I've discovered a couple of ways to explain certain concepts to my students
that result in visible light bulbs igniting over their heads. So I thought I'd
share them with those of you who teach, and ask for examples of similar
analogies you use that can help explain dog behavior and training concepts.

DOGS LIVE IN THE HERE AND NOW

You see your dog with your couch cushion in her mouth, the stuffing hanging
out. You call her, and she runs to you with the cushion still in her mouth.
What do you do?

Most students exclaim, "Kill her!" and everybody laughs.

Then I ask, "How many seconds do you have as a window for your dog to associate
your reaction to her behavior?" (I talk about this before I give the example.)
You can see the dawning lights as they murmur, "Three seconds. Oh, wow. I
just punished her for coming to me, right?"

VARIABLE SCHEDULE

Why will a person sit at a slot machine all night long, pulling that lever? If
every time you pulled the lever you got a jackpot, sure, you'd keep pulling.
But how much fun would it be? Would it be exciting or boring? The excitement
comes from never knowing when the expected jackpot will come. That's what
makes gambling an addiction - you know it's going to happen at some point, but
you never know when, so you're motivated to keep trying.

EXTINCTION BURST

This one I read somewhere, possibly here.

If every time you clapped your hands I gave you a $20 bill, what would you do?
("Keep clapping!") Right. What if I suddenly stopped giving you the money?
Would you give up right away? ("Not right away.") Nope, you'd think, "Hey,
this always worked before. Maybe if I clap harder. Or faster. Or closer to
your face." In other words, the behavior would get more intense as you tried
to get the same reaction from the same action. After a while, you'd realize
that it No Longer Works, and you'd stop. But... what if I give in before you
do, and hand you a $20 bill? What did I just reinforce? (Lights go on - "Oh,
that I just have to keep trying harder!")

By the way, I always get a kick out of it when students exclaim, "That's
exactly how I raised my kids!" I tell them, "See, you knew all along how to
train a dog." :}
I tell the moms that if they're at a loss for how to react to something their
dog does, to think what kind of child psychology they would use on a 2 year old
human. It will probably work on the dog.

PetsMart Pet Trainer
My Kids, My Students, My Life:
http://hometown.aol.com/dfrntdrums/m...age/index.html
Last updated June 27 at 10:00 a.m.