by Mary Green
CPDT-KA: Certified Professional Dog Trainer Knowledge Assessed, CDBC: Certified Dog Behavior Counselor
CNWI: Certified Nose Work Instructor K9 Manners & More, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
How long has it been since you learned something new? Do you
remember the challenges you faced when you didn’t know what was expected of you? A good teacher will start simply and will gradually make the task more challenging. We learn the alphabet first, ABC. Then we learn how to create words with the letters. Words become sentences, sentences become paragraphs, and soon we are writing a novel!
Many things come easier to one person than to another. One might have artistic abilities while another is gifted athletically. When asked what is the most trainable or intelligent breed of dog, the answer I give is, “It depends.” One breed might be the premier sheepherding dogs in the world, but they can’t track like some others can. As you think about training your pup, think of what her strengths are and how they will align with the behavior you want.
Dogs learn new things in the same basic way we do. We can apply the ABCs to the way we teach our dog new things. Start simply, and build on success.
Changing Behavior Can Change Consequences
Dogs learn from consequences — desirable and undesirable. Desirable consequences lead to increases in the behavior. What seems desirable to the dog, however, might not be what is desirable to the humans. Overzealous greeting is a good example of this. You come home to a dog who has been cooped up for a while and is ready for action. She jumps up on you repeatedly, thus getting your attention. It’s desirable to the dog because she gets your attention. But it is not desirable to you!
What would you do to change the behavior (yours and the dog’s) to reach a compromise? Think about the ABCs. A is
an antecedent, i.e., being set up for success. Be prepared for a greeting by having a leash handy, and a few yummy treats can’t hurt. B is for behavior (yours and hers). Your behavior is to be calm and quiet. Her behavior is to keep her paws on the ground. C is the consequence — how we manipulate B.
The desirable consequence for you is that your dog doesn’t jump up on you, and the desirable consequence for her is that she gets your attention by having her paws on the ground and/or receiving yummy treats. She should learn quickly that her four-onthe-floor behavior will get her the favorable consequence. Once she keeps four paws on the ground, increase the challenge by asking her to sit before she receives attention and/or treats. When she understands that sitting results in attention, she should begin to offer that behavior automatically.
Many dogs enjoy chasing balls or discs, but sometimes they don’t return the toys. We can teach dogs to retrieve using the ABCs. What is the antecedent? Start with an eager dog, a safe place to practice, and a few toys. What’s the initial behavior we want? We want the dog to engage with the
toy. What’s the consequence of engaging with the toy? We toss another one!
I start this simple toss-and-catch game sitting on my living room floor. You can find a similar space if you have a small nonslip area to practice in. Show the toy to the dog, make a little toss toward her, and see if she can catch it. As soon as she makes an attempt, catch or not, toss a second toy. Using two toys can discourage her from running away with the toy once she gets it. When she is confident at catching a close toss, make it a bit more challenging by increasing the distance. Keep playing the game with two toys so she forms the habit of returning one toy to you each time.
Gradually Increase the Challenge
Teaching your dog tricks is fun and easy, keeping in mind the ABCs. Start simply, gradually adding challenge. The antecedent is always to set up for success by being prepared with your props, rewards, safe training space, etc. The behavior starts with a simple task and gradually becomes more challenging. The consequence is the reward or lack of reward. Break the trick down into very small steps. Reward each step as you increase the challenge until you end with the target behavior you wanted.
Even the dog pulling on a leash can improve when you use the ABCs. The antecedent might be equipment (tools) such as harness, leash, rewards, location, and plan of action. It also could be something like starting with a semitired dog. For the target behavior, think about what you want to accomplish. Start with the simplest step (which could be your dog standing still while on the leash). Then decide what steps you would take to reach the desired behavior — and to maintain it. The consequence could be that if the dog pulls, you stop; no pulling means you go.
