19/07/2022
REACTIVE BEHAVIOUR - THE ARRANGEMENT OF LEARNING SETTINGS
Behaviour is affected by the environment, we all know that, right?
But how seriously should we take that insight, and with whom should we apply it?
Working with reactive behaviour is far from simple or easy. Both for regular owners and professionals like myself.
There are so many things to consider, so many factors to control, and so many possible challenges to overcome.
But even then, with all that, we can still achieve a positive result, and more often than not, achieve what we had in mind initially as “the final destination”.
But that requires a lot…
And one of the things that are required is making sure we can set up the needed training environment for Positive Learning to occur through the full process.
Both for the dog, AND the human.
- Yes, welcome to the reality, that both dog(s) and human(s) need to learn new skills, and there are no positive results if one of the parts “fails” to learn what’s needed.
So when we start a behaviour modification process, more often than not, our attention is mainly on the dog. Understanding how the dog responds to the environment, how the dog responds to the training exercises, and how the dog responds to the handling provided by the human (handler).
But then, very fast, we need to compare all that to the handler himself and the skills (or lack of those) and make sure that both dog and human are on an upwards learning curve, parallel to each other, maintaining more or less the learning speed required so that things remain in balance and we are all going forward.
Arranging the learning settings, arranging them well, I mean, is very important for both dogs and humans. This will increase the success rate of each repetition of the exercise, which will then increase the success rate of each session, which will then increase the success rate of the process, which will then increase the probability of complete success by the end of the process.
By arranging these learning settings, we will also lower stress levels, both for the dog and human, which, again, will raise the probabilities of success, and build as well those positive associations with such experiences (for both human and dog) and that, those positive associations accumulating through time, will have a massive impact on the process.
Now, the reality of this is that sometimes you, myself, or whoever is in control of the process, will need to think outside the box. Will need to consider and maybe even change plans at any point in time to achieve the correct learning settings to make sure that the process is moving forward, and we are achieving the results we want to achieve.
Regardless of what you want to teach your dog, or the behaviour you would like to improve or change completely, make sure the learning settings are correctly arranged, through time, so that the success rate is high enough to have the impact you are looking for, and as a result, achieve the final goal.
One of the most common mistakes I see when others try to deal with behaviour problems in dogs is the lack of awareness regarding this topic, so I hope this article will bring some light to this.
Thank you for reading!
- I would like also to thank Stef Brennan for the amazing photos. If you do not know Stef, then have a look at her website at www.stefbrennan.com/ or her FB page Stef Brennan Photography. Stef is a Photographer specialising in Pet Photography and her work is something worth having a look at.
Thanks again, Ricardo Ministro
