Animal Communications
Rewards - How Humans Communicate With Dogs (continued)
(Or Why Dosen't He Understand What I Want???)
by Brenda Aloff
Again, timing is of the essence. The reward must coincide with the desired behavior. That moment must be pinpointed in time so your dog knows "which" of the activities he was involved in was the proper response to your command. Pinpointing the moment helps "make the connection". Food is the strongest and most effective. The key is to establish a schedule for reinforcement. In the Learning Phase reward every time. In the Practice Phase introduce a variable schedule. Continue to phase food out, eventually altogether. Then you can use food to reinforce only the most spectacular results. Don’t feed behavior you don’t like!
Reward Mark Be consistent and keep it short and sweet. “Yes” or “Wow” are good words to use. A clicker is also a great Reward Mark. You are literally pointing out an Event for the dog to Remember. So a RM is really a Memory Marker.
Behavior that is Reinforced will occur with more frequency and duration if your timing is good!
Verbal Praise can be delivered any time, anywhere, but you must have good timing. If you pair your verbal praise with food it will become more powerful, even when used without food.
Pats, petting or stroking is effective for some dogs. Most dogs enjoy physical attention. One problem is the reward takes place after the desired behavior, not right at the moment of the action. Also, for some dogs petting over stimulates and causes a loss of concentration.
Attention is something all dogs want to have from you. By acknowledging a behavior - any behavior - you have rewarded the dog. You can see this works for you and against you!
Play time and games while not immediate are very powerful. This type of reward allows you and your friend to have fun and be rowdy together, and leaves pleasant associations with training in his mind, and yours, too!
Corrections In order to achieve a change of behavior with a correction, timing is of the essence. If you watch dogs together, you will notice that if Punch even looks at Fletcher's bone, he growls at her. The bone is not the issue here, even thinking about the bone is enough to elicit action. You can use this very effective method as well. If Phideaux is a known "trash" offender, if he walks within a few steps of the trash and begins looking and air scenting - a verbal correction may be in order. A startle noise, or "No" let's Phideaux know that any trash-related activities are taboo!
No Reward Mark This is a word that is used to predict “No cookies for that behavior!” Dogs quickly pick up on the fact that after you say “Yes” a cookie is forthcoming, and after you say “Too bad” the cookies are withdrawn.
Rattle Can effective for startling a dog out of naughty behavior. Accompany with "No", and pup will get the idea. To be used with caution for inappropriate behavior, chewing, barking, etc. Not for the timid dog, or for the dog that "No" has an effect on.
Verbal Reprimands work well for many dogs. You don't need to be loud, but you do need to convey irritation and disapproval.
Physical Correction often does more harm than good. Instead of producing a confident sound-tempered dog it produces an unreliable and fearful dog. Fear will override every other emotion.
Patience is the key here, take the time to teach the right lesson, not undermine all of your efforts! You want to succeed with your relationship and so does your dog. You didn't get your pet to have a bad time. She wants to please you, too. If you are aligned with one another through communication, a successful and rewarding relationship will be yours!! © 1-12-1994 B. Aloff #794 Rev 2
Bibliography:
Barron's The Complete Book of Dog Care
Good Owners-Great Dogs by Brian Kilcommons
How to Housebreak your Dog in Seven Days by Shirlee Kalstone
Know Your Dog by Bruce Fogle, DVM
The Body Language and Emotion of Dogs by Myrna M. Milani, DVM
© 1994 B. Aloff #1594 Rev 0, 2-06-94
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