Drinking From the Toilet: Real dogs, Real training

In episode 43, we go over some very important advice to take with you into the new year: don't try to do it all at once. Start small… as always, we are shaping behavior after behavior. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/43

We're rounding out 2017 by forecasting 2018. On this episode, I explore 5 key concepts for 2018 with Ryan Cartlidge, the founder of Animal Training Academy. For the full show notes, visit www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/42/

In episode 40, we discussed Motivating Operations. This week we are going to zoom in on a particular type of Conditioned Motivating Operations - the reflexive version, or CMO-R. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/41

This week…..well, I hope you'll bear with me. If you thought previous episodes were extraordinarily geeky, this one may set a new standard. For full show notes, visit: https://wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/40/

In dog training circles, motivation is - well - kind of a hot topic. It's a big concept and we care a lot about it because, of course, reinforcement drives behavior. So, it's worth spending some time unpacking, and this week I had the ridiculous good luck of unpacking it with Dr. Susan Friedman! For the full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/39

To be most effective in our shaping, we want to strive for continuous incremental progress. When we are doing it at our very best, we increment every rep, but in such small increments that the dog is always winning. Easier said than done! For the full show notes, visit: http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/38

Traditionally, we say that a reinforcer is something the learner wants. But it's not that simple. It's never simple is it? It's important to remember that reinforcement is a process defined by the results. For the full show notes, visit: http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/37

In this conversation, Lindsay Wood Brown and I attempt to unpack the concept of the Conditioned Emotional Response (CER) as applies to dog training. In addition to running through (and utterly confusing ourselves with) the terminology of the conditioned stimulus and unconditioned stimulus, etc, we also talk about practical application. For the full show notes, visit: https://wonderpupstraining.com...

Today's podcast guests, Elsa Blomster and Lena Gunnarson, are the authors of Retrieving for All Occasions, which is, in their own words, the kind of book they would have liked to read when their first dogs were puppies. This book dives into basic training for retrieving and flushing dogs and offers concrete advice for helping readers understand where the exercises lead. For full show notes, visit:...

In this episode, we talk about finding a balance between providing structure for our dogs and also letting them make choices. As usual with, this was a very REAL conversation. Unfiltered. Unedited. Sorry/not sorry. For full show notes, visit: https://wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/34/

Fluency is, in many ways, another word for mastery of a skill or behavior. Which is, of course, what we want for our learners. But there are a LOT of factors and moving parts that all have to work together to build that fluent behavior and that can be a lot to keep track of as a trainer. For complete show notes, visit: http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/blog/podcast-33-better-faster-stronger-fluenc...

In this episode, we also talk about the factors that can affect latency, and somethings to think about in your training if you want to improve the latency of your behaviors. For full show notes, visit: http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/blog/podcast-32-training-word-day-latency

This week we are sitting down with Emelie and Eva of Carpe Momentum (remember these guys from episode #23?) and talking about the idea of choice in our training session, and working with "Start Button" behaviors. For the full show notes, visit: http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/blog/podcast-31-start-button-behaviors-emelie-johnson-vegh-and-eva-bertilsson

How much information does the stimulus, or combination of stimuli, convey? The better the information, the more likely the brain is to attach it to an action. We pay attention to reliable information. Both dogs and humans! For the full show notes, visit: http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/blog/podcast-30-stimulus-control-freak

Am I the only one who has a deep love affair going on with whiteboards? If you can't relate to this obsession of mine- you might want to tune out. If whiteboards get you going, too, then by all means - tune in! For complete show notes, visit: http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/blog/podcast-29-whiteboard-love

This week through the magic of the internet, I got to talk with Swedish dog trainer, Fanny Gott and we discussed a rather hot topic in dog training circles - No Reward Marker. For the full show notes, visit: http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/blog/podcast-27-no-reward-markers-fanny-gott

This week I want to pick up where we left off last week talking about splitting, because one one of the things that helps me a lot when I think about how to split behavior and develop my training plan, is to consider the behavior in terms of a movement cycle. But in order for that to be helpful for you, you have to understand what a movement cycle is. For complete show notes, visit: http://www.won...

In this episode, we talk about where to look for "splits" when training a behavior. For the full show notes, visit: http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/blog/podcast-25-breaking-hard-do-splitting-committed-lumpers

Have you ever felt the pressure of getting a new puppy and felt totally frozen, not wanting to screw that puppy up? Me too. On this episode, we are diving into all the feelings of that pressure with Laura VanArendonk Baugh. In the end, you'll have real-life tips you can use to raise a fearless puppy! For the complete show notes, visit: http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/blog/podcast-24-raising-fear...

I hope you appreciate the several, unintended, Dr Who references in this episode. If that's not enough to keep your interest, you might want to unsubscribe (just kidding!). Listen on for more from Emelie and Eva (and me) on creating structure and flow in your training sessions and dealing with errors when they come up. For full show notes, visit :http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/blog/podcast-23-d...

So what exactly *is* stimulus control? We're pondering (and attempting to answer that) on this episode featuring Kathy Sdao. For show notes, visit: http://www.wonderpupstraining.com/blog/podcast-22-pondering-stimulus-control-kathy-sdao

Why plan at all when it could all change? Planning does the thinking and deciding in advance. It simplifies information, by acting as a filter… for you and for your clients. This episode goes in depth on why you should bother with training plans.

Founder of Smart Dog University and Faculty member at Karen Pryor Academy, Laurie chats with me about mistakes we made when first learning to teach people how to train their own dogs, why we really CAN teach pet owners to use a clicker successfully and how we break down the necessary skills to make good training accessible. Also- do scientific theories really matter? Tune in to find out!

Ever feel like life gets away from you and you just don't have time to train? Me too. All. The. Time. It's a super common problem we all face. Professional trainer or avid amateur, we all have constant demands on our time and attention that make it hard to make training a priority. In this episode, we'll talk about strategies to help us MAKE time to train, even when time is tight.

This week we got to hang out with The Ken Ramirez! (I know! Squeeeeee!) Ken is the Executive Vice-President and Chief Training Officer of Karen Pryor Clicker Training where he helps oversee the vision, development, and implementation of training education programs for the organization. With over 40+ years of experience in animal care and training, Ken is an accomplished author, biologist and anima...