Both my skills as a trainer and some of my philosophies have changed since I initially wrote this post, so as of September 2024 it has been updated to match what I actually did. Dog training can be so fun, but every dog is different and sometimes you need to change your approach halfway through.
First things first: did you read the prequel post? If you didn’t, then read it either right now or after you finish this post. If you are new to training puppies or have struggled with what to do when your puppy (or now adult dog) misbehaves, you need to read that post. It lays part of the foundation for general puppy training.
Dog Training 101
I started one post on training puppies and now I’m at three. Sorry, not sorry! I realized as I was writing the 5 Things post that we needed to go over how dog training actually works from a scientific standpoint. So I decided to go back and write this one.
Most modern dog training is based on the psychological principles of behavior modification: Classical conditioning and operant conditioning. AKA dog training is actually science.
In this post I’ll cover classical and operant conditioning as applied to dog training. And my very own concept: V.E.R.
Classical Conditioning – Pavlov in Modern Times
Almost everything new you teach a puppy (or an adult dog) involves associations. Pavlov’s dogs are probably one of the most famous examples of forming associations. He essentially trained dogs to drool when they heard a sound that they associated with food. This is also known as classical conditioning in the psychology world. Classical conditioning is the basis for marker training: using a sound (clicker or your voice) to mark that a reward is coming so the dog associates the sound with the reward.
Pavlov discovered that the key to forming the association between food and the sound was timing. The sound must be followed quickly by food in the early stages to complete the association between the two. Modern dog trainers have taken this element of classical conditioning and woven it into operant conditioning. The dog is conditioned to know that the marker sound means positive reinforcement (reward) – or that it means no reward is coming.
Positive and Negative Markers
Here’s how marker words work in real life:
You are teaching a puppy a new behavior, like sit, for example. You have a treat in your hand and you lure the puppy into a sit. As soon as the puppy is in the correct position, you click or use a positive marker word, then you give the treat. The puppy learns that the positive marker (either a click or a word) means that a reward is coming. They associate the sound with the reward. Common positive marker words are “yes”, “good”, “thank you”, etc.
After the puppy has successfully sat several times in a row, you can start adding the command and fading the lure. The puppy will begin to associate the command with the action to be performed. Once you start fading the lure and the puppy seems to understand that “sit” means sit, you can introduce the negative marker for refusal or incorrect performance. Typical negative markers are “uh uh”, “try again”, “wrong”, etc. Something that is not used a positive marker. Most puppies are pretty quick on the uptake, so it doesn’t take long for them to learn that the negative marker word means that they did it wrong (or not at all) and that the reward is not coming.
Negative Marker Words in Practice
Whether you want to admit it or not, you are correcting the puppy for incorrect behavior when you use a negative marker word. The video below is a real life example of a refused command, followed by a negative marker, then the attempted correct behavior. Watch it with sound if you want hear Eevee’s almost verbal refusal.
I stopped her when she took off on the negative marker word because that’s not what I wanted. Truly, I should have started walking toward her as soon as I said “wrong!” so that we could reset and try again. Whoops! Even the most experienced trainers make mistakes sometimes and I do not fall into that category.
Anyway, you can see that Eevee knew she had performed incorrectly and attempted to do what I asked. The negative marker word was associated with incorrect performance of the task. Full disclosure: I had a hard time not laughing her when she snorted at me. So much personality!
I hope you noticed that her attitude was completely unaffected by hearing the negative marker. My tone wasn’t positive, but it wasn’t scary mom voice either.
Terminal Markers
In addition to positive and negative markers, there are “terminal” markers. There are lots of different opinions on terminal markers, so I’m only going to explain how I use them, which is to end a set of repetitions.
Going back to the sit example: You work through several repetitions of successful sits. On the last one, you throw the reward and use a release word like “get it” or “free” to let the puppy know it’s ok to leave you and get the thrown reward. Most puppies love to chase things, so it’s fun for them and a temporary break from training.
I use terminal markers to build attention and motivation for the behavior. I use them for every third or fifth repetition and the reward is usually something more exciting than just a treat from my hand. Rocket gets jackpots/food bombs (lots of highly motivating food) on terminal markers, while Eevee gets to retrieve and/or tug. In my case, the terminal marker is used for a super fun brain break. You can be creative with these. Learn what your dog likes and build them in to keep the dog coming back for more.
Operant Conditioning in Dog Training
Operant conditioning seems to really confuse people. There is a significant portion of the population that thinks that positive reinforcement is the only way to go and that it should be used 100% of the time. This is impossible. Operant conditioning is made up of four quadrants: positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, and negative punishment. As shown in the graphic below, reinforcers increase the occurrence of a behavior and punishers decrease the occurrence of a behavior. The words “positive” and “negative” in operant conditioning really mean “to add” or “to remove/subtract”. Negative does not necessarily = bad in this context.
Shaping
Shaping is a great tool to have in your toolbox and is typically done using positive reinforcement. It is great for complex, compound, or difficult tasks. Shaping is teaching a behavior in small steps that build up to the final action. Hindquarter awareness is something you can shape. Start with your puppy directly in front of you. Lure them forward and reward when they voluntarily put their paws on a slightly elevated disc or small box. Then you can move to the left or the right around the disc/box, reward if the puppy rotates their rear end even slightly. Slowly build up the movement until they can rotate their rear all the way around the disc/box in both directions, with you always in front of them. Once they have it down, you can switch to having them in heel position. This is a great drill for teaching pivots – commonly used in Rally and in the Utility class for Obedience.
Shaping a Behavior Chain
I taught Eevee’s formal retrieve for competition obedience with shaping. The first step was teach her to hold her head up and be still. The second step was to put the dumbbell in her mouth for just a second, then release and reward. Step 3 was for her to hold the dumbbell without moving or chomping on it for just a little bit longer. The fourth step was to hold the dumbbell for longer and longer amounts of time without chomping or dropping. Step 5 was to work on picking the dumbbell up from the ground.
Eventually, we worked our way up to the full retrieve. The entire behavior chain for a formal retrieve includes:
- Sit in heel position,
- Wait for command to retrieve
- Watch/mark where the dumbbell lands
- Run to the bell in a straight line on command
- Pick up the dumbbell
- Turn around quickly and tightly
- Run back in a straight line
- Sit in front of me with the dumbbell in her mouth
- Release the dumbbell on command
- Return to heel position on command or signal
In the photo below, Eevee is working on Step 4 of the formal retrieve.
Counter-Conditioning in Dog Training
Counter-conditioning something, is the process of using classical conditioning to get the dog to respond positively to an aversive or unpleasant stimulus. A lot of obedience and field trainers use a method called “force fetch” to ensure that the dog ALWAYS retrieves, whether its birds, bumpers, or dumbbells. Force fetch involves counter-conditioning an ear pinch (the way I do it, it doesn’t hurt) or an electronic collar correction.
I did not end up force fetching Eevee, but I did counter-condition her to her prong collar. I started with holding the collar (unbuckled) up and luring her forward until it just touched her neck. Once she was in the correct position, I marked it and rewarded. Each step involved the collar touching more and more of her neck until it could be clasped. I also gave her a cue, “Are you ready?”
Now, anytime the prong collar comes out, she literally jumps into it!
The V.E.R. Concept
Now that you know how marker words, associations, shaping, and counter-conditioning work, let’s get into the nitty gritty of teaching new behaviors.
When I was writing the original version of this post, I was thinking about how a lot of training guidance focuses on the puppy’s brain, but not on the human’s. Dog training isn’t just about getting the dog to understand, humans need to understand how it works too. Then the V.E.R. concept just kind of hit me.
Many new puppy owners go into training knowing that they should be doing it, but not how. So, here is how you need to think about teaching new behaviors: The key is to start with a clear vision of the desired behavior. Then you execute that vision to achieve the desired behavior. Reward for proper execution. Vision. Execution. Reward.
V. for Vision
Your vision for any behavior is a clear picture of what you expect. This applies to teaching a new behavior and discouraging a bad behavior. To achieve desired results, you must know what you want. You cannot communicate clearly and execute your vision if you don’t know what you’re trying to teach. For example, when I teach a new puppy to lie down on command, I imagine a prompt, elbows-first down (AKA foldback or sphinx down). I only reward a foldback down, never a rear-first down. If I didn’t know exactly what I wanted, then I could end up rewarding a lot of sloppy downs.
Any time that I haven’t had a clear vision of what I wanted to teach, I’ve had issues. Either the behavior has been sloppy or I’ve had trouble communicating to the dog what I want. You must have a clear picture in your mind’s eye of what you want or you can’t properly execute the behavior. You might end up rewarding a behavior that you don’t want.
In dog training, especially for competition, it’s the littlest things that matter. The difference in a foldback down and rear-first down is speed and precision. Sometimes it can cost you points.
E. for Execution
The execution of teaching a new behavior is two-fold: you, the trainer, do something to show the puppy what you want and the puppy performs an action. As the dog advances, the execution on both sides should change. The trainer gets less involved and the dog becomes quicker and more precise with whatever behavior you are teaching. This could involve luring, shaping, physical guidance, etc. Or any combination of the previous.
In the very beginning stages, you’re probably luring the behavior that you want. Sit, down, and stand are all positions that you can lure in the beginning. Once the puppy starts anticipating where the lure is going, you can start changing the execution on your end. First, add the verbal command to the lure. After a few reps or sessions of adding the command, stop keeping food in your hand for every rep. Continue doing the same hand motion, just without the food.
If you are trying to discourage a bad behavior, then the execution for the trainer is a correction. The execution for the dog is stop doing to undesirable behavior. It’s that simple. Most corrections fall into the Positive Punishment quadrant, but that does NOT mean that all corrections are harsh or painful. Most of mine are just verbal, but if a verbal correction does not result in compliance, I will escalate until I get compliance. Again, escalation does not mean hurting the dog. It just means changing your method of communication until the dog understands.
R. for Reward
Depending on what you are trying to teach or discourage, the reward may be food, a toy, play, a release of pressure, or an end to a correction. For learning a new behavior, the reward is typically food, but may be play or a release of pressure. I personally like to mix rewards between food, tugging, retrieving, and playing with my dogs. Eevee in particular is very receptive – she sometimes prefers – to tugging/retrieving as a reward for proper execution over food.
Reward timing and placement is extremely important when teaching something new. Your positive marker needs to be immediately followed by the reward. Make sure the reward comes after the positive marker. If it doesn’t, the association won’t be properly formed. Reward placement (physical location of treat) is especially important for competition dogs. Bad reward placement leads to crooked sits and can make or break a good competition heel.
If you are shaping, make sure you reward each little piece and only move forward when the puppy understands the current step really well.
If you’re trying to discourage a bad behavior, the reward is the end of the correction. Counter surfing, for example, results in scary mom voice “NO!” coupled with a ruff correction. The reward in this scenario is a release of the correction. This is a big no-no in my house. You do not put your paws on my countertops.
Dog Training: It’s All About The Relationship
I know a lot of people think about dog training as a chore, but it shouldn’t be.
Dog training should be about building a relationship with your dog. It should be fun! Like I’ve said before, it can’t always be sunshine and rainbows, but the more effort you put into it, the less rainy days you’ll have. Training your dog is an ever-changing, never-ending adventure. This post and the previous ones are guides to building that relationship.
And… contrary to most of what you see on the internet, dogs thrive on structure. They want to understand their role in your life along with all of the do’s and don’ts that are part of it. I am firm, but fair with my dogs and I am not a treat machine, but if you ever met us there would no doubt whatsoever of our bond and our relationship.
Nothing builds your relationship with your dog like training.
