description

There are many training techniques out in the world of dog training, and in your journey to become a dog trainer, you will be exposed to a lot of them! You need guiding principles that drive your training decisions, as there’s a lot out there to choose from! We all must know the basics of operant conditioning so we can understand what makes certain techniques effective, but being effective isn’t the only quality your chosen techniques should have! Each training choice you make carries with it emotional content for your canine learner (and your human learner, too!), and can help guide you to the use of effective techniques that are also kind and compassionate. Being an ethical trainer means looking at the whole picture! In this workshop, come learn how to think about operant conditioning through the way it feels to your learner, understand the “happy bucket” and the “yucky bucket,” and to let that help you navigate the sometimes confusing world of professional dog training methodology!

syllabus

• Conditioned Emotional Responses (CERs) in practice: definition, application, and limitations
• The basics of operant conditioning from a technical perspective: we’ll go over the definitions so you’re clear!
• The experience of operant conditioning from an emotional perspective: another way of looking at the model
• Prioritizing how your learner feels, to guide you through training techniques
• Unintentional negative emotions, and ways to avoid them
• The Humane Hierarchy as an additional guideline