Kay Laurence - Learning About Dogs

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Living with dogs successfully requires us to have an awareness of behaviors that are "stuck" together. Often times it's a lack of understanding of chains and sequences that gets us into trouble.

Jump-sit= You can't get one without the other.
Bark-treat= A good way to reinforce a bark.
Slow to pick their head out of the gopher hole yet they come eventually= creates a slow come when called.

In this episode, Kay Laurence and Sue McGuire talk about life being surrounded by behavior chains. From blackbird mating calls to self-checkouts at the grocery store, we can be entertained or frustrated by these stuck together sequences.

Learning About Dogs

Katie Bartlett Equine Clicker Training article on sequences of behavior

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Our minds are spinning over the terminology we hear at behavior conferences and dog training seminars. 
We dog people LOVE naming things

• Start button behaviors 
• Decompression walks
• Consent
• Click fishing.....what??

In this episode of Learning About Dogs, Kay Laurence cautions trainers to avoid marketing and fancy terms and really look at the protocol behind a term. Is this of a benefit to the dog?

This episode looks at Click Fishing, Go ahead and take a guess of what that might mean exactly.

For online learning, workshops and articles go to Learning About Dogs.

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You enter ring at a venue, the routine starts, you look over at your dog and a sinking feeling starts. As you start to go through the exercises, your dog looks as if he has NO idea of what you cue.

You become frustrated, think you need to train harder, think your dog needs more practice and you begin to list off any number of possible reasons. All of them likely are quite valid or not.

Have you ever taught your dog to get used to you being silent? Using silence as part of a teaching program can provide clarity during the teaching process. It sounds like an oxymoron, but it is not.

In this episode of Learning About Dogs, Kay Laurence discusses how using silence is vital to the teaching process because cheerleading can "prop up behaviors" that have not really been learned.

For online learning, workshops and articles check out Learning About Dogs.

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Dogs are exquisite at knowing when a behavior they are doing needs to be slowed down, held or ended quickly. We as handlers need to be strong observers of when these behaviors happen naturally so that when we are requesting a dog to "hold their station" it's filled with understanding.

Back in the olden days, trainers were taught about the three D's--distance-duration-distraction. You can predict that any conversation with Kay Laurence of Learning About Dogs is going to toss out that old school mentality as irrelevant and quite possibly confusing to the learner.

Kay Laurence  of Learning About Dogs and Sue McGuire, an animal shelter Canine Behavior Program manager, start a two part series exploring duration.


 

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Our language fails us at times when we want to describe what we are seeking when teaching a dog to continue to do an activity.

"The use of the word duration is far too inadequate," says Kay Laurence of Learning About Dogs.

The episode continues the conversation about the lack of clarity and understanding impacts the learner's understanding when teaching them how to sustain an activity. The use of terminal behavior cues play a role.

Dogs are exquisite at knowing when a behavior they are doing needs to be slowed down, held or ended quickly. We as handlers need to be strong observers of when these behaviors happen naturally so that when we are requesting a dog to "hold their station" it's filled with understanding.  When we ask a dog to continue doing an activity also needs to be taught with clarity and understanding.

Per usual, Kay Laurence looks at this idea from an enlightening perspective.

For information on online courses and in person workshops check out Learning About Dogs.

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TAKL2020 is a blend of a study course and a mentoring program. You can follow either route or a combination through self-selecting and self-progress. This is an online course.

The course encourages self-directed learning and critical thinking developing a new mind-set that will project forward to every dog you share your life with in the future. There is very little space for branded training recipes, off the shelf solutions or quick-fixes.

The course is equally suited to someone who enjoys training with their own dog or a professional teacher and trainer with clients.

Learning About Dogs online course and start your journey to Geekland.

The Heartbeat of Geekland--blog post by Kay Laurence.

Other resources:
In Australia: Delight in Dogs

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Contingencies change behavior, reinforcers maintain or strengthen behavior.

Contingencies will include the environment, the space the dog feels is around them or not, any threats, what you are doing, what they have learned, their genetic traits, their early learning and of course …. you. All these elements can change, and because they change, the behavior changes.

In this episode, a deep discussion topic for sure, Kay Laurence of Learning About Dogs and Sue McGuire (forever the student) dive into contingencies that influence behavior. 

For interesting reading here is an article "Guidance is not dependence."

Learning About Dogs: List of courses available to students both in person and online learning.

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Are there signs your dog are showing that indicate to you as a handler to continue a training session? How about knowing when a break is needed to let the learner collect and rest? In this episode, Kay Laurence and Sue McGuire converse about ways to pace learning to suit the learner in front of you. "How the behavior is carried out is more important than the behavior itself," said trainer Chris Bond. This includes making sure the learning style suits the learner.
Learning About Dogs courses teach handlers to focus on the learner and how best to address their needs as you live life together.

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Skilled teaching by luring leaves a learner with a strong sense of achievement and a clean behavior with good understanding. Luring is by definition, the direct use of the reinforcer to elicit a behavior. The operative part of that sentence is the direct use of the reinforcer. In this, our second episode on the art of luring, Kay Laurence and Sue McGuire chat about how the use of luring with a "Cup on a Stick," can be is an excellent application of the luring protocol.

Learning About Dogs will be conducting a six week, online course starting May 8th, on
"The Skills of Luring."
The course sign up link is open.

Can we lure you into the world of luring? New Blog Post.

Here is a short video to tease you about the possibilities available to us when we are skilled and creative about luring.

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Luring is by definition, the direct use of the reinforcer to elicit a behavior. The operative part of that sentence is the direct use of the reinforcer. Luring has fallen out of favor with some in the dog training world by those who consider themselves "free shapers." Kay Laurence and Sue McGuire chat about how this protocol, like many others, is only as good as the skills of application.

Learning About Dogs will be conducting a six week, online course starting May 8th, on
"The Skills of Luring."
The course sign up link is open.

Here is a short video to tease you about the possibilities available to us when we are skilled and creative about luring.

New blog post : "My World of Luring."