Skinner’s Quadrants Series – Part II
Now that you have learned about Positive Punishment (Skinner’s Quadrants Series – Part I), lets looks at Negative Reinforcement. This term is a bit confusing if you haven’t heard it or seen it before (and even if you have!). Negative Reinforcement refers to two things: the removal of something something that will increase the frequency…
Skinner’s Quadrants Series – Part I
In general, there is a lot of confusion (even between professionals) as to what Skinner’s operant conditioning quadrants are all about. I am dedicating the next four blog posts to Skinner and the knowledge he contributed to learning theory. B.F. Skinner was a scientist who “believed that the best way to understand behavior is to…
Preparing for Your Group Class
I recently asked my audience what they’d like to learn more about. One of the responses I got was something I see very often on the internet: “How do I get my dog to calm down during our group class when I’m listening to the instructor?” The person who asked the question did not understand…
Guest Post: Why I Switched to Positive Training
Pamela Dennison (of Positive Motivation Dog Training – www.positivedogs.com) is a positive trainer who believes that “not only with aggressive dogs, but also with basic manners, agility and competition obedience behaviors that positive training actually takes less time than using punitive methods and the dogs retain them longer.” Here is her story on how she “crossed over”…
Dog Sports
Dog sports are almost as varied as human sports. Humans love to see their companions jump for joy or use their natural skills. Personally, I think dog sports are a great way to build a better bond with your dog – if your dog can handle it! While dog sports can be a great way…
I’m Asking the Audience!
I think it’s time to “Ask the Audience!” What do you all want to hear or learn about? Do you have a question for me? What does your dog do that bothers you or confuses you? Any general training questions? I also wanted to say “Thank You!” to all my followers. I hope you all…
Self-control Makes Dogs Impulsive
Ironic isn’t it? But it’s true. Check out this article, “In Self Control, Dogs are Only Human” by Stephanie Pappas. They made a study that compared dogs who had to stay in a down-stay to dogs that were crated while there was a distraction around. The dogs in the crate showed less impulsive behavior afterwards…