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Training Philosophies |
Find Positive Ways to Motivate - Avoid Forcing a Behavior
Learn to identify the 'Highest Value' motivators for each animal, and use them to elicit desired behaviors quickly, gently and easily. These motivators differ from animal to animal. The more you positively interact with each animal, the more you develop a bond of trust. When an animal trusts you, they will attempt behaviors that they may be uncertain about. Be gentle and patient. Avoid the urge to force the animal to perform a behavior that he is not yet comfortable with. Gradually 'shape' these challenging new behaviors, using positive motivation. Eventually, your animal will astound you, with a behavior that you have been gently shaping. NOTE: An animal will learn a behavior when he learn its. Do not set unrealistic timelines.
Recognize and Use Non-verbal Information Provided to Us by Our Animals
Animals continuously provide us with information about their state of mind, via body language and visual cues. Begin each training session, by 'tuning in' to the animal's overall state of mind. Throughout the session, stay 'tuned in' to the interactive feedback provided by the animal in response to each interaction. Learn to recognize each feedback response from the animal, and to immediately provide an appropriate 'counter response'. Well-timed, appropriate 'counter response' is the key to successful training.
Training any behavior is an interactive process between the animal and trainer. The goal is to instantly recognize what the animal's feedback is, to determine an appropriate 'counter response' to provide, in order to elicit the behavior we desire from the animal. This interactive training process allows us to gradually 'shape' a desired behavior. Encourage and reinforce responses such as interest, joy, excitement, motivation, pride in feeling successful. Diminish responses such as reluctance, uncertainty, stress or fear. Develop a growing 'toolkit' of appropriate techniques to reinforce and diminish responses.
Keep a Log of Your Animal's Feedback to Help Resolve Difficult Behavioral Issues
Stay 'Tuned In' to your animal's state of mind over time. Keep a log of certain behaviors exhibited by an animal, that we don’t totally understand. The unusual behaviors that we observe over time, will eventually make sense, in a flash of inspiration. It may take years, to understand why a particular animal offers a behavior that appears to be resistance to training. If we are observant enough, and we journal the information as we observe it, we will see trends that will eventually answer the ‘why is my animal doing this?’ In the short term, it may be from fear, distrust, uncertainty, or it may be that the animal truly does not understanding what we are trying to teach. Never force an animal to do something. Use all of the clues provided by the animal and determine the root cause of the problem. Understanding this allows the trainer to work around resistance and maintain the animal’s trust.
Learn to identify the 'Highest Value' motivators for each animal, and use them to elicit desired behaviors quickly, gently and easily. These motivators differ from animal to animal. The more you positively interact with each animal, the more you develop a bond of trust. When an animal trusts you, they will attempt behaviors that they may be uncertain about. Be gentle and patient. Avoid the urge to force the animal to perform a behavior that he is not yet comfortable with. Gradually 'shape' these challenging new behaviors, using positive motivation. Eventually, your animal will astound you, with a behavior that you have been gently shaping. NOTE: An animal will learn a behavior when he learn its. Do not set unrealistic timelines.
Recognize and Use Non-verbal Information Provided to Us by Our Animals
Animals continuously provide us with information about their state of mind, via body language and visual cues. Begin each training session, by 'tuning in' to the animal's overall state of mind. Throughout the session, stay 'tuned in' to the interactive feedback provided by the animal in response to each interaction. Learn to recognize each feedback response from the animal, and to immediately provide an appropriate 'counter response'. Well-timed, appropriate 'counter response' is the key to successful training.
Training any behavior is an interactive process between the animal and trainer. The goal is to instantly recognize what the animal's feedback is, to determine an appropriate 'counter response' to provide, in order to elicit the behavior we desire from the animal. This interactive training process allows us to gradually 'shape' a desired behavior. Encourage and reinforce responses such as interest, joy, excitement, motivation, pride in feeling successful. Diminish responses such as reluctance, uncertainty, stress or fear. Develop a growing 'toolkit' of appropriate techniques to reinforce and diminish responses.
Keep a Log of Your Animal's Feedback to Help Resolve Difficult Behavioral Issues
Stay 'Tuned In' to your animal's state of mind over time. Keep a log of certain behaviors exhibited by an animal, that we don’t totally understand. The unusual behaviors that we observe over time, will eventually make sense, in a flash of inspiration. It may take years, to understand why a particular animal offers a behavior that appears to be resistance to training. If we are observant enough, and we journal the information as we observe it, we will see trends that will eventually answer the ‘why is my animal doing this?’ In the short term, it may be from fear, distrust, uncertainty, or it may be that the animal truly does not understanding what we are trying to teach. Never force an animal to do something. Use all of the clues provided by the animal and determine the root cause of the problem. Understanding this allows the trainer to work around resistance and maintain the animal’s trust.
