Day FIFTEEN-21 Day Positive Training Kickstart Challenge

When it comes to training, the biggest issue is that punishment, discipline, & corrections can lead to aggression, apathy, generalized fear, & escape/avoidance behaviors. This isn’t a list of things that most folks want for their companion animals.

Aggression can be the result of aversive techniques as learners become frightened & frustrated.
Apathy may be the result of punishment as learners realize that “it’s just no use” & thus shut down…to all learning.
Generalized fear is a potential side effect of corrections as learners might always be frightened of “men” or “people wearing hats” based on interactions with the people imparting the corrections.
Finally, escape/avoidance may come about as a result of discipline techniques as the learner learns to fear & attempt to avoid the person with whom they regularly associate punishment.
Psychology Today reports that although positive reinforcement techniques have continued to become widespread, the use of confrontational methods unfortunately also continues to grow in part as a result of popular culture’s dissemination via television shows.

Hopefully as you are reading & learning your way through this challenge you will confirm your commitment to science based training & teaching which nets maximum results & is fun for the learner as well!

ACTION: Make the choice today to use a positive option when training &/or teaching! Decide to reinforce good choices rather than punish bad ones & see how much better both learner & coach feel 🙂

Day FOURTEEN-21 Day Positive Training Kickstart Challenge

Sometimes people are vaguely familiar with clickers & clicker training, but don’t exactly have it down right. There is a phenomenon called, “blazing clickers” which refers to folks who aren’t really sure what the clicker is for & randomly & madly click away. This can be detrimental to the valuable communication tool that is the clicker.

For a clearer explanation, the clicker is a “marker.” The sound indicates to the learner that the behavior directly proceeding the sound was one we liked. Thus, we “mark” it with a “click.” This then allows us to precisely communicate which behavior it was that earned that “click” & then buys us a few seconds to provide the reinforcer (something the learner considers reinforcing enough to work for).

Remember, the process with a clicker is to observe the behavior, mark the behavior (the very SECOND it occurs) & then to reinforce the behavior.

ACTION: Get a clicker! They are sold in pet stores, by PAW ($5.00, or free with training session), or online. Sit close to your dog & call their name. If they look at you-CLICK! the second they do & then reinforce (perhaps with a tiny, but tasty treat!). Repeat!

Day THIRTEEN-21 Day Positive Training Kickstart Challenge

Often times people have heard of “clickers” but aren’t really sure what they are. Clickers are a “marker” or a “bridge” between the behavior we like & the reinforcer we deliver.

Sometimes at the start we do something called, “loading the clicker.” This is teaching the animal that the sound of the “click” means good things. As such, we click & then treat. Repeat. Repeat. As the person in charge of the clicker, you want to maintain this valuable communication option. This means that once your animal understands that the click=reinforcement. You MUST reinforce (somehow-pat, praise, food, activity, game, etc.) EACH & EVERY time you click. No exceptions.

How it works. I watch for my dog to do something that I like. For example, I watch for my dog to sit. The SECOND that my dog sits, I click! Then I deliver something the reinforces that behavior-like a small bite of something yummy or a pat on the head.

ACTION: Try it! See if you can wait & watch for your pup to sit. Then being careful with your timing (timing IS important), click the second his/her bottom hits the ground. Then reinforce! Ta-dah! You are clicker training!