Getting Beyond the Basics of Dog Training
Not so very long ago, trainers assumed that anyone who signed up for a basic obedience class was seeking that perfectly straight, sit-in-perfect-heel position. Classes were conducted with military precision, trainers barking commands as owners marched their dogs in a circle, jerking and popping on leashes and choke chains in order to achieve lightning-fast responses. Success was measured by speed and perfection of position, and advanced work was conducted with one goal – to show in American Kennel Club obedience competitions, earn obedience degrees, and achieve scores as close to that magic “perfect 200” as possible.
Training a Dog to Stay Using Cues
Sandi chooses a
quiet location. Blue is easily distracted, so
she works at a close range and slowly builds
the duration of the Stay.üWhen a cyclist pulled up, Sandi moved right
next to Blue to ascertain how he would deal
with a distraction.
quiet location. Blue is easily distracted, so
she works at a close range and slowly builds
the duration of the Stay.üWhen a cyclist pulled up, Sandi moved right
next to Blue to ascertain how he would deal
with a distraction.
Clicker Training and Trick Training Your Dog
one
can shape a new trick."
can shape a new trick."
Tail-Wagging Training
Training, says Massachusetts dog trainer Donna Duford, should be fun, not work. Her seminars are such upbeat, tail-wagging events that the dogs seem to be having a party. Look closer and you’ll see a serious class, with participants taking notes as Duford reviews the laws of learning and defines classical conditioning, operant conditioning, positive and negative reinforcement, positive and negative punishment, continuous and variable reinforcement schedules, and other fundamentals of behavioral training.
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Sorting Through My Books
Keeping my book collection to only three tall shelves has taken ongoing effort. At least once a year, I’ve had to give the shelves a critical pruning, throwing away titles that contained either incomplete or poor information and donating to my local library books that were of good quality, but not something that I planned to refer to again and again.