effective training methods

[snugglekitty]

Recently, 7j pointed me at this article, which I totally love.

What are your favorite ways of reinforcing or discouraging behavior in your pets, children, employees, subs?

Comments

[knot-frayed.livejournal.com]

I read that article several some time ago and was amazed at the simplicity and effectiveness. I am also amazed when I notice my own patience wearing thin and when I don't apply the principles - it is very clearly *not* a learning experience.

The two things I try to use in my daily life are praise for effort, and silence when encountering a negative.

I wish I were better about applying both, because I think they are wonderful tools.

My problem is not one of praise or corrective measures, but one of motivation. Herding cats would be so much easier when the proper reward is at the end of the trail.

[chienne-folle.livejournal.com]

You might want to read Don't Shoot the Dog!: The New Art of Teaching and Training by Karen Pryor. She's an animal trainer -- she trained dolphins for years -- and when she started training dogs, she was amazed at how badly much dog training was done. She's revolutionized dog training, using principles that have been understood by scientists for years but that somehow never trickled down to the people who could use them.

This book talks about the same thing that your article talks about, but in greater detail, giving more examples and explanations of how to do shaping. She knows a lot but believes it to be simple, and so it is.

The library probably has it.

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

I am also amazed when I notice my own patience wearing thin and when I don't apply the principles - it is very clearly *not* a learning experience.

Heh. Yep. I had been applying those principles to X situation for years. A new situation came along, and I didn't apply them, and saw the new situation, which had started off well, getting worse and worse. Gosh, was that enlightening!

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

Thanks, I will read it. :)

I've been hearing a lot about a new form of dog "training" which is supposedly all about showing the dog you're dominant, and uses a lot of "disciplining" without much positive reinforcement. Especially interesting, since apparently there's new research showing that our theories about the alpha wolf, which most of that stuff is based on, are hooey, and only play out in zoos where the animals aren't related.

If you're interested, I'll try to track down some links.

[chienne-folle.livejournal.com]

The "new" form you're describing is really the bad old methods in a new bottle. Some people who use them call themselves "dog whisperers." Yeah, right.

Recent research suggests that you get a dog out of a wolf in the same way that you get a human out of an ape -- through neoteny. A dog is a juvenile wolf for its whole life in the same way that humans are juvenile apes (which, imho, explains a hell of a lot about humans). But that means that since dogs are not, in fact, wolves, the relationship they expect from us is more along the lines of Mommy and Daddy and less along the lines of alpha wolf.

But Karen Pryor's book isn't about this; it's about animal training principles. I know you aren't interested in dogs.