Drinking From the Toilet: Real dogs, Real training

In episode 43, we go over some very important advice to take with you into the new year: don't try to do it all at once. Start small… as always, we are shaping behavior after behavior. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/43

We're rounding out 2017 by forecasting 2018. On this episode, I explore 5 key concepts for 2018 with Ryan Cartlidge, the founder of Animal Training Academy. For the full show notes, visit www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/42/

In episode 40, we discussed Motivating Operations. This week we are going to zoom in on a particular type of Conditioned Motivating Operations - the reflexive version, or CMO-R. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/41

This week…..well, I hope you'll bear with me. If you thought previous episodes were extraordinarily geeky, this one may set a new standard. For full show notes, visit: https://wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/40/

In dog training circles, motivation is - well - kind of a hot topic. It's a big concept and we care a lot about it because, of course, reinforcement drives behavior. So, it's worth spending some time unpacking, and this week I had the ridiculous good luck of unpacking it with Dr. Susan Friedman! For the full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/39

To be most effective in our shaping, we want to strive for continuous incremental progress. When we are doing it at our very best, we increment every rep, but in such small increments that the dog is always winning. Easier said than done! For the full show notes, visit: http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/38

Traditionally, we say that a reinforcer is something the learner wants. But it's not that simple. It's never simple is it? It's important to remember that reinforcement is a process defined by the results. For the full show notes, visit: http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/37

In this conversation, Lindsay Wood Brown and I attempt to unpack the concept of the Conditioned Emotional Response (CER) as applies to dog training. In addition to running through (and utterly confusing ourselves with) the terminology of the conditioned stimulus and unconditioned stimulus, etc, we also talk about practical application. For the full show notes, visit: https://wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/36/

Today's podcast guests, Elsa Blomster and Lena Gunnarson, are the authors of Retrieving for All Occasions, which is, in their own words, the kind of book they would have liked to read when their first dogs were puppies. This book dives into basic training for retrieving and flushing dogs and offers concrete advice for helping readers understand where the exercises lead. For full show notes, visit: https://wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/35/

In this episode, we talk about finding a balance between providing structure for our dogs and also letting them make choices. As usual with, this was a very REAL conversation. Unfiltered. Unedited. Sorry/not sorry. For full show notes, visit: https://wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/34/

Fluency is, in many ways, another word for mastery of a skill or behavior. Which is, of course, what we want for our learners. But there are a LOT of factors and moving parts that all have to work together to build that fluent behavior and that can be a lot to keep track of as a trainer. For complete show notes, visit: http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/blog/podcast-33-better-faster-stronger-fluency

In this episode, we also talk about the factors that can affect latency, and somethings to think about in your training if you want to improve the latency of your behaviors. For full show notes, visit: http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/blog/podcast-32-training-word-day-latency

This week we are sitting down with Emelie and Eva of Carpe Momentum (remember these guys from episode #23?) and talking about the idea of choice in our training session, and working with "Start Button" behaviors. For the full show notes, visit: http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/blog/podcast-31-start-button-behaviors-emelie-johnson-vegh-and-eva-bertilsson

How much information does the stimulus, or combination of stimuli, convey? The better the information, the more likely the brain is to attach it to an action. We pay attention to reliable information. Both dogs and humans! For the full show notes, visit: http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/blog/podcast-30-stimulus-control-freak

Am I the only one who has a deep love affair going on with whiteboards? If you can't relate to this obsession of mine- you might want to tune out. If whiteboards get you going, too, then by all means - tune in! For complete show notes, visit: http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/blog/podcast-29-whiteboard-love

This week through the magic of the internet, I got to talk with Swedish dog trainer, Fanny Gott and we discussed a rather hot topic in dog training circles - No Reward Marker. For the full show notes, visit: http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/blog/podcast-27-no-reward-markers-fanny-gott

This week I want to pick up where we left off last week talking about splitting, because one one of the things that helps me a lot when I think about how to split behavior and develop my training plan, is to consider the behavior in terms of a movement cycle. But in order for that to be helpful for you, you have to understand what a movement cycle is. For complete show notes, visit: http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/blog/podcast-26-movement-cycle-and-loopy-training

In this episode, we talk about where to look for "splits" when training a behavior. For the full show notes, visit: http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/blog/podcast-25-breaking-hard-do-splitting-committed-lumpers

Have you ever felt the pressure of getting a new puppy and felt totally frozen, not wanting to screw that puppy up? Me too. On this episode, we are diving into all the feelings of that pressure with Laura VanArendonk Baugh. In the end, you'll have real-life tips you can use to raise a fearless puppy! For the complete show notes, visit: http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/blog/podcast-24-raising-fearless-puppies-laura-vanarendonk-baugh

I hope you appreciate the several, unintended, Dr Who references in this episode. If that's not enough to keep your interest, you might want to unsubscribe (just kidding!). Listen on for more from Emelie and Eva (and me) on creating structure and flow in your training sessions and dealing with errors when they come up. For full show notes, visit :http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/blog/podcast-23-dealing-errors-emelie-johnson-vegh-and-eva-bertilsson

So what exactly *is* stimulus control? We're pondering (and attempting to answer that) on this episode featuring Kathy Sdao. For show notes, visit: http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/blog/podcast-22-pondering-stimulus-control-kathy-sdao

Why plan at all when it could all change? Planning does the thinking and deciding in advance. It simplifies information, by acting as a filter… for you and for your clients. This episode goes in depth on why you should bother with training plans.

Founder of Smart Dog University and Faculty member at Karen Pryor Academy, Laurie chats with me about mistakes we made when first learning to teach people how to train their own dogs, why we really CAN teach pet owners to use a clicker successfully and how we break down the necessary skills to make good training accessible. Also- do scientific theories really matter? Tune in to find out!

Ever feel like life gets away from you and you just don't have time to train? Me too. All. The. Time. It's a super common problem we all face. Professional trainer or avid amateur, we all have constant demands on our time and attention that make it hard to make training a priority. In this episode, we'll talk about strategies to help us MAKE time to train, even when time is tight.

This week we got to hang out with The Ken Ramirez! (I know! Squeeeeee!) Ken is the Executive Vice-President and Chief Training Officer of Karen Pryor Clicker Training where he helps oversee the vision, development, and implementation of training education programs for the organization. With over 40+ years of experience in animal care and training, Ken is an accomplished author, biologist and animal behaviorist who has an impressive resume working and consulting with training centers, aquariums, and zoos across the country. Since 2005, Ken has brought his experience as a trainer of many cognitive projects with marine mammals and primates to the dog arena. Most notable has been his work with modifier cues, adduction, matching to sample, mimicry, and counting. The latter two projects: teaching dogs to mimic or imitate other dogs, and to learn the concept of counting are in the process of being prepared for scientific publication. During our conversation, we discussed: :: How Ken got started in animal training "way back when" :: Tips on what we can do if we want to be just like him when we grow up :: Update on his new hands-on training center… The Ranch! For complete show notes, visit: http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast

We talk about classical conditioning in dog training circles a lot, and I've been hearing the term CER more and more frequently in larger conversations, which is AWESOME. Most people know that classical conditioning is one form of associative learning that makes up part of what we call learning theory. And most recognize the name Pavlov, and know that he did some experiments a long time ago that involved some bells and some food and some drooling dogs. But I think we can do a little bit better, because I am a big believer that the more we understand about a process, the better equipped we are to use that process to our advantage (lest it be used against us). We can build a Conditioned Emotional Response to some, initially meaningless, stimulus or event, by pairing it with something that the dog already has a response to. And that is how the clicker or other event marker is conditioned. The click starts out as just some meaningless noise. Then by pairing it with food. The click starts to initiate food-like responses. And the more this happens, the stronger the response. But what if the event or stimulus is not actually neutral... what if the dog already has some experience or association with that thing, and so it already has meaning (and what if it's a bad meaning). That's where counter conditioning comes in.

We've all seen and experienced displacement behavior... but what does that mean? Displacement behavior is most likely to be exhibited when you (or your dog) are faced with tough choices... conflicting sources of motivation. Should I stay or should I go? If it's an easy decision... maybe staying is super amazing and going is very sad, no problem! But if both decisions are fairly equivalent (on either a good or bad scale), then we feel tension. Displacement behaviors show up right in that spot. Scratching your head, chewing your nails... or scratching, sniffing, or personal grooming if you are a dog. These are all behaviors that serve a normal function in one context, but make no sense at all in others. When we see a normal behavior like that out of context, we are often looking at a displacement behavior. Noticing displacement behavior in your training sessions? Then we should look for sources of conflicting motivation and/or social tension. Addressing the source will go a LOT farther than addressing the displacement behavior directly.

#15 - "Force Lite" with Shade Whitesel by Hannah Branigan

If you've ever been guilty of overthinking your training, struggling with ring nerves, or generally freaking out about dog stuff… you'll definitely be interested in our guest this week - Andrea Harrison! Andrea describes herself as an educator who is passionate about all species, including both dogs AND humans! Having lived with dogs her whole life, Andrea was an early convert to positive training for people and dogs. She has years of experience working with all different kinds of people, and now specializes in helping dog trainers and sports competitors sharpen their mental game and reduce their own stress and anxiety so they can be the best teammate for their canine partners. Andrea teaches online classes through the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, that help trainers get their head in the game with good planning, coping strategies, and generally making the most of what you have. She also has a new ebook available called "Love the one you are (with)". We talk more about exactly what's in the book and why it matters in our conversation. For show notes, visit: http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/blog/podcast-14-conversation-andrea-harrison

Have you heard that positive reinforcement doesn't work? WAIT what? Of course, positive reinforcement works. It's pretty damn effective and we have decades of scientific evidence behind the concept. Positive Reinforcement isn't even a technique, it's a naturally occurring process. It's a naturally occurring process, like gravity. Operant conditioning is just a way of describing what is naturally occurring in the world. The concept of operant conditioning is that behavior is a function of consequences. Meaning, the strength of a behavior is dependent on the consequences that followed that behavior in the past. For show notes, visit: http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast

This week we are talking with Theresa Mckeon from TAGteach International. If you are in the dog training world, either professionally or as a hobby, and aren't familiar with TagTeach, you should definitely check it out. TagTeach is a really cool way of looking at teaching and learning. It's an approach that applies clicker training philosophy to teaching human learners. Like clicker training with animals, TagTeach facilitates learning by breaking skills down into pieces and giving instant and meaningful feedback, focusing on building behavior and reinforcement, rather than hassling about what not to do. Unlike clicker training with animals, TagTeach also encompasses using positive, and precise language to give clear instructions… but of course, we already know you don't have to speak the same language as your learner to teach them. And that's one of the things that I think is so cool… TagTeach techniques work beautifully even when the teacher and student can't speak the same language at all… I mean literally… like if one is from Finland and the other is Turkish. Or other countries… either way. When the behavior that is being taught is broken down into such small pieces that the goal is completely black and white… either it was accomplished or not… then words don't matter as much, because both teacher and learner can tell if that goal has been accomplished. But of course, it's nice to have clear language to give instructions when you can. And when you do use words, it's super important to be clear and precise. That's one of the topics we discussed… which is particularly relevant for us, I think… because those of us who get very excited about our topics often have a habit of flooding the listener with words. Theresa calls it "passion talking", and I'm certainly guilty of that on a regular basis. We also talk a lot about the parallels between teaching animals and humans. And we discuss our opinions on the worst part about being a grown up. But first, I want to let you know that my new online mentorship program, Zero to CD is officially open for enrollment. Zero to CD is a comprehensive mentorship program designed to help positive trainers just like you earn their first competitive obedience title… even if they don't know the first thing about obedience. The program covers everything you need to know compete successfully in Novice-level obedience. Providing training, support, and accountability to keep you focused and on track. Humans need structure and reinforcement too! And this program aims to provide exactly that. Enrollment is limited, and the next round begins May 1. So if you'd like to find out more, visit: www.zerotocd.com For show notes for this episode, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast

Have you ever been trying to train a behavior, or maybe UNtrain a problem behavior, and after making a certain amount of progress... get totally stuck where you can't seem to move forward to the next step? Happens to me all the time. Well, hopefully not as often as it used to. But it definitely comes up. In this podcast, we talk about a strategy to apply when you find yourself stuck while training. Anytime we are trying to shape a behavior, and get trapped on a plateau of some intermediate step... and can't quite push past it to make progress again. http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/blog/podcast-11-what-do-when-you-get-stuck#.WOu2XxIrJsM

I've been spending some time lately pondering on how my use of language has changed… or even evolved somewhat in the area of dog training. It sounds like splitting hairs, but I do think the specific words that I use to talk about my training or to my students about their training… makes a difference. One of the words I've spent some time thinking about is "ignore" and how my use of the word has changed. By ignore, I mean when we deliberately, intentionally disregard a behavior. Ignoring is HARD for most trainers to swallow, and even harder to actually follow through on... and it can sometimes be an appropriate behavior management strategy, and sometimes it's not helpful at all! When shaping we are taught (correctly) to focus on one criteria at a time, and temporarily relax other criteria. For example, while focusing on speed, we may ignore errors of precision… *temporarily*, and that's key. Ignoring errors of precision can be quite painful for the type A, obsessive dog trainer, but gets easier with experience. And also it gets easier to tell when it's appropriate to ignore minor errors and trust that they'll come out in the wash.

This week we spend some time hanging out with Amy Cook, PhD. Amy is a fast-talking, tap-dancing, ultra-cool dog geek who teaches with me at the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy. Amy has been training dogs for over 20 years. She earned a PhD in Psychology from UC Berkeley. Her research focused on the dog-human relationship and its effect on the problem-solving strategies dogs employ. She is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant through the IAABC, and specializes in working with shy and fearful dogs. In this conversation we talked about: The importance of having empathy with your learner Considerations when working with humans as learners The importance of putting emotional state first, whether working with people or dogs (or both!) A number of other stream-of-consciousness dog training topics (as you do...) Get the show notes at: http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/blog/podcast-09-conversation-amy-cook#.WNo3ohIrL-Y

In this episode, I consider the term "distraction proofing", what it means, how I feel about it, and some considerations we should have when training with or for distractions. Before I started this episode, I didn't like the term "proofing", mostly because it's something I associate with errors and punishment. Ick. Not my thing. I prefer to focus on *building* behavior and keeping the success rate as high as possible and training as error-free as possible. So typical distraction proofing isn't usually part of that. But after some uncomfortable introspection, I admit I may have some room to keep the baby and only throw out the bathwater. I talk about where we should focus our energy, and how to approach distractions from a clicker training perspective, particularly the idea of using the distraction AS a cue itself. For more info, visit: http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/blog/podcast-08-using-distraction-cue#.WNBxBhIrLUY

Shade has the exceptional qualification of being one of the only trainers out there training and competing successfully in the sport at high levels and with excellent scores, all without using physical corrections! She has a creative, yet practical, approach to training, always keeping in mind what's best for the dog and for the relationship. We talked about: :: The challenges of training a traditional sport like Schutzhund/IPO :: How our mindsets have shifted into being more comfortable with mistakes (in dog training). :: The difference between a dog who's frozen in confusion and one who is simply responding to a different cue than the one you thought you had trained. :: What exactly Shade means when she talks about "toy play". For more visit: http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/blog/podcast-07-conversation-shade-whitesel#.WMc1MhIrKt8

Did you know Laurie Luck was my instructor when I went through the Karen Pryor Academy as a student? She was! In fact, she is largely to blame for my current situation, particularly my existence on social media and even this blog! Even after graduation, she just couldn't shake me. And here we are several years later, sharing a drink and talking about dogs. An entrepreneur and social media enthusiast, Laurie delights in sharing her knowledge and experience with dog owners across the country. She is committed to helping improve the lives of dogs through education of the humans at the end of the leash. Laurie's YouTube channel offers free dog training videos, and her blog details training experiences and ideas that every dog owner will find helpful. During this conversation we discuss: What's so hard about living a positive reinforcement lifestyle How being prepared for what might happen is usually the hardest part of that How societal pressure can interfere with even the best-laid training plans What training skills are necessary to jog safely with an on-leash Great Dane

This week we talk about why I consider myself a clicker trainer, what that even means, and what I do when I'm not actually clicking. http://www.wonderpupstraining.com

Today's topic is frustration. The inspiration for today's topic is brought to you by a combination of my personal life experience and a Dr. Susan Friedman of BehaviorWorks. In one of her excellent presentations at Clicker Expo, she mentioned: Happiness is a function of positive reinforcement Depression is a function of punishment and FRUSTRATION is a function of extinction. The first two are interesting, but the third really struck me. And so that is what this episode is about. Especially since I spend a lot of time thinking about frustration. And dealing with frustrated dogs and their frustrated handlers. And dealing with a frustrated child. And being frustrated myself. At this point, I should basically be an expert. http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/blog/podcast-04-relationship-between-frustration-and-extinction#.WKuolxIrKt8

Leslie McDevitt is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC) famous for her popular and powerful program Control Unleashed (often abbreviated as "CU"). Through her classes, seminars, books, and DVDs, Leslie helps dog owners and training instructors turn stress into confidence, and distraction into focus, using methods that are entirely based on positive reinforcement. Her Control Unleashed program is designed specifically to help dogs with "issues" learn how to relax focus and work off-leash reliably either stressful or stimulating situations. During this conversation we discuss: :: How Leslie got started in dogs and what led her to develop the Control Unleashed program. :: What really bugs her in the dog training world these days :: The importance of splitting behavior for both canine and human learners

So I got sucked in by some people who were Wrong on the Internet. Shaping is a training subject near and dear to my heart, so I can get a little worked up when falsehoods or misrepresentations get slung around. This episode is a bit of a soapbox yes, but also contains (I think) a few helpful tips. If you've struggled with shaping, maybe this will help. http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast

In our pilot episode of Drinking From the Toilet, I introduce myself and explain the goals for this podcast. It's short and sweet. Want to reinforce me for effort? (please?) Head over to iTunes and leave a review... preferably 5 stars. Thank you! Drinking From the Toilet A podcast by Hannah Branigan Episode 01 - Who am I? What am I doing? Why am I in this handbasket? In our pilot episode of Drinking From the Toilet, I introduce myself and explain the goals for this podcast. It's short and sweet. Want to reinforce me for effort? (please?) Head over to iTunes and leave a review... preferably 5 stars. Thank you! Mentioned in this episode: Wonderpups LLC (Hannah's company) Clicker Expo Karen Pryor Academy Fenzi Dog Sports Academy DVDs available through Tawzer: Obedience FUNdamentals FUNdamentals and Beyond http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast