Dog Training

What does proofing behaviors mean anyway?

dogtrainingisfun — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:13:03 GMT

Note: This was written by a fellow trainer friend of mine.

This is the first entry in a series which will be dedicated to the issue of proofing behaviors. I hope that it will help my friends on their training journey working with their canine family member(s).

I plan on cross-posting in my dogster diary, on my website http://www.rewardingbehaviors.com and on Karen Pryor's site (view my previous blog entry It's not Click/Treat, it's Click THEN Treat! Mechanical Skills for Clicker Trainers). You may cross post, but please give credit to the author (Casey Lomonaco) and link back to her website (www.rewardingbehaviors.com) if you chose to do so.

What does proofing behaviors mean, anyway?

If I had a nickle for every time I heard, "but my dog knows how to sit at home!" I might become the world's wealthiest dog trainer. My response is generally, "if your dog knows how to sit, why isn't he doing it?"

It's a rhetorical question. I know exactly why, and you need to also if you want reliable behavioral responses to cues. (Because I'm a nice dog trainer, I'll give you a hint...your dog is not trying to be dominant, assert his authority, he is not "spiteful" or out to embarrass you, and he certainly doesn't want to cause you frustration or grief of any sort.)

So what is the answer? It revolves around two key terms...generalizing and proofing.

If you frequent any dog training communities or clubs, you'll often hear the statement, "dogs don't generalize well." What does this mean?

It means that "sit" in your kitchen doesn't equate with sitting on the sidewalk, in class, when your kids are running around screaming, or your Aunt Ida unexpectedly drops by for a visit.

"Generalizing" in behaviorspeak/jargon means, "the ability to respond to a discriminative stimuli (cue) regardless of environmental influences." (I'm sure there are better or more technical definitions, but for our purposes, this should do just fine.)

When I first attended clicker classes with my chow mix Mokie, my instructor (and now business partner, Abbie Tamber) really brought home the concept of what generalizing means. I was the student who said, "but my dogs knows how to *insert behavior here*..." and she said, 'Has she done it 5,000 times?''

She hadn't, and I said so. 5,000 times?! This woman must be insane. Abbie told me, "then she doesn't 'know' it!" I must admit, I was a bit disgruntled.

5,000 times? Seriously?!

Seriously. Some service dog organizations will cue specific behavior thousands of times (as many as 8,000 times) before they consider a dog sufficiently "proofed," at which time they will have enough confidence to assert "this dog knows the behavior."

The number of repititions is not set in stone, and is in fact somewhat arbitrary. Once your dog is able to generalize a few behaviors through these proofing criteria, you'll find that all subsequently taught behaviors tend to generalize more rapidly. In essence, your dog is learning to learn!

What is not arbitrary is the fact that for a behavior to be learned, it has to meet a number of criteria.

What are these criteria?

In short, they are:

* Distance
* Distraction
* Duration
* Precision
* Latency
* Speed

and in my book, Stimulus Control rounds out the septet of critical factors which will influence your dog's ability to fluently respond to your cues in any environment.

In the series, you can expect a separate entry on each of the proofing criteria. For this introduction, I will provide a quick definition of each. In the later entries, expect more detailed information on how to proof for these aspects of fluency.

Distance: Just because your dog can respond to a cue directly in front of you does not mean he will "generalize" that the cue is still valid when he is ten, fifty, or two hundred yards away from you. If you want fluent responses at a distance, you must teach your dog to do so.

Distractions: While your dog may recall to you in your kitchen, she may not recall to you if she is off leash and spots a squirrel, deer, other dog, or even a leaf blowing in the wind. If you want your dog to respond to your cues in the middle of a construction zone, the dog park, or the pet store, you must proof for distractions!

Duration: Does your dog respond to a "down" cue and then pop right back up to a standing or sitting position? If you want your dog to offer an extended down until released, you must build duration for the behavior.

Precision: What is your vision of the ideal behavior? Proofing behaviors for precision is a fairly advanced process. Are you participating in competition obedience and getting crooked sits? To get that straight sit that you are seeking, you must concentrate on proofing for precision.

Latency: Have you ever cued a dog for a behavior and then waited....and waited...and waited for a behavioral response? You say "sit" and what seems like ages later, your dog's bum hits the floor? Latency is the time lag between the cue delivery and the offering/initiation of a behavioral response from the dog. If you want your dog to sit as soon as you give the cue, you need to proof for latency!

Speed: The criteria of speed in relation to behavior is signified by the time lapse between when the animal starts the behavior and when the animal completes the behavior. Sometimes a student recalls a dog, and you see a dog walking back to them. If we need to pick up that speed, we must proof for it!

Stimulus Control: according to Karen Pryor, there are four fundamental aspects of stimulus control. They are as follows:

1) the dog offers the behavior in response to the cue
2) the dog does not offer some other behavior in response to the cue
3) the dog does not offer the behavior in the absence of the cue
4) the dog does not offer the behavior in response to another cue

I am hoping that this series of entries will help you all through the critical stages of proofing so that you know how to train any behavior your dog is performing to reliability in the environments and situations you and your canine will encounter.

If it all sounds impossible, relax. Not only is it possible, it's probable and even better...it's fun! Until the next entry in the series, happy clicking to you and your canines!

What's my dog doing?

dogtrainingisfun — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:36:21 GMT

This thread is there to help with our dog's behavior. This is stuff like humping, rubbing its rump on the floor, rubbing in the grass and things of that sort.

To start, I'll start with rubbing in the grass. This is a two-part behavior. The first one I'll cover is scent-oriented. The dog will sniff a certain area (sometimes you will see absolutely nothing) and then proceed to "dive" into the scent. Yes, the head comes first, then the body and they proceed to rub themselves all over the scent. Be assured that the dog considers this scent something awesome and special! This is usually the stinkiest scents they can find. If they haven't picked up a carcass of some unlucky critter, they will often times cover themselves with "eau de critter". This can also be scent of poo (like I said, you may not always see it). Be prepared to give your dog a bath (sorry poochies, you think you smell awesome!) afterwards!

The second one is pure pleasure (yes scents can be pure pleasure) but this one you will usually see after a great game! The dog will lie down, then flip over, tongue lolling out the side of the mouth, writhing back and forth in the grass as if scratching. VERY HAPPY DOG! Lady does this after playing frisbee. She'll do this, stand up, shake off and do it again.

What behaviors does your dog do that make you go, "huh"?

Your Dog Stories

dogtrainingisfun — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:19:50 GMT

Dogs can do the craziest and funniest things! Mindy has this goofy thing with my Pepsi bottles where whenever I am drinking one, she feels the need to dance, wave, sit, beg. If I'm drinking it, she will nudge it with her nose (yes, mom, I want THAT)! I admit that the family giggles (including me) and so the behavior persists. I usually milk it and get her to do more tricks so that by the time I'm finished, she can have the empty bottle (which is what she wants, anyway)!

There was also a time when my kids were having cheese for a snack. One of them left a slice of cheese on the side table (still don't know the culprit). I was watching TV and I saw Mindy give me a glance out of the side of my eye. I looked at her, smiled and then went back to my show. She jumped on the chair next to the side table and looked at me again. Again, I glanced at her and then back to my show. There was a flash of movement and when I looked over, there was a piece of cheese in her mouth and she was preparing to jump off of the chair to enjoy her treasure! I stood up with a gasp (she was standing on the chair still), preparing to dig that cheese out of her mouth. Once I stood up, the cheese (yes, the entire piece) dropped out of her mouth! I was so impressed, I picked up the cheese and she got it anyway! Lady, my shepherd would have probably choked trying to get it down the hatch as fast as possible once she saw me coming!

Homemade Training Treats

RottNDogs — Mon, 26 May 2008 16:47:26 GMT

Rottweiler-approved Grain Free Liver Biscotti (thanks to Tina Flowers for the yummy recipe and the inspiration to bake healthy goodies for my "kids")

Ingredients: (readily available at Giant)

1 pound (2 cups) liver - I use chicken liver
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups Garbanzo Bean flour (natural food section)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Puree liver with eggs in food processor.
Add pureed mixture to flour, stir in cheese, and mix well.

Turn out onto a cookie sheet covered with non-stick foil.
Bake 25 minutes (or until firm on top).
Remove from oven and cool.
Once cool, turn the dough over onto a cutting board and peel foil off of the back.
Cut with pizza cutter into the desired size (small squares are perfect for training treats).

For soft treats: refrigerate (good for up to a week) or freeze in desired portions.

For crunchy, biscotti-like treats: return the cut treats to the oven on cookie sheet. Bake at 150 degrees for 3 hours or until treats are hard and crunchy. Store at room temperature in sealed container.

*Home cooked treats are subject to mold faster than processed treats!! Freezing and defrosting small portions at a time make them last longer.

Play with the ingredients! Add oats, carrots, garlic, tarragon, zucchini, apples...anything safe and healthy that your dogs enjoy! HAVE FUN!

Pet Smart Bans Bully Breeds

dogtrainingisfun — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 01:41:53 GMT

PetSmart bans "bully breeds" from PetsHotel

Here is some additional contact information. To me, this is very
worrisome. It is just a step away from banning the listed breeds and
others from visiting the store and participating in training events.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. E-mail: CustomerCare@petsmart.com

2. Regular Mail:

PetSmart, Inc.
Attn: Customer Service
1435 International Drive
Eau Claire, WI 54701

3. Phone:

Toll-free: 1-888-839-9638 (U.S. Customers)
1-321-309-9065 (Customers Outside of the U.S.)
24 hours a day/7 days a week

This is from PetSmart's website, they are now banning "bully breeds" from their PetsHotel program, this includes their Doggy Day Care. They are not basing this on individual pets, but are discriminating... Read On:

Requirements

Who may attend?

Dogs at least five months of age
Dogs who have been socialized with
other dogs but are not of the "bully
breed" classification or wolves/wolf hybrids
Dogs who are in good health (no fleas, ticks, or contagious illnesses)
No intact (unneutered) male dogs, pregnant females or females in heat
Dogs who have the following vaccinations: Bordetella, Rabies, Distemper, Parainfluenza and Parvovirus

Dogs in the "bully breed" classification (e.g. American Pit Bull
Terriers, Miniature Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, American Bull Dogs, Bull Terriers or mixed breeds that have the appearance or characteristics of one of these breeds). For the safety of all animals and associates, and at the discretion of PetSmart, some pets may not be permitted.

Dog Body Language Seminar

dogtrainingisfun — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 11:33:15 GMT

On June 1, 2008 from 1-4pm at Pet HQ, I will be holding a dog body language seminar with pictures and videos from dogs from classes and privates, explaining what they are trying to communicate.

Most of you know that this is a subject that I am truly fascinated with as I train with positive reinforcement, but also using what the dog is communicating. I have always incorporated body language into classes when it presents itself as a learning tool. Dogs can communicate by using more than just their tails or barking as many of you who have come through my classes are aware. They can (and often do) communicate anger, stress, fear, joy and love. They can tell you to "chill out" if you are upset and "back off" when they are upset.

When we know what the dog is telling us, it adds to our bond with dogs and gives us a wonderful ability to "communicate" better with them, and honestly if you couldn't communicate with your human friends, you wouldn't be friends for too long. The same goes for our animal friends. They are often misunderstood and labeled with people terms such as "vindictive", or communication is misunderstood as "they know what they did wrong".

This seminar will be interactive for many of you given the chance to try your hand at what the dog is "telling us".

Pre-registration is required as space is limited.
Call Tammy to pre-register at (717) 228-7731.

Please do not bring dogs with you.

Cost is $50.00 and I accept checks, Visa, MC and Discover.

Preparing your dog for baby Seminar

dogtrainingisfun — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 11:06:31 GMT

On May 18th from 1-4pm at Pet HQ, I will be holding a seminar/class to prepare your dog for baby's arrival. So, if you are an expectant mother with dogs/cats or even a grandparent who is expecting a grandchild and you have dogs/cats, this is for you. There will be training tips and aids to help you navigate your way through pregnancy and ensure that you feel more secure when it is time to introduce the new bundle of joy to your furry legged friend.

Space is limited, so pre-registration is required.

Please do not bring dogs to this class.

Cost of the seminar/class is $50.00 per person and includes the "Preparing Fido" CD.
Payment is made with Tammy Sickles, CPDT (717) 228-7731 and can be check, Visa, MC or Discover.

Oprah's show on Puppy Mills

dogtrainingisfun — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:37:50 GMT

On Friday, April 11th, Oprah did a show on Puppy Mills. There was concerns on whether it would be fair to the good breeders. What do you think? Did you see it? Did you like it? I admit that I cried. I knew the reality before but it is distressing to see.

Goals for your dog

dogtrainingisfun — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 21:35:14 GMT

Do you have goals for your dog? If so, what are they and what steps are you taking to help you and your dog attain those goals? This can be small goals like having your dog do a "down" to wanting to compete with your dog and what you need to accomplish them. Remember, goals are positive oriented...My goal is to be smoke free (I do need to do that) compared to my goal is to not smoke anymore.

Welcome

dogtrainingisfun — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 21:00:24 GMT

I wanted to say welcome to everybody. I set this up on a trial basis for you to ask questions, get together (if you want to set up play dates and such) and such. I will check in from time to time to see how everything is going. In the meantime, enjoy. All topics and answers should be kept clean. Thanks to all of you!