The Four Stages of Learning

It is useful to think of learning as a sequence of 4 stages:

1. Acquisition (acquiring the behavior- what do you want me to do? Learning what to do and how to do it)
2. Fluency (the behavior is automatically performing the behavior in the context it was taught in)
3. Generalization (the dog can do the behavior in a variety of contexts and environments)
4. Maintenance (the behavior stays in the dog's repertoire through occasional tune-ups and refreshers, so the reward history of the behavior stays high enough over time to maintain it as something the dog wants to do).

After training the behavior, once you're past that stage, you'd test the fluency of a behavior by tracking the number of times the dog successfully performs the behavior in the environments in which it has been trained and practiced.  

Dogs don't generalize very well-- we tend to assume too much and think that just because a dog can perform a behavior well and consistently in the environments where he's been trained that he can also do it reliably and consistently in new environments.  This is an error on our part.  You'd be surprised what might seem REALLY different to your dog in a new environment with new distractions and smells that could easily throw him off his game.  Practicing in MANY different environments makes (over time) a dog that is more resilient to these changes and who will be able to generalize better.  I see many people teach their dog something at home, and go out into the world overconfident that the dog will perform in a new situation.  Don't be that person.  It's not fair to the dog.  Consider each new environment to be risky in terms of whether your dog can perform the behaviors you want-- remember, your dog is doing the best he can given the training you've given him and the environment you've now put him in.     

Even though your dog may know what to do and how to do it, you as the trainer must continually ensure that the behavior is maintained at an acceptable level of performance. This maintains the dog's motivation to continue to do the behavior correctly. How much reviewing and practicing is needed will depend on the dog.  My dogs have always loved doing what I call "training tune-ups" where we go through the many behaviors they know how to do.  You can see a look of smug confidence on their faces- they enjoy being good at this.  And they get rewarded.  I deposit enough rewards into their "behavior bank account" to keep them enthusiastic about wanting to work with me. 

#training 

WHAT BEHAVIOR MARKER SHOULD I USE?

 A behavior marker is a unique sound or word or visual (a flash of light, for example) that is used consistently to pair with a reward in order to tell the dog the precise moment it did something you liked-- and that a reward is coming now as a thank you for doing it. In other words, it is a tool that lets us communicate to our dog exactly WHY he's getting a reward. We know that behaviors that get rewarded will increase-- so let's make it crystal clear to our dog why he got the reward. This way of training is a great kindness to the learner (dog) because it reduces confusion.

Having a behavior marker let's us "shape" behavior that is tweaked and changed by us to achieve the final goal. The marker lets the dog know the exact part of the behavior that is about to be rewarded or reinforced.  Through its use, the dog is then “shaped” as we reward baby steps of progress toward our final goal. This allows us to "shape" even difficult behaviors. 

To understand the importance of marking, I borrow one of Karen Pryor’s excellent examples:  In teaching a dolphin to jump out of the water into the air, what good would it do to give him a fish after the jump?  He could think he is being reinforced for making a big splash, or for landing slightly harder on his right side.  But when the trainer blows a whistle while the dolphin is at the height of his jump, the dolphin quickly learns that jumping will earn whistles and fish!  With that established, later withholding a whistle for that same jump will result in momentary frustration for the dolphin, who will make an extra effort and give higher jumps, for which he will then be reinforced.  The dolphin can learn to jump on command without an event marker, but with less information to work from, the process will take much longer and will be more stressful for him.  Animals that are clicker trained quickly become "clicker savvy" and come to understand that when you withhold the click you're looking for something else, and they exaggerate the behavior or start offering something else.  So it is nuanced, and we need to be skilled with how we use this giving-or-withholding of the marker (and subsequent reward).  More on that another time.

You need to choose what you'll use as your behavior marker. The term "clicker training" came about when the science of operant finally made its way to the world of dog training in the late 80's (yes folks, I was training dogs even before that, back in the old days). Karen Pryor (one of my heroes) published a book called "Don't Shoot the Dog" that explained how operant conditioning works, and it revolutionized the dog training world. I was an early adopter, I'm proud to say.

A clicker is a little rectangular device you can use to make a distinctive "click" sound. Many of them come with a little hole in the end that you can loop a rubber band through, and you can wear it like a bracelet to keep it handy.  

Can you click distinctly with your tongue like a “giddy up horse” sound? I can imitate the sound of the clicker very well with my tongue, meaning I never have to worry about having a clicker in my hand.  Try it, see if you can do it. 

The timing of the click is very important, as you’ll soon see, so having a “clicker” always available in your mouth is great. If you cannot make this sound well, you can also choose another signal- but don’t choose a word like “yes” or “good” unless you’re committed to NOT using that word in regular conversation.  Why? Because the behavior marker (aka click) must be a unique sound that is only used when a reward is about to be delivered for the behavior that just occurred.  

Lastly, many dogs find the click of the actual physical clicker device to be too sharp of a sound for their sensitive ears if you click it near their head.  If you can find a bottle top from a Snapple or similar drink, it has a little nub in the center that you can easily press to make a more gentle click sound.  Or, you can put a bit of tape inside the edge of your physical clicker to mute the sound a bit.  I use my tongue-click, and only if I am working at a longer distance from my dog I will use a physical clicker for its louder volume.

So you need to choose a behavior marker.  I will use the word "click" in this blog when I refer to the behavior marker, but please know you can choose something else like "yahhhh"  or "si"  or "zip" or whatever word you want.

When you click, always follow within a few seconds with a reward.  Even if you made a mistake and clicked by accident-- you want to preserve the sacred relationship/association between that sound and a reward coming.

Remember that your marker is not a CUE-- it is not requesting a specific behavior, it is announcing the impending arrival of a nice reward. 

Behaviors to train in preparation for a move abroad

When we move to a new city with our dog it's helpful to have a repertoire of  already-trained skills under their belt in order to make the transition and the journey itself easier for all involved.  Here is a list of skills and behaviors that are worthy of your training efforts BEFORE you make the move:

crate training and noisy travel, being wheeled on a cart while inside the crate.   

riding politely and without fear in elevators

cafe skills (lying quietly under your chair for long periods of time, tolerating boredom, ignoring wait staff and other people who walk by, ignoring other dogs)

Walking by your side, not way out in front of you and never on a flexi leash! (urban environments).

Eliminating with a cue (permission to eliminate)

Walking on new surfaces (cobblestones, slippery floors, textured rubber mats)

Vet exam and handling skills

Remaining calm even though he can see another dog (ie, not automatically assuming it's ok to visit the other dog-- again, urban skills)

Fireworks, construction noise, loud beeps from moving vehicles, thunder and lightening, increased exposure to new sounds, 

Polite car travel, entering and exiting a car/van on cue, and waiting for that cue.

Laying on a mat on command (I think of this as "parking my dog" - we used a yellow dish towel, which is very portable and washable.  Having a reliable, long down-stay on this towel is helpful in many situations-- as is a reliable long down-stay in general.  Highly recommended.  I find in highly distracting (potentially confusing) environments that pulling out the familiar yellow dish towel almost serves as an anchor to reassure my dog that yes, I do want him on that spot.) 

Which skills might you want to work on with your dog next?  

Mommy Time

Tonight I was walking one of my three dogs down the street when a neighbor asked why I was only walking just one.  I explained that sometimes I just like to have some one-on-one time with each dog, because (aside from the fact that walking 3 dogs at once is a different experience than walking just one) it helps each dog keep a close bond with me and, I hope, lets each one know how special he or she is to me.

When you have a multi-dog household, keep in mind that they don't always have to do everything as a pack.  It's important to get them each out and train them individually, socialize them, and have that deep bonding time.

I call it "Mommy time".  I want each dog to have a certain amount of individual "Mommy time".  It's good for them, and it's good for me too.

Are you smarter than a border collie?

There's "caterpillar," "decoy," "tentacle," "bouncy" and, of course, "ball." If Chaser made a dictionary filled with all the words she knows, it would have many times the number that the average dog understands. The 6-year-old border collie boasts an astonishing vocabulary, and knows the names of 1,022 toys that she has been taught over the past three years.


Allison Reid and John Pilley, two psychologists at South Carolina's Wofford College, worked with Chaser in an intensive training program that included introducing new toy names one by one.

According to New Scientist, they tested her regularly to make sure she had retained the words — and she consistently did well. In total, the dog completed 838 of these tests over three years and never got fewer than 18 names right out of 20. She can also categorize them according to function and shape, something children learn to do around the age of 3.

Before Chaser, the dog who knew the most number of words was Rico, who trained at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. He had a "vocabulary" of 200.

"We wanted to see if there was a limit to the number of words a dog could understand, and if they could understand the name of an object rather than just respond to a command related to an object, such as fetch," Dr. Reid told the Daily Mail. "We're not saying this means dogs can learn language in the same way children do, but it does show they are capable of learning many more words than might have been thought."

Tug-A-Jugs

Whenever I find something really good, I'll share it with you. Well all my trainer friends are going nuts over this toy from Premier Pets. You put kibbles in the plastic jug part (the bottom unscrews for this) and your dog plays at getting them out.

This is a HIGH VALUE toy and you can use this to assist your training. Let's say, for example, you've been working on the "come" command. Your dog is used to getting a click and a treat for coming when called, but if you mix up the reward a bit and introduce something amazingly wonderful, you can plan to pull THIS out from under your jacket and give it to your dog to play with for a few minutes. Dogs love surprises.



Remember, your dog should not have constant access to all its toys all the time. That creates boredom. Get some good ones and save them to use as a reward. In order to "rev up their value" in the dog's eyes, introduce them the first time to your dog fully loaded with kibbles and a few smelly soft treats (a few bits of cheddar cheese, for example, or -- and use this very sparingly-- a few pieces of turkey hot dog ). Hold the toy and show it to your dog like it's the most prized possesion you've ever had. Act playful and happy and pretend to eat and nibble at the toy. Get that, "Oh boy, look what I'VE got!" look on your face. Run around the room with it and then let your dog smell it. Play with it together a bit, then once your dog loves it too, bring out another treat and trade your dog for the new toy (don't say "come" though-- don't ever say "come" and take your dog's toy away-- that makes you a Grinch). Now whisk it away and bring it out again when you want to reward a behavior.

Another example of using this kind of toy would be to give it to your dog when you put him into his crate and have to leave him alone for awhile (these are sturdy but if your dog is large and strong and is in the super chewy-destructive stage, don't leave any toy with him while he's unattended. You could be paying a vet to fish plastic out of his intestines, if you do!). Those of you who have dogs who get anxious when you leave can hide a few of these in the yard for your dog to find and interact with in your absence. (Stuffing and freezing some Natural Balance semi-moist dog food into a Kong toy is good for that, too).

You can get these Tug-A-Jugs in all sizes at Centinela in Redondo Beach. Pet Foods Market in Lunada Bay doesn't carry them, I checked (rats, because I love that store and want to support it). Petco in Rolling Hills has one small and two mediums in stock right now.

Good “café dog” manners

We just spent four magnificent days in Santa Barbara, and almost every meal was eaten outdoors at a lovely restaurant. The tables at these restaurants are very inviting to dog owners, and knowing that registration was open for my “Creating a Café Dog” intermediate training class, I was keen to notice examples of good and bad café dog behavior. Here’s what a I saw:

Owners clueless to their dog’s behavior
The owner was a young man very intent on his laptop screen, while his dog (on a flexi-lead no less!) was walking over to other tables and bothering the diners and their dogs. The owner was clueless to his dog’s location or behavior.

Dogs reacting in a loud and scary way to waiters or other dogs nearby
This dog barked so viciously that a child at a neighboring table started sobbing. The owner should have removed the dog immediately, but this was allowed to go on at least 3 times. This is a great way to get dogs banned from an outdoor restaurant. Sheesh.

Dogs getting wound around the chair and stepped on
Again, a clueless owner. This was a very small dog who looked terrified the whole time and got bumped and kicked around as chairs moved. If the dog is given enough leash to move around, and the owner is not paying attention, it can wind around the chair leg and as soon as the occupant of that chair scoots out, the dog is being dragged with the chair. This can actually be dangerous for a dog.

Dogs laying quietly, watching the action nearby
Yes, this is what we like to see. Non-reactive dogs who can chill out while Mom enjoys the best buckwheat blueberry pancakes this side of the Mississippi (at the East Beach Grill, on Cabrillo Ave., in Santa Barbara. OMG. To die for.)

Dogs positioned out of the traffic areas, under tables or chairs
I take credit for this one. In my class we’ll train our dogs to scoot under the chair (I had my Lab with me that morning) where they’re out of the way of the harried serving staff. As we got up to leave, the people at the table next to us gasped and said they had no idea we had a dog with us, she was so discreet.

Dogs who clearly get out in public a lot with their owners
This goes along with the good behaviors above—a dog has to get out in public a lot with its owner in order to develop the “ho hum, here we are again” attitude that makes a good café dog. The more your dog is out in public (assuming he’s not reactive) the better he’ll become at taking new and potentially scary or distracting things in stride. It’s like a behavior muscle that needs lots of repetitions. This became really evident as I was raising guide dogs and service dogs. Getting them exposed to the world and teaching them to behave appropriately in all kinds of public settings is extremely important and valuable. It’s a bit harder to do this with our own pet dogs but with some effort it’s very do-able.

My "Creating a Cafe Dog" training class will be offered again in the Fall. It's a series of 4 classes designed to create a dog with excellent manners in an outdoor cafe setting.

Exciting resource for my dog training students!

I'm excited! I'm always looking for great resources for my dog training students, because trying to absorb the information I'm giving them in the midst of a distracting class environment (with highly distracted dogs) can be really challenging. Being able to have a great resource at home to supplement what we're doing in class.

In the past I recommended Peggy Tillman's Clicking With Your Dog book. But I just finished reviewing a book + DVD package from Jean Donaldson that does the trick beautifully and is consistent with the way I teach. (Peggy's book contains many more behaviors, but doesn't contain a DVD, so I still think Peggy's book is great for my students too-- but if I had to recommend just one, this book/DVD set would be it).

It's called Train Your Dog Like a Pro by Jean Donaldson (who runs the Dog Training Academy at the San Francisco SPCA). The DVD is great, and provides a full 2 1/2 hours of training. Being able to SEE proper training modeled is extremely helpful, and I give this resource my mark of approval and will be recommending it to all of my students to augment my personal coaching that they receive in class.

Announcing my new dog training classes in Rolling Hills

My new dog training classes in Rolling Hills start April 20th, going for 6 weeks ($100.00 fee), starting at 6:30pm. Drop by the Petco store at Peninsula Center to sign up for lots of clicker training fun!

Where do dogs go when there is an evacuation?

People being evacuated to local high schools in S. Calif are told: "Small animals can be taken to the Sunland/Tujunga Recreation Center, the Northeast Animal Shelter, the Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control Shelter, the Pasadena Humane Society and the Baldwin Park Shelter."

THIS, my friends, is one of many reasons why you need to crate train your dogs. The shelters are already overflowing with homeless pets, and the last thing they need are evacuated pets too. Crate train your dogs and keep them safely in the car where you can care for them personally during an emergency evacuation.

Even in warm weather, you can keep your dogs safely crated with car windows and doors open. There is no way I would ever take my dogs to an animal shelter during an evacuation-- they're staying with me, thank you.

Dogs go through developmental stages

A friend of mine has a young pup who is entering a fear stage, and I was explaining what that's all about. I find this website to be a great and concise explanation of the various developmental stages our dogs go through. I highly recommend reading it (it's short!).

View it here.