| Written by Jean Donaldson |
| Tuesday, 28 April 2009 09:04 |
When I first got into dog training, the mantra was “dogs are pack animals.” It was never questioned: dogs were strong bonding animals and fit into human families so well, sometimes to the point of developing bona fide disorders like separation anxiety. And a lot of behavior was deconstructed with social hierarchies in mind. Nobody examined what dogs do when they are not inserted into human families, i.e. are free-ranging. So a while ago I took a look at what is known about feral or semi-feral populations of dogs around the world. It turns out there are many such populations.
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| Last Updated on Monday, 08 June 2009 13:30 |
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| Written by Jean Donaldson |
| Wednesday, 29 October 2008 14:31 |
This is the use of negative reinforcement (removal of or increasing the distance of the unfamiliar person) to shape more desirable behavior in dogs who behave aggressively to strangers. I have not tried this and it doesn’t fall within my personal method constraints - I am philosophically opposed to the use of aversives in training, so for the same type of cases use differential reinforcement using positive reinforcement or desensitization and counterconditioning (D&C). I am asked several times a week what I think of it. I must therefore preface my comments with two enormous caveats:
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| Written by Jean Donaldson |
| Thursday, 11 September 2008 09:20 |
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It’s been pointed out to me and I’ve pointed it out to myself that the subtitle of The Culture Clash has the word “revolutionary” in it. The book actually makes a case for training using operant conditioning, a technology that’s been around for sixty years.
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| Last Updated on Friday, 19 December 2008 06:55 |
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| Written by Jean Donaldson |
| Tuesday, 11 December 2007 09:03 |
| Every morning I take Buffy to a beautiful off-leash area on San Francisco Bay. It has acres and acres of hiking trails and a fair density of small mammals like ground squirrels, field mice and jackrabbits. Not every dog chases critters but Buffy is among those who do. She’s never caught one, or even come close, but this in no way dampens her riotous enthusiasm. (If she ever starts getting close, incidentally, I’ll cut off her access.) |
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