As a dog trainer, I am working with changing behavior in the real world in dogs and humans. And also myself. Trying to understand and modify behavior as it's happening in the world... in animals and human learners. So much of animal training is based on anecdote and tradition, rather than on actual evidence and data. In this episode, we talk behavior analytic research with Jackie and Diana from ABA Inside Track. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/73 For info on our af...
Nov 02, 2018•34 min
If you are like me, you mostly train by yourself. And training by yourself definitely has some pros and cons. If you're also an introvert like me, that alone time with your dogs is the best part of your day. But it means we have to work a little harder to get feedback that is required to continually improve our training skills. This is where video is a handy training tool and we're talking about it on this episode. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/72 This episode is...
Oct 23, 2018•26 min
This week we talk about tugging and specifically what I did with my dog, Rugby, to build it. My terrier, Rugby, came straight out of the package with good food drive already installed. All I had to do was harness it. But getting him started with toys was a much harder process. I pretty much had to build his toy play from scratch in order to have anything useful to work with. It seems like a lot of trouble. Why even bother? Listen to this episode to find out. For full show notes, visit: www.wonde...
Oct 19, 2018•32 min
This particular episode is a little different topic, as it's really aimed mostly at those of you who work as professional trainers, especially if you own your own business. You see, Melissa's specialty is… well, it's marketing. I know, I know… as a dog trainer, I too am terrified of marketing. That's why I wanted to warn you, that this episode may feel a little intense, but Melissa has some interesting points. For full show notes, visit: wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/70 For info on our affiliat...
Oct 11, 2018•40 min
For no particular reason, this week's topic is Arousal. Now, get your mind out of the gutter. We're not talking about sex here. We're talking about behavior. But if you are a behavior nerd, the topic of arousal IS pretty sexy. For full show notes, visit: wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/69/ For info on our affiliate partner, visit: smartanimaltraining.com/?aff=95...
Oct 04, 2018•41 min
In this podcast, we're talking about how how cute, brilliant and nice smelling my new puppy, Figment, is (seriously what's is with that new puppy smell??). But, we're also talking about how much extra work a puppy can bringing - to life and to your training schedule. For full show notes, visit: wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/68/ For sponsor info, visit: smartanimaltraining.com/?aff=95...
Oct 01, 2018•31 min
Settling on a station, bed, or mat is one of the most important skills we can teach any dog. Why is it so important? Settling is the perfect alternate behavior to replace almost any annoying behavior your dog has thought of. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/67
Aug 29, 2018•24 min
Does shaping have anything to do with waiting? No. Actually - shaping has nothing to do with "waiting", and, if you find yourself waiting more than a few seconds for the dog to make a move in the right direction, you're probably doing something wrong. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/66
Aug 17, 2018•22 min
"All behavior is modifiable." - Karen Pryor On this episode, we discuss labels and how to avoid subscribing to them. Sure, you may be missing a few skills to complete your set, but skills can be learned. All behavior is modifiable. Even our own! For full show notes, visit: wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/65/ For information on my next virtual workshop, Set It and Forget it, visit: wonderpupstraining.com/pricing/set-i…get-it-08-22/...
Aug 07, 2018•24 min
This week we are exploring a major rabbit hole with special guest, Ken Ramirez (Executive Vice President and Chief Training Officer at Karen Pryor Clicker Training), and talking about concept training and teaching modifier cues. Very nerdy subjects indeed! For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/64 For sponsor info, visit: www.karenpryoracademy.com/toilet/...
Jul 18, 2018•49 min
Is training to increase duration of a behavior as simple as just waiting to reinforce longer responses? Maybe it's not so simple! In this episode, we discuss what we need to keep in mind when training for duration, and where to look if the training isn't going as planned. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/63 For sponsor info, visit: www.karenpryoracademy.com/toilet/...
Jul 11, 2018•28 min
This week, behavior nerd worlds collide as I chat with Ryan O'Donnell (AKA "RYANO") about changing human behavior as it relates to training. Basically, why and how we need to train humans to train dogs. It's sort of like training inception. Enter to win a free copy of The Science of Consequences: https://kingsumo.com/g/aiz0r7/the-science-of-consequences-dftt-podcast-giveaway For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/62 For sponsor info, visit: karenpryoracademy.com/toilet/...
Jul 03, 2018•1 hr 5 min
Life is easier when your dog is confident (or at least comfortable) around other people. But what if your dog isn't? Good news! There is a lot we can do in training to help build his confidence. In this episode, we cover my top 3 tips to keep in mind when working with dogs that act worried or lack confidence around people. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/61 For sponsor info, visit: karenpryoracademy.com/toilet/...
Jun 26, 2018•33 min
Dr. McConnell is an internationally known zoologist and a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist. In her career, she has worked with dogs with all kinds of serious behavior problems. She was also the host of the nationally syndicated Radio show "Calling All Pets", and she is a retired assistant professor of Zoology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is an amazing speaker… in fact, she was one of the first real dog seminars that I ever went to…possibly THE first if my memory is correct. So...
Jun 19, 2018•58 min
This week we talk to Alexandra Kurland about the topic of Balance in training. I asked Alex to talk about this, because the word Balance tend to have a particular usage in dog training circles, and that's not at all what Alex means when she says the word balance. Of course, Alex isn't a dog trainer. She's a phenomenally skilled horse trainer, who is responsible for introducing clicker training concepts to the horse world back in the 1990s with her first book Clicker Training for Your Horse. Even...
Jun 12, 2018•59 min
What exactly is "food drive"? It's a fuzzy term for sure, but what do we mean when we talk about a dog's food drive? Is it a fixed characteristic, or is there something we can do to influence it? (IMHO, there is a lot we can do!) Why do we care so much about food in dog training? Well, mostly because it's convenient! It's easy to dispense. We can carry it around in our collective pockets. And all healthy dogs eat food! (Because living animals eat food or they don't stay living for very long.) Bu...
Jun 06, 2018•39 min
This week we are going to tackle the topic of multiple event markers or specific reinforcement cues (both names for the same thing). This is a really hot topic on the internet right now, and lots of different trainers have their own recipes and systems. As usual, I want to go deeper than the recipes and look at what is actually happening with the behavior. Because when you understand how a particular system of cues (and they are all cues!) is applying the principles of behavior, then you can dec...
May 17, 2018•37 min
This week we are hanging out again with our Swedish dog training buddies, Emelie and Eva, of Carpe Momentum. And we are talking about the importance of defining, building, and maintaining our reinforcement procedures. During our conversation, Eva shares something that gets her a little worked up when she's talking about training. Of course, since these guys are the authors of the book Agility Right From the Start, the initial examples that we discuss are agility-focused but don't worry because t...
May 02, 2018•55 min
This week's topic is generalization. Before we jump into that, I want to give you a heads up that I am about to open up some spots in my Online Mentorship program: Zero to CD. For the full show notes or more info on Zero to CD, visit: https://wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/55/
Apr 23, 2018•26 min
Behavioral momentum applies the idea of momentum (from physics) to the realm of behavior. Same idea here - once you get something started, it's easier to keep it started. It works for trains, and it works for trainING, too! For full show notes, visit: https://wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/54/
Apr 17, 2018•23 min
Getting a puppy can be a bit of a crapshoot. What can we do to select the best puppy for our lifestyle and goals, and what can we do to optimize our training to help that puppy reach his potential? For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/53
Apr 09, 2018•42 min
The process of operationalization takes a fuzzy concept or construct, and makes it clear… so that we can talk about it, we can measure it, and we can have internet arguments and know that we are talking about the same thing. This is critical to dog training and animal behavior discussions where we are often using subjective terms to describe concepts like "enthusiasm" or "aggression". These concepts can have different meanings to different people, based on their culture, life experience and lear...
Apr 02, 2018•19 min
This week Laura Monaco Torelli and I talk about husbandry in the dog training world, and it turns out it's not ENTIRELY about teaching dogs to trim their own nails (though that could be part of it). During our conversation, we talked about exactly what "husbandry" means, and how we can work it into our training routines without a whole lot of effort and time commitment, we also talked about how she gets her pet clients to buy in and participate in husbandry training solutions, and a few other li...
Mar 12, 2018•1 hr 17 min
Can we even operationalize "frustration" in order to define "frustration tolerance"? What does that look like? How do we measure it? Can we, should we, expose a dog to frustration in training to teach them to tolerate frustration? For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/50
Mar 07, 2018•18 min
In this episode, we discuss what we mean by "offered" behavior, why it's useful to structure our training around having the dog volunteer behaviors off cue, and some practical tips and tricks to apply to our training sessions. As Emelie and Eva say, the more things we add into our training session, the more things there are to pay attention to. From where I'm sitting, that means the more things there are for me to screw up! For full show notes, please visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/49
Feb 26, 2018•1 hr 17 min
What are your training priorities? Join me as I discuss mine and why they're at the top of my list. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/48
Feb 19, 2018•42 min
How many different components go into accomplishing the smallest of tasks? In episode 47, we breakdown task analysis with Dr. Mallory Quinn, owner and founder of Applied Behavior Analysis Sports Innovations, and Theresa McKeon from TAGteach International. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/47
Feb 13, 2018•1 hr
In episode 46, we sit down with Andrea Harrison again to discuss the importance of using feedback. Andrea teaches online classes through the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, that help trainers get their head in the game with good planning, coping strategies, and generally making the most of what you have. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/46
Feb 05, 2018•53 min
In episode 45, Terrie Hayward joins me for a discussion about the obstacles and special skill-building needs that come with training a deaf dog. Terrie, M.Ed., CSAT, CPDT-KA, ACDBC, KPA-CTP is a Karen Pryor Academy Faculty Member. She has written several behavior and training articles for Bark's Magazine, Grooming Business, Deaf Dogs Rock, and KPA. Terrie owns PAW, LLC and regularly travels the globe to hone her training skills with a diverse group of animals. For full show notes, visit: https:/...
Jan 29, 2018•39 min
In this episode, we break down prompts and cues. How are they different? Where do you draw the line? Are some "good" and some "bad"? The words are used interchangeably in our everyday language, but let's see if we can unpack them a bit. For full show notes, visit: https://wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/44/
Jan 15, 2018•31 min
