-
Very nice instruction and good boy Ripple!
I have a couple thoughts: instead of focusing on rewarding him after a correction, I would suggest rewarding him while he is holding the command, especially as he is going to learn about higher levels of accountability. This will expedite the process and reinforce that the best way to receive rewards and avoid a correction is to hold the command…especially if he holds it during an intentional escalation in stimulus in an attempt to get him to break. This will help reinforce that impulse control that is so valuable.
If he only gets high value rewards after receiving a correction, it can cause side effects.
Of course, rewards can be faded off later, but…I actually like to continue variable reward schedules as dogs mature through their training. Even though a dog might be “finished” with their obedience, they still have a lot of generalization to do and so I like to take rewards with me when we go into new environments with variables that they may not be used to.
This way, they are not only receiving avoidance level punishment, but they are also receiving high value rewards for doing the right thing. It expedites the process and I think it’s fun. I like giving my dogs cookies tactically….or even better Premack principal!
With clients, it helps them maintain the proper attitude: that we don’t want to only tell the dog when they’re doing the wrong thing, especially when there are new variables.
I also like to keep in mind, especially for clients, that when there are new variables, the rate of human error increases, so I stress attitude and grace, making sure that we are all having a good time, and not just focusing on keeping the dog from doing things we don’t want them to do.
Anyway…I went off on a bit of a tangent….thank you for sharing this with us and giving your fellow nerds a chance to nerd out!
