, yet they do it beautifully. How does this happen, and what are we doing to help our dogs to be even more successful? The answer to these questions lies in having a good understanding of how learning works, and by extension, how training can guide what to do to either optimize the behaviour of the dogs we live with, or to teach them new and useful behaviours.
When a dog comes into our care, be it a puppy or an adult dog, there is a period of time when we don’t know one another. We can use this time very effectively to teach our dogs what is expected of them, and get to know them at the same time. This dual goal provides a driving reason to better understand both how dogs learn and how we can train them.
Training is quite simply the structured change in behaviour that one individual provides for another. Understanding the basic principles of training helps you to effectively change behaviour in the animals you work with. One of the things that can happen if you are not being mindful of the interactions you have with your learner is that they learn things we don’t intend for them to learn! Consider the puppy who comes into the home and whose family does not attend to his behaviour; will he learn to use the back yard as a toilet, or is he more likely to choose the shag carpet? Will he learn self control around tempting trash cans or compost buckets, or will he see those as a source of toys and food? From a puppy’s perspective, a cardboard box to shred is every bit as good a toy as that tuggy or chewie you bought specially for his amusement!
Dogs are always learning, and if we understand a few concepts, we can optimize our efforts to teach them things we want and avoid them learning things we don’t. We need some basic information and then we can apply our knowledge to help our canine learning partners to behave in ways that are healthy and safe. The first thing we need to know is called “Thorndike’s Law of Effect”. Simply put, it says that if the outcome is desired by the learner, he will repeat the behaviour that created the outcome, and if the outcome is not desired by the learner, he will avoid the behaviour that caused the outcome he did not like. Knowing this one fact about learning can help us to set our dogs up to learn natural consequences such as “if you sit at the door, I will come open it and take you outside” or “if you bark in your crate, the door stays closed”.
Another concept that can really help us to optimize our training is to look at what opportunities come to the dog. In the shelter we keep dogs in runs in order to prevent them from getting into food bins, or interacting with dogs who might not be suitable playmates for instance. We control when dogs have access to food, playmates and other enriching opportunities, in the interest of keeping them safe and happy. Controlling opportunities is known as management. Although there is a common saying in dog training that “management always fails” it is an important concept to keep in mind when working with a dog who is “new to you”.
Is training this simple? Yes! And of course, no! Understanding the ins and outs of canine learning and training means also understanding a variety of related information such as ethics, the deeper details of increasing and decreasing behaviours, how to fit equipment, and how equipment works. What to teach, when to teach it, and the growth and development of the dog are also important to know about. A good training relationship with our canine partners is one of the most important things we can do when we are getting to know a new dog, but it can also enhance a longer term relationship.