Glasgowdogtrainer
Well-Known Member
So as we're not hijacking the thread on alpha rolling, I've posted this here. To clear up a few things-
Food can be a powerful reinforcer in animal training, but the animal has to be willing to work for it. For dogs who are food driven, I still ask the owners not to feed the dog on the morning they are coming to meet me for training as the dog will be hungry and will work for it's breakfast, this means they will get the most from their training session. If your dog isn't willing to work for food and it is not stress which is causing the lack of appetite, then yes, I'd say withholding a meal or two until your dog is willing to work for it's food is a good option. Your dog needs to eat, he won't starve himself, so offer the food until he is willing to work for it. You can still offer the food by all means, but if they're not willing to work for it I don't think the dog is hungry enough for it to be an effective motivator, and if it's not sufficiently motivating it can't be used as a reinforcer.
It's along the same lines as a dog who has crazy ball or tug toy drive. We should never satiate the dog with the ball or the tog toy, the dog must be willing to work for it. a dog who has been playing ball for 30 minutes non stop is less likely to work for the ball than a dog who only gets one or two throws every few minutes. a dolphin with a belly full of fish is less likely to work for food, so when using food we need to train when the animal is hungry. And I do understnad that a dog doesn't need to chase a ball to live, I've just used the example to illustrate a point.
Occasionally, clients will question it beforehand but i ask them to bear with me and when they see the result and their dog's much improved behaviour, they accept it.
The analogy I give is that you don't expect to be paid for sitting with your feet on the desk all day. Your dog's job is to be the dog you want it to be, whatever that is. They payment for that is their food and play. Giving your untrained, unruly, obnoxious dog food in a bowl every day, same time, day in day out is payment for no work. Once they are the dog you want them to be, whatever timescale that takes, they have earned their food in a bowl but it's my experience it's easier to help them on their way by paying them when they do something we like, as this is how they learn.
It's not closed minded when I was a traditional trainer, subscribed to pack theory, dominance and used many, heavy physical corrections, but have now rejected those training and husbandry options as I've learned ways which are as or more effective and don't require me to use physical force and hurt my dogs or my clients dogs.
Also, my training philosophy is about what is minimally aversive to the dog. If the dog isn't particular food motivated but is nuts about a ball or tuggy, I'll use the toy. If they don't like either food or toys, I'll use their acquirement to eat as a motivation to train. For me the question I always ask is "Is there a less aversive alternative?". Making a do a little hungry in order to train it so it has a happier life, yes, as an alternative to using a prong, shock collar, rattle bottle or spray can, I'll choose slight hunger every time.
Food can be a powerful reinforcer in animal training, but the animal has to be willing to work for it. For dogs who are food driven, I still ask the owners not to feed the dog on the morning they are coming to meet me for training as the dog will be hungry and will work for it's breakfast, this means they will get the most from their training session. If your dog isn't willing to work for food and it is not stress which is causing the lack of appetite, then yes, I'd say withholding a meal or two until your dog is willing to work for it's food is a good option. Your dog needs to eat, he won't starve himself, so offer the food until he is willing to work for it. You can still offer the food by all means, but if they're not willing to work for it I don't think the dog is hungry enough for it to be an effective motivator, and if it's not sufficiently motivating it can't be used as a reinforcer.
It's along the same lines as a dog who has crazy ball or tug toy drive. We should never satiate the dog with the ball or the tog toy, the dog must be willing to work for it. a dog who has been playing ball for 30 minutes non stop is less likely to work for the ball than a dog who only gets one or two throws every few minutes. a dolphin with a belly full of fish is less likely to work for food, so when using food we need to train when the animal is hungry. And I do understnad that a dog doesn't need to chase a ball to live, I've just used the example to illustrate a point.
Occasionally, clients will question it beforehand but i ask them to bear with me and when they see the result and their dog's much improved behaviour, they accept it.
The analogy I give is that you don't expect to be paid for sitting with your feet on the desk all day. Your dog's job is to be the dog you want it to be, whatever that is. They payment for that is their food and play. Giving your untrained, unruly, obnoxious dog food in a bowl every day, same time, day in day out is payment for no work. Once they are the dog you want them to be, whatever timescale that takes, they have earned their food in a bowl but it's my experience it's easier to help them on their way by paying them when they do something we like, as this is how they learn.
It's not closed minded when I was a traditional trainer, subscribed to pack theory, dominance and used many, heavy physical corrections, but have now rejected those training and husbandry options as I've learned ways which are as or more effective and don't require me to use physical force and hurt my dogs or my clients dogs.
Also, my training philosophy is about what is minimally aversive to the dog. If the dog isn't particular food motivated but is nuts about a ball or tuggy, I'll use the toy. If they don't like either food or toys, I'll use their acquirement to eat as a motivation to train. For me the question I always ask is "Is there a less aversive alternative?". Making a do a little hungry in order to train it so it has a happier life, yes, as an alternative to using a prong, shock collar, rattle bottle or spray can, I'll choose slight hunger every time.
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