Usually on Wednesday I post dog-training articles. Lately though I’ve been including posts on my growing chickens and spring gardening and I’ve been considering including some of my animal training stories from my zoo days.
The dog-training themed Wednesday posts needed some expansion, and thus the inspiration for Wild Wednesday. If it’s about animals, animal training or the environment, I’ll be writing about it.
Dark Brahma chick
Two week old egg-layers
The chicks are chicks no longer, and the garden is growing along. The fuzzy little balls of fluff now more closely resemble the dinosaurs they’re related to, with a crazy mix of real feathers, old down and bare skin. Scaly, too long legs and protruding eyes make them ugly cute. When I watch them establishing their pecking order, flapping their tiny wings and bobbing and weaving, facing off with their sisters, I can’t help but think of their extinct relatives. It makes me wonder just how old the behavior rituals I’m watching really are.
The Cornish Crosses, also 2 weeks old.
The Cornish Crosses on 4/25/12
We’ve separated the meat birds from the egg-layers, and moved them into the outdoor pen. It doesn’t matter how many articles I read about the incredible growth of these Cornish crosses, I am amazed at how big they are. At just a few days over a month old they are more than double the size of the egg-layers hatched the same day. They have blossomed too, being able to scratch in the dirt, eat grass and bugs and in general, act like chickens, has them bobbing and wing-flapping like their smaller sisters.
A Partridge Rock 4/25/12
Dark Brahma 4/25/12
We’ve been graced here in the Northwest with some glorious spring weather lately, in a much appreciated pattern; beautiful, warm, sunny weekends, with off-and-on showers during the week. In Seattle? I know, right? Shocking! Seems we’re getting the benefit of the climate change train at this point in time.
I added some pretty to the temporary herb garden. Love me some pansies, dahlias, and gerbera daises. I’m loving the location, but I’m not so sure the plants will. I know it’s still early, but they’re not getting sun until about 1:00 p.m. That’ll change I know, just not sure if it’s going to be full enough sun for herbs or flowers.
I am helpless against herbs and veggie starts, and, okay, plants, at a nursery, but I also really enjoy starting seeds. It is so reinforcing to watch those baby plants poke out of the soil. I swear last weekend I watched the things grow; checked them in the morning and they were barely nosing above ground, checked them in the evening and there were two proud leaves spreading toward the light on almost all of my carefully prepped soil. Look at them now, just a week after breaking ground.
I also went through a bunch of old pics, and scanned a few in. Here’s me, with an old friend; Akela helped inspire my first novel. Don’t worry, I’ll be filling you in on that too in the near future.
Are you a seasoned gardener or a newbie? Are you looking for animal training tips? Do you just plain love animals like I do? Do you long for fresh eggs, and the delicious taste of fresh fruit and veggies out of your own yard, but are afraid to take the huge step of keeping your own chickens or starting your own garden? Then come on in! Drop me a note, let me know your thoughts and ideas. I really love hearing from all of you!
Please keep in mind that all pictures are under copyright to me, and except for Akela’s pic were taken by me. I request that you ask before using. Thank you!
I have been out of the world of dog competition for several years. There was a time when I used to spend a lot of time at dog shows. I would always see clickers for sale, and occasionally discussions would crop up on different training styles. Some were adamant that all dogs should only be trained like dolphins, or marine mammals, others would state that only positive reinforcement should be used “like with animals in zoos” some said you should only train with clickers. But are any of these statements true?
It is entirely possible to achieve results using the above-mentioned methods, but I disagree with the use of the absolute. It has been my experience that the typical dog owner, you and me, does not need to go to the effort of using those types of training systems effectively. A combination of positive and negative reinforcement can be highly effective at shaping the behaviors you want, and raising a happy, well behaved companion. Are you all shuddering now because I used the word ‘negative’? Read on and find out how it’s not as bad as you think. You won’t need a clicker or a whistle.
Being in the worlds of exotic animal as well as dog training I spent a serious amount of time studying and using operant conditioning. I worked at Sea World, I worked at the San Diego Zoo, and I was intimately familiar with training systems used in world-class zoological facilities. I was also teaching dog obedience at the same time, both private and group classes, and I considered several different ways to incorporate clicker training into my classes. I talked about it with my students and got an overwhelming lack of interest in response. It wasn’t hard to figure out why; most people didn’t want to work that hard.
Animal training utilizes the operant conditioning techniques developed by B.F Skinner, and places like this and this will tell you about the man and how his work applies to animal training. It’s a fascinating subject, and far more complex than I’m going to tackle here and now. But I do want to introduce some important concepts.
Animal Training Glossary
Positive Reinforcement. We’ve all heard the term, but what does it mean? How is it useful to animal trainers? The word ‘positive’ is used here in the additive sense. You are adding, or giving something the animals likes, or finds pleasurable, and this stimulus increases the likelihood a behavior will be repeated. When you give a dog a treat, or a sea lion a fish immediately after it does a desired behavior you have positively reinforced that behavior, and the animal is more likely to do it again under the same circumstances. Part of the job of the professional animal trainer working with exotics is figuring out what is positively reinforcing to the animal she’s trying to train. It might not always be food, although that is the most common positive reinforcer. But, what reinforces a dog is not likely to reinforce a porcupine.
Negative Reinforcement. Don’t cringe! This is often confused with punishment, but it is not. The word ‘negative’ is subtractive; something is removed, stopped or avoided. It is the absence of this stimulus that produces the desired behavior. How many of you use a leash and collar, and your dog walks calmly at the end of it? The collar and the pressure it exerts when the dog pulls at the end of the leash is an example of negative reinforcement. The dog is negatively reinforced when he stops pulling and the pressure is relieved. When the dog walks without pulling he avoids that pressure, and he is more likely to walk without pulling your arm off nicely at your side, giving you the desired behavior. It is impossible to put a leash and collar on a sea lion or a dolphin, but a cheetah or a wolf responds well to gentle pressure on a collar.
How is training an exotic animal, a dolphin, a sea lion or a wolf like training your dog? Key principles apply: you need to be consistent, you need an effective communication system, you need precise timing, and you need a lot of patience no matter what you are training. In this sense, training a dog is like training a sea lion is like training a porcupine.
How is training a sea lion not like training your dog? You will never share your home with a sea lion. I loved Disney’s ‘Sammy the Way Out Seal’ when I was kid, but believe me, you do not want one of these in your house.
If a sea lion quit on me during a show, you know what happened? Nothing. The sea lion swam in the moat until he was ready to pay attention again. I did my best to tap dance and the crowd enjoyed a good laugh. Hey, it happens. You review what caused the animal to quit, adapt and move on. Sometimes it was just because it was summer, the sea lion wasn’t hungry and he’d rather be on a beach with the ladies. It’s his biology and DNA telling him what to do, and my fish just wasn’t as reinforcing as the nice cool pool.
What happens if your dog eliminates in the house and you ignore it? Do you laugh? Exactly. We expect certain behaviors from our domestic animals that share our homes that are never taught to animals in zoos. And remember this, they’re domestic! They’re genetically programmed by centuries of breeding to be handled and trained by humans. Domestic animals are very malleable and adaptable to the application of behavior modification techniques, positive and negative reinforcement. The same cannot always be said of exotics.
Can you use a clicker to train your dog? Of course you can, or a whistle, or your iPod if you want to get really creative. Do I recommend it? Nope. The typical dog owner wants a pet that is well mannered, housebroken and knows a few commands. If the dog sits, lies down and comes on command the average dog owner is happy. These are very easy things to accomplish, no clickers necessary.
Ask yourself this: Do you really want to be sure you always have a clicker on you? Can you keep a pocket of treats always full? Remember, consistency is the key to good results in training, if you do not use that clicker accurately, you will confuse your dog. Clicker training is dependent on food reinforcement particularly in the early stages. You would have to adjust your dog’s feeding and limit treats or you could easily train your pet into obesity.
Where is clicker training helpful? Do you want to train your dog to this:
Isn’t that amazing? I don’t know what methods she used, but clicker training is a great way to get such precise, complex behaviors. How many hours every day would you willing to put in to get your dog to do what Rookie does? Most people are happy with a dog that walks at their side as they stroll through the neighborhood, naps quietly while they watch tv and doesn’t freak out when people come to visit. They’re not looking for a dance partner, they’re not looking to compete at dog sports. That is a whole other subject and realm of training. It can be a lot of fun, it builds a tremendously close bond between you and your dog, but it is also a huge time (not to mention money) commitment.
Dogs will respond beautifully if you give them love, and training, but that entails applying positive and negative reinforcement. The animals that live with us need to learn and respect the behavioral boundaries we establish. They need to follow these ‘rules’ all the time, which is the expectation most pet owners have. You want your dog to eliminate outside all the time, right?
But how do you know which reinforcement to apply and at what time? Stay tuned!
Do visions of Lassie and Benji prance through your head? Does your dog embarrass you, or make you proud? Is she ‘not perfect’ but you’re happy with how she behaves? Is your dog a vision of trained perfection? What do you think is ‘good’ dog behavior? What is ‘bad’ or unacceptable? We all have an idea of what a ‘trained’ dog should do, but are we all in agreement about what that looks like?
I had to give up teaching dog training.
Not really, I still do teach, but I did give it up for a while. I got tired of taking people’s money and having them be pissed off because their dog wasn’t perfect all on her own, a syndrome I like to call ‘the Lassie complex’. Training your dog really does take daily effort, daily training sessions, something the bulk of my early clients were unwilling to do. I trained a porcupine to wear a harness and walk on a leash, and a hawk to drop out of the sky, trust me; a dog can be trained to do almost anything if you’re willing to invest the time. What my clients had trouble with was that they have to do the work; there is no instant solution in dog training. The good news is, unless you want Lassie behaviors, your training sessions can easily be worked into your daily routine.
Is your dog ‘sort of’ trained? This is OK!
A pet peeve (sorry, I love puns!): I hate it when my dogs jump up on me. My dogs would never dream of leaping up and laying paws on you. Conversely, I have good friends with a pair of smaller dogs who leave bruises every time I go to visit because they prance on their hind legs, dig at my knees and caroom wildly around the room in the ecstatic dance of ‘Welcoming a Stranger into the Home.’ The owners apologize and make futile hand gestures, which have zero effect in controlling the dogs’ frenetic gyrations. I just smile, and give a firm ‘NO’ and a shove if they bounce against me too crazily and wait it out. But, they’ve never asked for training help, so I don’t offer any hints, or tips, and I don’t try to stop the whirling dervishes. Why? Because they’re not my dogs, and owners get to decide what they want their dog’s behavior to look like. My friends really are content with how their little furry demolition derby cars act. They have trained their dogs to the level they are comfortable with.
My exception to this is: your dog had better be safe. You do not get to think that an aggressive, biting dog is okay, from Chihuahuas to Great Danes. Those are very serious behaviors that put people’s lives at risk. If you have these issues, find a very good, local dog trainer to help you. Fast.
Lassie? Or Marley? How about somewhere in between?
When I ask my clients what they think a trained dog acts like, the usual response is some variation of “I want my dog to listen to me.” News flash, your dog is not your therapist. Okay, it can seem like it; many are the times I’ve poured my troubles into my Belgian’s perky black ears. But that’s not the kind of listening we’re talking about.
Every dog should know some basic commands
So, what do you want? Do you want a dog that will just cuddle you all night, and play all day? Do you want a dog that follows the basic commands of sit, stay and come? Do you want him to do tricks? Do you want to compete in obedience trials? Do you care if she sleeps on the couch, or in your bed? It doesn’t matter what you pick, but you have to have a very definite picture of what you want your dog’s behavior to be. A sample list of behaviors that I consider important just for good canine behavior includes:
Sit
Down
Stay
Come
What you decide to add is limited only by your imagination.
What does your dog do that you would stop if you could? What is she perfect at? When is he just too adorable? What would you like to train your dog to do? Tell me about it!
