surchinmy
Ultra ALPHA
Nov 20, 2004, 10:15 AM
Post #66 of 71
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Re: [j9yne, hunter, RealityDreamer] How to command her STAY!
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Hmmm ... Hope you don't mind if I cross-post this to Hunter & RealityDreamer ... because they might be interested too. Question: Will it confuse him to introduce clicker training together with the normal training? My answer is ... Yes & No ... ... because it depends on how the trainer goes about doing it. Perhaps we need to explore a little the differences between clicker training and traditional training. Traditional training ... is basically based on what is known as "operant conditioning"; in other words, teaching the dog to associate a "behaviour" with a "positive or negative reinforcement/consequence". Traditional training generally requires the trainer to "show or lead" the dog to do what the trainer deems is desired behaviour ... For example: A trainer will often use his/her hands (or a treat) to manoeuvre the dog into the desired sit or down position ... and when the dog does what is desired - the trainer praises and/or rewards (positive reinforcement) ... If the dog does not do what is desired ... then a reprimand is delivered (negative consequence). A positive reinforcement will encourage the behaviour and a negative consequence will diminish that behaviour. As the trainer manoeuvres the dog into the desired position or to do the desired act or action - the trainer also introduces the voice command (verbal association) and/or hand signal (sign association) ... and this teaches the dog to associate the desired behaviour with the command. Clicker training ... is actually based on what is known as "Classical Conditioning", as discovered by Pavlov during his famous experiment with dogs & the bell. Classical conditioning ... teaches the dog (or any animal) to form association with 2 stimuli ... and we use this stimuli association, to communicate the desired behaviour to the animal. Originally, clicker training was developed to train dolphins ... because normal training methods would not have worked ... In clicker training ... you WAIT until the animal does something desired ... and then you "click" (1st stimuli) ... and follow with praise/treat (2nd stimuli) ... For example: If you wish to teach a dog to "sit" ... then you hold clicker in hand and wait ... When the dog sits - you click & immediately offer treat ... Once you repeat this a few times - your dog will work out all by itself that everytime it sits, the clicker goes ... and WOW - a treat!!! ... At this stage no verbal or signs are used ... and the dog is allowed to make the association through its own intelligence (which is why clicker training is so effective & gentle). During this process the dog, learns 2 things ... ONE - Click means treat ... and TWO - Sit means click, which means treat!!! ... Before long - you will find your dog "sitting" to earn the click & the treat ... very natural and easy! The other beauty of the clicker method is this - as the association between the 2 stimuli is reinforced and made stronger through repetition ... the longer we can lengthen the delay between the 2 stimuli without affecting effectiveness ... wonderful! Verbal and/or sign commands are introduced only AFTER the dog makes the association between desired behaviour with the 2 stimuli. So - back to your question: Will the introduction of clicker training confuse a dog who is also simultaneously being trained in the traditional way? Yes - if the trainer is not careful ... For example: If the trainer is already training "sit" using traditional training ... attempting to introduce clicker training for "sit" at the SAME TIME ... may confuse the dog - at least in the beginning ... However, it may not confuse the dog if the trainer uses the clicker to train a DIFFERENT desired behaviour ... I have used clicker training as a follow-up to reinforce commands originally taught using traditional training ... and I have also used the clicker to train one desired behaviour, while using traditional training to train another desired behaviour ... and it seems to work ... I just avoid using 2 different methods at the same time, to try and train the same desired behaviour. So, ultimately - I would say this - it depends on the trainer & the dog ... If a trainer understand and knows the different principles involved in different methods of teaching - then the trainer can with the correct dog, with some imagination & care, be able to combine different methods of teaching/training effectively ... After all, no one training method works for ALL dogs ... But if the trainer does not understand well enough the principles involved in the different methods, but still insists on combining different methods - then yes, there is risk that the dog can get confused BECAUSE the trainer is confused ... And a confused trainer will train a confused dog ... So - before combining teaching/training methods - study & understand the different methods first ... and then use your imagination and train according to the individual dog. Cheers
(This post was edited by surchinmy on Nov 20, 2004, 10:30 AM)
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