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12. HOMEWORK |
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LEVEL ONE
DISCUSSION:
Well, I can't help you with your own hopes or plans, but I can
tell you that the Levels were designed to fill in the gaps in
training – things we forget to teach while we're going to
class, running around, and trying to keep the puppy from eating
our socks. And to organize our training. Humans are natural lumpers.
We think "This dog needs to learn a 60' retrieve over a kangaroo"
and we don't stop to think if the dog has ever MET a kangaroo,
or if the dog knows anything at all about retrieving. As you follow
one behaviour through all the Levels, I'm hoping it will help
you learn to split behaviours into smaller pieces. Now it's your
turn. |
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LEVEL TWO Handler describes, in writing, the four “legs” of operant conditioning, and the definition of “reinforcement” and “punishment”. DISCUSSION:
How do you find out these things? Do a search on the internet.
Talk about them on internet lists. Read about them in books. Why
do you want to find out about these things? Because a little background
knowledge (aside from being a dangerous thing) helps you understand
what you're doing. Helps you form training plans. Helps you communicate
with your dog in clearer language. Go for it. |
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Handler lists, in writing, ten reasons why a dog might not perform a required behaviour. DISCUSSION: One of the main things that marks a poor trainer is the constant desire to blame the dog for glitches in understand or performance. Warning phrases are "she's Dominant" (one of the "D" words), "she's Stubborn and Stupid" (both "S" words at once), "she's Bad" (one of the "B" words), and "she's Deliberately Blowing me off to Pay Me Back" (whee, a "D" word, a "B" phrase, and a phrase so ignorant as to not deserve a name). I left my students once for two weeks with this homework, and they came back with 152 reasons why a dog might not perform. |
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LEVEL FOUR Handler describes, in writing, 10 steps in shaping the dog to drop a dog dish in a basket. DISCUSSION:
Whether or not you ever plan on
teaching a dog to clean up the dog dishes after a meal, this is
excellent practise in splitting behaviours into easily-taught
bits. |
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LEVEL FIVE Handler lists, in writing, the three effective ways of getting behaviour, and list five behaviours that might be best suited for each. DISCUSSION:
Don't get crazy here, many behaviours
overlap. Correct answers are in the mind of the trainer! |
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LEVEL SIX Handler lists, in writing, the four worst behaviours of his/her own dog(s) and presents a written plan for eliminating or improving them. DISCUSSION:
In order to change annoying behaviour, you must a) notice it,
b) be annoyed enough to make it a priority, c) have a training
plan, and d) do the work. Here we're only asking for a) and c).
My own dogs do lots of annoying things, but if they annoyed me
enough to bother changing them, they'd have been changed. |
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LEVEL SEVEN Handler defines, in writing, default behaviour and describes how to achieve it, with examples. DISCUSSION:
We talk a lot about default behaviour, but what is it exactly?
While you're at it, what's it good for? |
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LEVEL TWO Handler describes, in writing, the four “legs” of operant conditioning, and the definition of “reinforcement” and “punishment”. "Reinforcement"
increases the chances of a behaviour happening again. More
counterintuitive language. "Positive", in behavioural
terms, has nothing to do with harsh and soft, or food, or good
and bad. "Positive" means something is ADDED to the
equation. "Negative" means something is taken away.
So the four legs of operant conditioning are: |
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LEVEL THREE Handler lists, in writing, ten reasons why a dog might not perform a required behaviour. 1. The dog might be ill or not feeling well (for instance, has to go outside). 2. The dog might not be trained to work in a distracting environment (for instance, hasn't been proofed for kids eating popcorn nearby). 3. The dog might not understand the cue ("She knows this!"). 4. The dog might not understand the trainer's body language or voice (trainer stands up straighter than usual or has a higher, faster voice because of stress). 5. The dog might be thrown off by the trainer's adrenalin or lack thereof (trainer smells different because of stress). 6. The dog might not hear or see the cue (glanced away, interfering noise, poor background). 7. The dog might not be physically able to obey the cue (can't jump because of hip dysplasia). 8. The dog might not be mentally able to obey the cue (can't down because another dog is screaming nearby). 9. The dog might not recognize the cue because it hasn't been generalized to the circumstance or location (Down? On grass? Outside? No, no – "Down" means lie down on the rug in the living room, facing west!). 10. The dog might not understand that there is a possibility of reward for the behaviour under the circumstances (No ticket, no laundry). 11. The dog might be afraid to perform the behaviour (dropping dish in basket makes a scary noise). 12. Another dog might be telling the dog not to perform the behaviour (can't retrieve out from under the nose of another dog). Keep going, there are 412 more correct answers! |
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LEVEL FOUR Handler describes, in writing, 10 steps in shaping the dog to drop a dog dish in a basket. Almost
impossible in only 10 steps, so make 10 a minimum number. We'll
begin with an assumption of a good, trained retrieve of any object
so far trained, with a cued release to hand. |
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LEVEL FIVE Handler lists, in writing, the three effective ways of getting behaviour, and list five behaviours that might be best suited for each. |
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LEVEL SIX Handler lists, in writing, the four worst behaviours of his/her own dog(s) and presents a written plan for eliminating or improving them. |
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LEVEL SEVEN Handler defines, in writing, default behaviour and describes how to achieve it, with examples. |
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