Higher-Order Conditioning: Did it Happen To My Dog?
The other day I was sitting in my bedroom with Clara and Zani and the doorbell rang. And there was dead ...
The Opposite of Force
I think I’ve figured something out.
I continue to see the concept of choice bandied about the positive ...
Preventing Dog Reactivity with a Barrier
My back door opens onto an elevated wooden porch. There are ten steps down to the yard. The top of the steps ...
Are You SURE Your Dog Prefers That Food Toy?
It just occurred to me that it is super easy to make assumptions about how much our dogs prefer a particular food ...
With Her Tail between Her Legs
Most of us know that a dog’s tail can be a fairly good indicator of mood. We can observe whether the tail carriage ...
Why Prong Collars Hurt
Prong collars, also called pinch collars, are metal chain collars for dogs that include links of prongs ...
Using Annoying or Scary Sounds for Dog Training
Let’s pretend you saw an ad for a new dog training product. It read something like this:
Introducing the ...
So Tell Me What You Want, What You Really Really Want: Nine Ways Preference Testing Can Go Wrong
What’s your favorite color?
Do you prefer pie or ice cream?
Which shirt do you like better: the ...
Local Enhancement and Socially Facilitated Behaviors in Dogs
This post started out as one thing and transformed into another as I went along, as many of mine do. I have been ...
Leave It: Not Just for Dead Men Anymore
The other day I was pondering the trend of talking about teaching “self-control” and “impulse control” in our ...
If You’re Loving It, Why Leave?
Is “choice” a code word for negative reinforcement?
It can be. Seems like that’s the context where I see it pop ...
Latent Learning: The Original Definition
Latent learning has a precise definition in learning theory and it’s not what many people think. It’s not magic ...