In this episode we discuss what makes training alone so hard, obstacles and challenges, what is GOOD about training by yourself (it's not all doom and gloom!), some ideas for motivating yourself, tracking progress and staying on track. For full

#19: Making Time to Train Your Own Dogs

1 Jun 13th, 2017 18m 8s

Ever feel like life gets away from you and you just don't have time to train? Me too. All. The. Time. It's a super common problem we all face. Professional trainer or avid amateur, we all have constant demands on our time and attention that mak

#17 - Debugging your counter conditioning

May 31st, 2017 31m 14s

We talk about classical conditioning in dog training circles a lot, and I’ve been hearing the term CER more and more frequently in larger conversations, which is AWESOME. Most people know that classical conditioning is one form of associative l

#13 - The Nature of Reinforcement

1 May 4th, 2017 18m 38s

Have you heard that positive reinforcement doesn't work? WAIT what? Of course, positive reinforcement works. It’s pretty damn effective and we have decades of scientific evidence behind the concept. Positive Reinforcement isn’t even a technique

#184: What's Wrong with "Drilling"?

Feb 28th, 2024 34m 23s

In this episode we dig into the concept of drilling, and how it applies in dog training. It’s pretty common for most of us to have an emotional response just to the term itself - for good reason! But is there any baby in this bathwater? In this

#183: Demand Barking, Part 3, with Kiki Yablon

Feb 12th, 2024 2h 1m

In this episode, we discuss the history behind Kiki’s master’s thesis project, Signaled Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior to Address Excessive Vocalization in Dogs, what gave her the idea - the case of the dog barking when guests are

#182: Demand Barking, Part 2

Feb 2nd, 2024 46m 3s

In this episode, we discuss using concepts around stimulus control to stop demand barking before it stops, how cues create expectations of what reinforcement is available, using naturally occurring events that are already built into your routin

#181: Demand Barking, Part 1

Jan 18th, 2024 44m 49s

In this episode, we are talking about Demand Barking. This is a three-part series, at least for now. For the first two episodes, I’ll be sharing my thoughts and what I’ve learned about working with dogs that “demand” bark. And then for the 3rd

#180: Building Food Drive and Nuanced Reinforcement with Ashlee Osborn

Oct 19th, 2023 1h 41m

In this episode we discuss the importance of getting really, really good at working with reinforcement, how the topic of reinforcement and using it in training is FAR more nuanced than most trainers recognize, food is probably the most convenie

#179: More Strategies to Reduce Errors

Oct 5th, 2023 41m 3s

In the last episode, we talked about what errorless learning really means. And I shared a few strategies that might make it easier to apply in your training. Of course, the major benefit to using errorless learning concepts in your training is

#178: How to Apply Errorless Learning Principles in Practical Training Sessions

Jul 21st, 2023 41m 36s

In his 1968 book, The Technology of Teaching, B.F. Skinner wrote: Errors are not a function of learning or vice-versa nor are they blamed on the learner. Errors are a function of poor analysis of behavior, a poorly designed shaping program, mov

#177: Dr. Clive Wynne Says Some Controversial Things About Dominance

Jun 23rd, 2023 1h 26m

In this episode, we discuss what is the ethological definition of dominance?, how does dominance show up in behavior?, how might dominance be relevant in dog training?, differences in dog-dog vs dog-human relationships, and does dominance requi

#176: Taking Short Cuts with Stimulus-Stimulus Pairing with Kiki Yablon

Jun 6th, 2023 1h 48m

In this episode, we discuss what is stimulus-stimulus pairing and how it works?, what is a “classically conditioned recall” and why might we consider calling it something different, revisiting the differences and interplay between operant and c

#175: Over the Top - High Arousal in Dogs

May 19th, 2023 1h 12m

In this episode, we discuss what is arousal?, how does arousal show up in our training?, how does arousal affect both people and dogs?, how arousal affects reinforcers, and “eating as behavior” and how to build functional food drive with a dog

#174: Families with Dogs and Kids with Jennifer Shryock

Apr 26th, 2023 1h 12m

In this episode, we discuss the most important thing for dog professionals to know about working with families, the importance of understanding developmental milestones, working with and setting expectations, finding ways for children to safely

#173: Dealing with Problem Behaviors - Using Alternate Behaviors

Mar 2nd, 2023 50m 44s

In this episode, we discuss that the first step to dealing with a problem behavior is to identify the function, figuring out a plan to control access if possible and practical, if that reinforcer is not practical to work with, identifying a sub

#172: How to Tell That Your Classical Conditioning Plan is Working

Feb 14th, 2023 25m 45s

When we pair two stimuli together as part of a classical conditioning training plan, it can sometimes be hard to determine when the association has been made between the old stimulus and the new stimulus… the “food” and the “bell”, to draw from

#171: Maintenance Mode

Feb 6th, 2023 33m 56s

In this episode, we discuss, when you might outsource maintenance to the environment?, functional difference between intrinsic and extrinsic reinforcers in maintaining behaviors, how easy it is for behaviors to start slipping before we notice,

#170: How To Avoid Too Much Drilling

Jan 26th, 2023 40m 41s

In this episode, we discuss tradeoffs when using systematic “drills” to isolate specific aspects of an exercise, drills help us isolate specific aspects of an exercise and give us the advantage of Deliberate Practice for expertise, what is mean

#169: Advocating For Your Dog with Erin Moore

Jan 9th, 2023 1h 53m

In this episode, we discuss what inspired Erin’s Tiktok, what advocating for our dogs even means, why does it matter?, what gets in the way?, how does trauma affect our ability to advocate?, what societal factors may be in play?, and how can we

#168: Things That Are Saving My Life Right Now

Dec 14th, 2022 51m 17s

In this episode, we discuss why everything is hard (just kidding, no answers here. Why IS everything so hard?); behaviors, routines, and material acquisitions that are helping take the edge off; behaviors that reduce my daily annoyance level an

#167: What is Ethics About and Why Should We Care?

Dec 5th, 2022 2h 3m

In this episode, we discuss what are “ethics” and why should we care?, can we answer the question “am I a good person?, how can we measure welfare?, the five freedoms/five domains of welfare, every animal has right to freedom from, hunger, thir

#166: Why is Shaping So Hard?, Pt. 2

Nov 16th, 2022 46m 32s

In this episode, we discuss why we often consider shaping to be an advanced technique, why I think it doesn’t have to/shouldn’t be that way, why I think how many of us first learned about shaping is contributing to the problem, how the expectat

#165: Why is Shaping So Hard?, Pt. 1

Oct 10th, 2022 40m 36s

#164: Play & Aggression with Karen London

Sep 7th, 2022 1h 43m

In this episode, we discuss what could aggression possibly have to do with play?, the importance of engaging in play for behavioral wellness, what do we mean when we are talking about play in this context?, and how Karen incorporates play into