… by Cathy Hughes
Operant conditioning made its major scientific debut in the 1920s, and clicker training was used for training many species of animals for commercial purposes as early as the 1940s. This thing called Click & Treat (C&T) is not a new concept.
Mountain View Dog Training has been using and teaching a C&T based method of dog training for several years. We are sold on this approach to training dogs for any task. This type of training meets the criteria for following sound operant conditioning theory with the emphasis on positive reinforcement. It is safe for both handler and dog. It is fun.
There is some confusion for new students of C&T, especially if they have been exposed to other methods of dog training in the past. Here are some common questions that we have fielded since initiating C&T at Mountain View- and their answers. Read the rest of this entry »
Obedience classes have gone through an amazing metamorphosis in the past two decades. Methods well grounded in the science of operant conditioning in general and positive reinforcement in particular are being used routinely in the training of service dogs and other “dogs with jobs.” A great number of obedience class instructors have embraced these methods and offer them to their students in all levels of training. The pet dog obedience classes may be where these changes are met with the most astonishment because many pet owners have not taken a basic dog obedience class since they adopted their last pup. In some cases this could be over 15 years ago. The leap from “traditional” forceful methods to positive reinforcement may be a bit much to swallow for these pet dog owners at first. The good news is that these changes are effective, safe and fun!