I think I bored a new client the other day.
You see, when I start working with a new client I always spend about 20 minutes explaining how dog training works.
Part of the explanation is about classical and operant conditioning.
“Classical conditioning is learning by association and operant conditioning is learning by consequence,” I said as I gave her the handout. She stifled a yawn and said, “Thank you,” and put her hand up to cover her mouth.
“Uh oh,” I thought. Time to get up and start working with the dogs.
I guess I am a geek when it comes to this stuff because I never get tired of talking about it.
Anyway, this is where it can help you. The best way to train your dog is by using markers. A marker is a word or sound that your dog understands.
Start your training by teaching markers and then use them to teach your dog commands. So I always start training a new dog by saying the word, “YES,” and giving a treat.
I repeat this over and over. I repeat it until the dog clearly understands that the word “YES” means reward. After a few days of doing this, the word “YES” has meaning to your dog.
You have classically conditioned the word. Learning by association.
This is where it gets fun. You can now use your newly minted, classically conditioned word to train by consequence. Remember, operant conditioning is training by consequence.
Now when you ask your dog to “Sit,” the second your dog’s butt hits the deck you can say, “YES,” and reward. You can now use the word “YES” to shape and train any behavior you’d like.
Using markers is great because it allows you to communicate to your dog. It improves your timing and helps reduce confusion.
And when you’re ready to take your training to the next level, The Dog Training Inner Circle is the place to be. Joining is easy and is only…..$1.00.
Here’s where to go NEXT:
Best,
Eric