Natural vs. Contrived Negative Reinforcement
I read the following online the other day:
People shouldn’t object to the use of negative reinforcement! It’s just ...
It Was Coming Right At Me!
I am so interested in how dogs perceive things, and how they notice differences that we don’t, or that we take for ...
“Good Sit!”
Here is a quiz. Let’s say someone says, “Sit,” to a dog, intending the word as a cue.
What part of speech is the ...
But Every Dog is Different!
But every dog is different!
This is another common argument against trainers who train without force. It usually ...
Are You Really Performing Classical Counterconditioning?
What do the following training descriptions have in common?
“My dog’s afraid of strangers. But when she stops ...
6 Ways to Prepare Your Dog for Fireworks Starting TODAY
Oh no. Noisy holiday rolling around again, and your dog is scared of fireworks?
Even though it’s just a few days ...
Introducing a Puppy and an Adult Dog: Take it Slow
Remember “Lessons for My Puppy,” my collaboration with Marge Rogers? She made some videos that I loved so much ...
You’re Too Close! Dogs and Body Pressure
So you are standing at a party, or in your office, or on your front lawn. Someone you know only vaguely walks up ...
Yelling at My Dogs
The “yelling” question comes up regularly for positive reinforcement-based trainers. “Am I a bad person if I yell ...
Trick Training Bloopers
I decided a while back to teach my dogs to cross their paws as a trick. I followed the instructions on one of ...
The Dog Decides
“The dog decides what is reinforcing.” Positive reinforcement trainers frequently say that to their human ...
The “Choice” Challenge
Thanks to Debbie Jacobs and Randi Rossman for their input on this topic. Any weird conclusions are mine alone.
I ...