When teaching your dog to respond on cue, he learns that the Antecedent (a cue, request, or command) followed by a specific Behavior (such as sit, down, or come) signals that a Consequence (reward) is likely to follow. These are the ABC’s of teaching:
Antecedent–Behavior–Consequence
A reward (Consequence) causes the behavior to increase in frequency. For example, simply giving your dog a piece of food every time he sits quickly produces a sit-happy dog who sits frequently. The reward also reinforces the association be- tween the request and the response, such that the dog learns that sitting when re- quested often produces rewards. Ultimately, the dog learns to want to sit on re- quest. If you want your dog to sit frequently without even being asked (such as at street corners or when greeting people), you can reward him when he places his rear on the floor without the cue. This is an automatic sit in specific situations. This way, he’ll learn that sitting, whether he’s asked to or not, is a good idea.
This training sequence represents an oversimplification of learning theory—the science of dog training. But your dog is going to learn very quickly if you present the ABC’s.
Some examples of the ABC’s of learning are:
| Antecedent | Behavior | Consequence |
| The dog hears you pick up the leash. | The dog comes to you. | You put the leash on your dog and take him for a walk. |
| The dog hears the word “sit.” | The dog sits. | You give the dog a tasty treat and praise. |
| The dog hears the doorbell. | The dog goes to the door and sits. | You open the door. |
The art of dog training, though, depends very much on the skill of predicting or causing the behavior you are trying to put on cue and increase in frequency. For example, when you ask the dog to sit, how can you predict that the dog will sit so that you can reward him for doing so?
How you go about this is the main determinant of the efficiency and effectiveness of training. Basically, three techniques are used to predict or cause specific behaviors:
1.Simply waiting for the behavior to happen on its own (capturing/shaping)
2. Luring the behavior to happen (lure/reward training)
3. Physically prompting the behavior
As a dog-friendly trainer, you will primarily use numbers 1 and 2, gentle capturing and shaping and lure/reward methods, to motivate your dog to do what you want. Everyone, including children, can easily master these two quick and fun ways to train.
Brain or Brawn?
Brain power is far superior to physical power when it comes to dog training (and just about everything else, as a matter of fact!). Instead of trying to master difficult, time-consuming, and largely ineffective physical methods to punish your dog for countless wrongs, why not teach your dog what you want him to do by using reward-based techniques? It is so much easier and quicker, and a darn sight more enjoyable for you and your dog.
Almost everybody, including children, can train with their brain, but few people can master the rigors of physical training methods, and even fewer people enjoy this approach.
Physical prompting methods, on the other hand, are not appropriate for all dogs and all people. A child certainly should not be expected to physically prompt a dog to get him to obey. Even adults may be at risk if they resort to pushing and pulling some dogs. Overall, physical prompting is not as safe, easy, or effective as the other two approaches, and it’s probably not as fun for you or your dog.
Why Not Use Punishment?
A consequence of a behavior can be pleasant or unpleasant. While pleasant consequences reliably increase the behavior they follow, the result of unpleasant consequences is not as predictable. Unpleasant consequences often create anxiety and confusion and sometimes increase the frequency of other unwanted behaviors. For example, punishing a dog for urinating in one spot in the house may cause the dog to be scared to eliminate in your presence, in which case he may hide from you and eliminate in multiple spots throughout the house.
The stress from punishment comes from pain, but also from the dog’s confusion. Because most punishment happens after the fact, it is unlikely that the dog understands why he is in trouble, and therefore he is likely to become confused and stressed and may possibly shut down. Dogs in this state are sometimes mistakenly labeled as stubborn. In fact, the dog is opting out of the training game because he simply doesn’t understand how to play the game. Imagine if you were being tutored in a new language, and each time you made a mistake your teacher rapped you on the hand or yelled at you. Chances are you would not show up for future lessons, and you obviously would not learn this new language.
Capturing
The capturing method of training is also referred to as reward training. Capturing is an extremely simple method to master, and it is the method most likely to result in a reliably trained dog who, as a wonderful side benefit, has mastered the ability to learn.
Learning to Learn
Using this method can maximize your dog’s potential by encouraging him to be an active, thoughtful participant in training. This approach creates a dog whose ability to learn is greatly improved; he becomes very much a “thinking dog” who is confident and enthusiastic about playing the training game.
Using gentle, motivation-based training you will be creating a dog who is a terrific prob- lem solver.
All you have to do is wait for the right behavior to occur spontaneously before marking the behavior (with the sound of a clicker or “yes”) and then reward the dog.
For something simple such as a sit, the behavior is likely to happen quickly and is therefore easy to capture. For more complicated behaviors, such as jumping through a hoop, you shape the behavior by marking and rewarding small steps in the right direction toward the ultimate goal. For example, you might start by marking and rewarding the dog for stepping toward the hoop, which is held low to the ground. Then you might reward him for touching it with his nose, then for stepping a paw through it, and then his whole body, gradually increasing the height the hoop is held off the ground.
What Is a Marker?
A marker tells your dog exactly which behavior earned a reward. The marker occurs at the same exact time as the desired behavior or event, which is why some people call it an event marker. The marker is immediately followed by a reward. A marker can be a word, such as “yes,” but is more effective when it is a distinct and unique sound, such as the click of a clicker — a small, handheld tool that you press with your thumb. Unlike your voice, the sound of the click never varies. Also, the sound of the click is much easier for your dog to recognize than one word (such as “yes”) in what is probably a stream of words you are saying to him. As such, it’s easy for your dog to learn that the click means only one thing: What I did at the exact moment I heard a click is getting me a reward. This clear, sharp sound can have a dramatic impact on the clarity of your communications with your dog.
It usually takes just a few repetitions of pairing the marker with the reinforcement for your dog to associate the two. Since your dog wants to increase the likelihood of the reinforcement, he will increase (repeat) the behavior that happened when he heard the click.
Unlike lure/reward training, where both you and your dog exert relatively similar effort, capturing requires your dog to be the more active participant, to try to figure out what is expected at a certain moment in order to be reinforced. Your job is to carefully observe your dog so that you can deliver well-timed and frequent reinforcements.
Generally, at first, reward training takes more time than lure/reward training.
When you start, you are waiting for the dog to behave appropriately, and it usually takes him at least a few guesses to get it right. ]
During reward training, your dog will make many mistakes and incorrect guess- es at what you want, but each unrewarded mistake is important because it enables your dog to eliminate yet another unprofitable option. The more mistakes, the more your dog learns what is not rewarding. Eventually, your dog will hit upon what you want, and will soon repeat the immediately rewarded behavior many times. Dogs love playing this game.
For example, to train your dog to sit, take hold of a few pieces of his food, stand still, and wait for him to sit. He may go through a whole repertoire of behaviors, like jumping up and barking. Ignore all this and wait for the sit—he will do it eventually. When he sits, click or say “yes,” offer him a piece of food, and then do it again. (You might have to take a step to get your dog to stand up.) You will find that your dog sits more and more quickly each time. Soon, your dog will develop the notion of sitting after you take a step in order to hear the click or the word “yes,” which means that he gets a reward. Now you can predict when he will sit and say the word right before he does so—in this case, right as you are about to stop after taking a step.
Reward training techniques are extremely effective, which is why they are used almost exclusively for training bomb-detection dogs, search-and-rescue dogs, and top-notch obedience and agility competition dogs. These techniques produce reliable, happy dogs.
This technique is terrific for teaching all-or-nothing behaviors like sit and down. More complicated behaviors like a retrieve or a fancy trick are shaped by rewarding the dog for successive approximations to the desired behavior — when it’s not exactly what you want, but the dog is headed in the right direction.
What If My Dog Doesn’t Obey?
Reward-trained dogs want to perform behaviors that they have learned result in rewards. If your dog truly understands what is expected and desires the reward, he will respond appropriately. If he doesn’t, don’t assume that he is being spiteful or disobedient. Instead, ask yourself, Does he really under- stand what I’m asking in this environment, and am I being sufficiently re-warding?
Reward training is wonderful for all types of dogs, whether they are reserved (it helps build confidence) or aggressive (it helps build a stellar relationship between dog and handler and creates a dog who has a more positive outlook). Reward training is the method of choice for active and excitable adolescent dogs. It calms dogs more quickly than any other method. You simply ignore the adolescent antics and wait for the dog to do something good. It’s the quickest way to train an adolescent dog to pay attention, walk on leash calmly, and sit automatically when you stop. Dogs quickly learn that goofy antics like jumping about and barking don’t make anything happen, but standing still, sitting, and lying down are like switches that turn you on and give them praise, treats, and play time.
Anybody can reward train from anywhere, even when relaxing in an armchair. Reward training is great for all types of trainers, especially children and the elderly. Reward training methods are calming. There is no need to be upbeat and exciting. Instead, you can relax and enjoy watching your dog figure things out. Moreover, since you give no commands at the beginning, no one has any idea what you are trying to do, so you can’t look silly if your dog doesn’t quickly do what you have in mind! Don’t worry, though; in no time at all, everyone will know exactly what you are doing as they look on in amazement.
Markers and Treats Forever?
Once your dog understands a behavior on cue, there is not necessarily a need to click or offer a treat. However, you should maintain learned cues and behaviors by using a variety of reinforcements, including going for a walk, playing with another dog, and playing fetch. However, when you teach a new behavior or an “old” one in a new environment or around new distractions, you should use your marker and treats.
Lure/Reward Training
Luring is a way of getting your dog to move by holding a treat on his nose so that he follows the treat and goes into various positions when you move your hand. Lure/reward training is a hands-off method to get your dog to do what you want him to do and then reward him for doing it. Food from the dog’s normal, daily diet is perhaps the best way to lure, but special treats, tennis balls, and stuffed chew toys also work well. You can entice your dog to move his nose, which gives you control over his entire body, just by moving a small lure. By manipulating the lure, you can:
- Modify the dog’s body position (sit, down, stand, roll over, spin)
- Modify the dog’s direction of movement (come here, go there)
- Get him to focus on specific objects (chew toys, tennis balls, you)
Modify natural canine behaviors (chewing, digging, barking) Lure/reward training is an effective way to get your dog to enjoy training and the trainer. For example, ask your dog, “Do you like training with me as much as I do with you?” and then move a piece of food up and down in front of your dog’s nose. Magically, he will nod his head in agreement. Then offer the food lure as a re- ward for agreeing with you!
Using lure/reward training, anyone, regardless of age or physical strength, can position any size dog.
Lure/reward training has numerous beneficial side effects, but the best is that it teaches your dog to like all types of people, especially children, men, and strangers. Dogs quickly learn to enjoy the company of anyone who takes the time to ask them to come, sit, lie down, and roll over in this gentle and rewarding manner. Your dog will also learn to like hands moving around his head and body. Most important, lure/reward methods offer an easy, nonconfrontational means for children to com- mandeer respect from the dog and train him to be happily and willingly compliant. Obviously, children can’t and shouldn’t physically force a dog to do anything, but with lure/reward training, children can exert mental control.
All reward-training techniques have advantages; because of its efficiency and gentleness, lure/reward training is a good method of choice.
What If My Dog Doesn’t Like Food?
If your dog is disinterested in the food lure, teach him to thoroughly enjoy food by hand-feeding him for a few days. In the meantime, interact with your dog using what he does like, such as praise, affection, balls, toys, games, and activities. For example, use your hand to lure the dog to sit and invite him onto the couch as a reward. Or use a tennis ball to lure him to come, but pet and praise him as a reward. However, because lure/reward training with food is so effective, it would be a smart prospect to train your dog to show a greater interest in it. You can pique your dog’s interest in food by leaving his meals down for just five to ten minutes at each feeding so that he learns to eat promptly, and by reserving his meals for training times. This way, you are teaching your dog when he is most likely to be focused on how to achieve the task at hand so that he may earn his food.
Physical Prompting
For years, dog training was pretty much synonymous with leashes and collars. The very notion of dog training conjured up visions of a trainer snapping the dog’s collar with the leash to motivate him to heel, or tugging upward on the leash and firmly pushing down on the dog’s rump to place him in a sit. At first, physical prompting seems extremely efficient and effective because the dog appears to respond promptly. However, physical prompting is deceptively complicated, and it usually takes an experienced trainer to avoid negative side effects.
This method requires:
- Physical strength to push, pull, and jerk
- Absolute consistency so that your dog learns that punishments are always an option
- An excellent understanding of dog behavior so that you lessen the chances of getting hurt by a dog who fights back
One of the biggest flaws in some dog-training methodologies is that many trainers underestimate their own expertise. What comes so easily to them after twenty-five years of experience falls apart in the hands of a novice owner working with a novice dog.
Additional flaws to this approach include the fact that the dog may be distracted by the touch, and it overrides the other intended cues, such as verbal cues. Of equal importance is the notion of opposition reflex. One of Newton’s laws of motion is “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” So, if you push or pull your dog one way, chances are he will attempt to maintain his balance by pushing or pulling the other way. For example, if you try to push him to the floor, his natural reaction will be to brace his legs.
Few of us will succeed by jerking our dogs around. And if you’re working with a fearful or aggressive dog, physical prompting can result in disaster. An example is jerking a dog by the leash when walking down the street. If you do this frequently enough when passing children or other dogs, the dog may learn to associate a harsh correction with them passing. This association could understandably lead to some negative feelings — or worse.
Physical prompting requires that you have the requisite strength and agility to physically position your dog.