Canine Culture: Obedience Training – Where Head and Heart Meet Science and Art

Most people enroll in a training class because they want an “obedient” dog.  

But teaching our dogs appropriate behavior takes more than a leash and some treats. It requires communication and a healthy relationship … plus a general understanding of how operant and classical conditioning work together.

Now before those technical terms cause anxiety, simply think of it this way: Engaging a dog’s head and heart in the training process is the science and art of teaching obedience. 

Operant Conditioning
* B.F. Skinner discovered that rats would press a bar with increased frequency if rewarded with a pellet of food.

* Thus the conclusion: “consequence drives behavior.” Technically speaking, applying or removing reinforcement or punishment in response to a behavior will increase or decrease the likelihood the behavior will be repeated.

* In dog training, we use positive reinforcement to reward our dogs’ sit, recall, leash manners, etc., with a treat, play, praise or some other payoff the dog values. For example, if you don’t open the door or put his food bowl down until your dog sits, he soon makes the connection that his rear on the ground is the key to freedom and dinner!

* Operant Conditioning provides an effective means of non-verbal communication with our dogs in terms they can understand: Desired behavior = reward. Undesired behavior = no reward (or redirection to a rewardable behavior). In this way you are engaging your dog’s brain and problem-solving skills as he offers behavior and “works” for his “paycheck.” 

Classical Conditioning
* Ivan Pavlov discovered his dogs would salivate at the sound of a bell if the dogs were routinely fed after ringing it. 

* Thus in this form of conditioning, “stimulus triggers response.” Through repeated association, an automatic physiological response can be generated from a previously unrelated, neutral stimulus. The anticipation of an outcome (food) prompted by a learned stimulus (bell) caused an unconscious reaction (salivation).

* Similarly in dog training (generally speaking), your training style and relationship sparks an emotional response in your dog – do you inspire a desire to learn by making training fun? How much does he value you? Is he able and willing to focus on you in varying degrees of distractions? Is the environment conducive to optimal learning?

* Where Operant Conditioning engages a dog’s brain, Classical Conditioning speaks to the heart of the matter. It is just as important, but often overlooked when training. If your dog is as excited when you grab your training treat bag as he does when you put on your walking shoes, you’re on the right track! 

What does this mean?
Basically, successful training is a function of your communication skills and relationship with your dog, built through an integrated combination of Operant and Classical Conditioning. When all components are employed together with compassion and consistency, almost any training challenge can be solved.

And what do you know? Putting it all together is what we do in class! Session V classes start soon! 

For more training resources, visit: www.clickertraining.com

Recommended reading: 
· Karen Pryor: Don't Shoot the Dog
· Jean Donaldson: Culture Clash 
· Patricia McConnell PhD: For the Love of a Dog; The Other End of the Leash

If you have any training problems or questions, we’d love to hear from you! 

Ask the Trainer:  Renee Jetter, ABCTC, CPCT
* Professional dog trainer; co-owner of Canine Craze Performance Center in Urbandale – an 18,000 sq-ft. dog training, daycare, boarding and events facility. Animal Behavior College, 2006 graduate.
* Expertise: puppy development; positive reinforcement training; obedience; competition; agility; tricks; freestyle; scent detection; canine good citizen/therapy dog testing; Paws & Effect volunteer service dog trainer.