Yesterday I had the pleasure of watching a famous Dog Trainer on TV and what I saw did shock me.
Here is the case:
An elderly couple owns a sweet Maltese bitch who is anything but obedient. She created havoc when somebody comes to the door, ran out of the house when the front door was opened and did not take any notice of her owners commands.
The Dog Expert taught his clients to train their dog to come when called by giving her titbits as a reward. He instructed them to take all her toys away and treat her like a dog and not spoil her like grandparents should spoil their grandchildren.
When the expert and the tv team returned to their house to see what had been accomplished he found that matters had improved greatly.
The bitch now comes when called, she waits at the door and does not pull on the lead anymore so obviously his advice had been good and they had managed to follow his directions.
So what was it that send shivers down my spine?
During the interview the lady said:
"I give her a titbit every time she comes because I am afraid that if I do not she will notice and not come anymore."
Now being the Psychologist I am I know there is something seriously wrong with rewarding an animal every time it does as it has been told.
The rule for reward based training is this:
To build up a wanted response, reward very time the response is being shown.
Once the behavior has been learned reward only intermittently, i.e. once in three or four instances.
This reward schedule makes it less likely that the behavior will be unlearned again.
If you reward every time the behavior is more likely to become extinct when not rewarded any more.
But that was not what grabbed me.
It was the simple fact that her owner thinks her dog will only be obedient if she gets material rewards all the time.
This Lady obviously thinks so little of herself as a loving person that she wrongly assumes she can only reward her dog by feeding it.
She projects this lack of self confidence onto her dog which in turn enforces the unwanted canine behavior. She will never be sure of her dog's obedience because she thinks she needs an external help in the shape of titbits all the time.
What she and her bitch need to learn is that it is fun to be with Mummy and that Mummy is the most important person in the world, apart from Daddy of course AND that it is a great pleasure to come to Mummy when called.
Part of that pleasure can be getting a little something to eat once in a while but getting some food should not be the motivator for coming to Mummy and Daddy in the long run.
The mistake the Expert made was not to teach his clients how to be No I in their dog's life and thus teaching them to depend on external rewards.
The result is that the couple is still not in control of their dog's behavior because they have not convinced her to turn tot them for guidance and support. All she is looking for now is little pieces of meat, cheese or biscuit.
Teaching your pet good manners is greatly aided if you feed him titbits as rewards but in the long run your loving voice and touch should be enough to reward him for being a Good Dog.
Never forget to praise your dog when he has followed your wishes but don't rely on feeding him every time. You are his caretaker, you are his beloved person and you are NOT a biscuit producing machine.
Remember:
Your dog and you are a team and you are the person who is responsible. Your dog can only respect you and trust you if you respect yourself!
