One of the most challenging pieces of the puzzle when helping these dogs is coming up with, and following, a clearly defined desensitization, counterconditioning and training protocol. Contributing factors to the failure of dogs to improve include; going too fast, expecting too much, skipping steps in the process, not enough high value reinforcement for appropriate behavior, sloppy DS/CC, insufficient management. I know that many folks here are not, or dont consider themselves to be dog trainers. I hereby officially anoint you. Skilled trainers look for ways to make it easier for a dog to understand what it is we want them to do. They make it as clear-cut for the dog as possible. They eliminate all the noise and chatter in the environment and in their own presentation to the animal so that its easier for the dog to sort out the important bits. When we use food as a reinforcer and for counterconditioning the dog is figuring out what exactly is making the food happen. Our job is to make it crystal clear to the dog. The food is delivered immediately after the appropriate behavior or the appearance of a trigger. The longer the delay, the more opportunity for information to clutter up the picture for the dog. Dont make the dog have to sort through it. It is possible even with sloppy protocols for dogs to sort through all the noise and figure out what is making steak appear, but with some practice you can eliminate a lot of it and youll increase the chances youll see progress sooner rather than later.
Posted on: Wed, 07 May 2014 11:41:10 +0000
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