by Eileen Anderson | Mar 2, 2016 | Training
“The dog decides what is reinforcing.” Positive reinforcement trainers frequently say that to their human students. What they mean is that people can easily be mistaken about whether something constitutes reinforcement. For instance, we may think praising or petting...
by Eileen Anderson | Jul 9, 2015 | Animal Behavior, Learning Theory, Training
Most trainers agree that if there is one thing that the tool called a clicker is useful for in particular, it is for shaping behavior. Shaping consists of marking and reinforcing successive approximations towards a goal behavior. When shaping, the...
by Eileen Anderson | Aug 10, 2014 | Learning Theory, Pet Guardians, Training
Some dog trainers who use tools such as shock, prong, or slip collars, or startle the dog with thrown objects or loud noises, claim that these things are done only to “get the dog’s attention.” They may further insist that …
