Drinking From the Toilet: Real dogs, Real training

In this episode, we explore strategies to achieve faster and more precise behaviors in dog training. I discuss how clarity, timing, and reinforcement techniques can improve your dog's response times, reduce hesitation, and build confidence. Tune in for practical tips to keep your training sessions clean and effective. Key Points: - Clear communication prevents slow or hesitant behaviors in dogs. - Reinforcement clarity is crucial, even when using a high rate of rewards. - Capturing and reinforcing the initial signs of a behavior leads to quicker responses. - Consistent timing with marker cues enhances behavior speed. - Minimizing duration requirements can accelerate behavior performance. For full show notes and transcript, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/187 This episode is supported by Patreon: www.patreon.com/DFTT

In this episode we discuss: Speed vs. Latency: Speed is how fast a behavior is completed from the time it starts. Latency is the response time, or the time elapsed between when the cue is perceived and when the behavior starts. Motivation: While motivation is essential, it is just one piece of the puzzle. Overemphasizing motivation can lead to frustration, which might not always yield the desired outcomes. Natural Behavior Efficiency: Given a stable training environment, behaviors naturally trend towards faster, more efficient performance over time. Training Environment: The importance of considering training conditions (e.g., environment, timing, footing) to ensure optimal speed without inducing frustration. Pay attention to when, where, and under what conditions your dog already moves faster For full show notes and transcript, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/186 This episode is supported by Patreon: www.patreon.com/DFTT

In this episode, we discuss the practice of avoiding situations as part (or all) of a training plan. Often avoiding certain situations can be an important strategy, helping to prevent mistakes and reduce stress for both the dog and the handler. But it’s usually not a long-term solution by itself and misconceptions about avoidance can result in teams getting stuck and unable to make progress. We also discuss: - Definition and role of avoidance in dog training. - Common client misunderstandings about avoidance. - Benefits of avoidance: preventing mistakes, reducing stress, and allowing time for skill development. - Challenges of avoidance: risk of over-reliance and restrictive lifestyle. - Practical applications - sometimes. - Long-term strategy: balancing avoidance with skill-building and controlled reintroduction. For full show notes and transcript, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/185 This episode is supported by Zero to CD: www.zerotocd.com

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 episode, we discuss that drilling is significant for skill acquisition in various contexts beyond dog training, our emotional responses to drilling are shaped by personal experiences and the nature of the activity, a good drill should isolate core components of skills for focused practice and efficiency, coercive drilling methods that ignore the learner’s needs lead to negative associations and even hinder learning, repetition alone is insufficient for learning; reinforcement and iterative adjustments are critical, deliberate practice involves observing, learning, and modifying activities based on feedback, mindless repetition without feedback and adjustment does not lead to improvement, continuous improvement requires proactive engagement and measured adjustments based on outcomes, and seeking help and guidance when progress stalls is essential for effective skill development. For full show notes and transcript, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/184 This podcast is supported by MET Conference 2024: www.metconference.com/

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 over, how training stay on a mat actually seems to have caused the problem, the new strategy - signalling that food will not be available when towel was hung up (“if this van’s a rocking”), a discussion of DRO w/o extinction, and does this strategy apply to other behaviors like demand whining? For full show notes and transcript, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/183 This podcast is supported by MET Conference 2024: www.metconference.com/

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 routine to signal when reinforcement is available and when it is not, overly-simplified reminders of including good dog household management, which you already know, but sometimes it’s good to hear it again, teaching the stand up-sit down game, and principles to apply these strategies in your own home. For full show notes and transcript, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/182 This podcast is supported by MET Conference 2024: www.metconference.com/

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 episode, we’ll talk to a guest on the subject! In this episode, we discuss how barking isn’t just one behavior, it’s actually a lot of different behaviors that we lump into one category, in order to figure out what to do about problematic barking, we need to know what the function of that behavior is, we discuss the emotional underpinnings of the behavior we often label “demand barking”, why that matters, and why I keep using air quotes around those words, why I’m no longer so invested in the most common advice, which is to ignore the dog, and we start getting into some other strategies to try out instead, like teaching a range of alternate behaviors that your dog can use to get their needs met - that you actively reinforce - that are not quite as annoying as being screamed at. For full show notes and transcript, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/181 This podcast is supported by MET Conference 2024: www.metconference.com/

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 convenient reinforcement but it does require specific conditioning and strategies to use effectively in training, Ashlee’s game, Clockwork - a fancy application of treat tossing that specifies where and when to toss for clients, and building motivation for food even when dogs are really just not into it. For full show notes, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/180 This podcast is supported by Zero to CD: www.zerotocd.com

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 the outcome of behaviors with a cleaner learning history and less emotional baggage. Of course, we don’t want attempts to avoid errors to mean we also avoid making progress. We still want to get where we’re going, just with fewer wrong turns. In this episode we discuss behavioral momentum, using behavioral momentum to avoid a lack of response to your cues (a common form of error), the importance of starting with low criteria and be in a position to raise that criteria quickly, rather than starting with an error and being forced to lower that criteria (Thanks, Bob Bailey!), examples from starting a heeling session, to working with distance on go outs, to teaching a pony to move forward on cue, using an indirect, “lateral” approach to selecting your criteria to avoid hammering on the most fragile aspect of a behavior you are trying to train, examples include teaching hold with duration (after breaking it), and working around emotionally-loaded challenges with heeling or loose-leash walking, and probably other things I forgot! For full show notes, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/179 This podcast is supported by Zero to CD: www.zerotocd.com

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, moving too fast from step to step in the program and the lack of the prerequisite behavior necessary for success in the program. - BF Skinner And that sounds great. It also sounds like a lot of pressure on the dog trainer. Never fear! In this episode, we discuss what errorless learning actually means and how to apply the principles in our real life training sessions. In this episode, we discuss the original research on errorless learning by Dr. H.S. Terrace form 1963, what is the difference between errorless training and trial-and-error trainings?, why we care about training with errors - what’s in it for us dog trainers?, designing our training sessions so that we don’t rely on extinction as a training tool, and in fact actively structure our sessions to minimize our dogs’ experience of extinction, strategies allow us to train more errorlessly (fading in discriminations - early and often, using back-chaining, even when shaping small behaviors, introducing a new element between the click and the treat, setting your minimum criteria to earn a click to behaviors your dog is doing frequently, and avoid raising criteria to something your dog has never done, or only done once). For full show notes, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/178 This podcast is supported by Patreon: www.patreon.com/DFTT

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 require aggression or punishment? For full show notes, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/177 This podcast is supported by Patreon: www.patreon.com/DFTT

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 classical conditioning, the difference between describing a procedure and describing a process, and lots and lots of examples of how to apply this concept in different training applications. For full show notes, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/176 This podcast is supported by Patreon: www.patreon.com/DFTT

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 that won’t eat. For full show notes and transcript, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/175 This podcast is supported by Control Unleashed Over the Top Workshop for High Arousal Dogs: www.cleanrun.com

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 participate in training, and the importance of providing support to families and especially mothers. For full show notes and transcript, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/174 This podcast is supported by Zero to CD: hannahbranigan.dog/z2cd/

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 substitute reinforcer that is as close as possible to the original, choosing your alternate behavior, strategies if you are teaching the alternate behavior from scratch, deciding if you’ll be using differential reinforcement, and if you are not planning to use differential reinforcement, planning to setup the environment for (mostly) errorless learning. For full show notes and transcript, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/173 This podcast is supported by MET Conference 2023: www.metconference.com/

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 a popular example. In this episode, I answer a question submitted by a patron with some ideas on what to look for to determine if that association is strong enough and it’s time to proceed to the next step. In this episode, we discuss quick review of conditioned emotional response, what happens when you pair a reinforcer with a stimulus in the environment, using this strategy to build a specific, positive CER in a training session, a recap of Lindsay Wood Brown’s work on resource guarding, and applying this strategy to stimulus-stimulus pairing with scent. For full show notes and transcript, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/172 This podcast is supported by MET Conference 2023: www.metconference.com/

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, one way to avoid or minimize that slippage is to design a rotation, start by grabbing some behaviors or exercises that matter to you, then give yourself a time frame to rotate through those behaviors (I usually use a 2 week block), and starting with your item at the top of the rotation for today (do a test run for the purposes of seeing where you’re at, identify either something that is weak now that you are looking at it OR a way you could do something differently, make yourself a little session to work on that thing). For full show notes and transcript, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/171 This podcast is supported by MET Conference 2023: www.metconference.com/

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 meant by “fun”?, play and fun often introduce more variability as well as a dialogue, strategies to protect myself from myself, using “play sandwiches” to break up a session, training overlapping skills in the same session, and using “different-but-not-harder” creatively for novelty and flexibility. For full show notes and transcript, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/170 This podcast is supported by MET Conference 2023: www.metconference.com/

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 support ourselves and each other? For full show notes and transcript, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/169 This podcast is supported by Karen Pryor Clicker Training's Brand-New On Cue! Training Treats: clickertraining.com/treats

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 and make it easier to enjoy my dogs (stationing/crating from a distance, putting their own collars on, picking up my ear buds when they fall, especially under furniture, Cavaletti, front and back paw targets); routines (nail trimmers on same hook as leashes, feeding out of slow feeders, Zoom training meetups); and material acquisitions (dry erase sleeves, pony jet, Bissel machine, slime flat tire machine). For full show notes and transcript, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/168 This podcast is supported by Karen Pryor Clicker Training's Brand-New On Cue! Training Treats: clickertraining.com/treats