Balanced Dog Training: Does It Really Exist? #146
Shaped by Dog with Susan Garrett
DogsThat
4.8 • 679 Ratings
🗓️ 4 May 2022
⏱️ 24 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Visit us at shapedbydog.com
Does balanced dog training really exist? Being a balanced trainer is part of my background in dog training. In many discussions about dog training methods, you will frequently hear about the four quadrants, so I’m going over what those quadrants are and how our experiences can tip the balance. We’re covering the science of operant conditioning and how dogs actively learn.
In the episode you'll hear:
• How I started to learn about dog training from a book called “How to Raise and Train a Chow Chow”.
• About the four quadrants and the meaning of +R, +P, -P and -R.
• An explanation of the terms Positive Reinforcement, Positive Punishment, Negative Punishment and Negative Reinforcement.
• The importance of understanding that punishment suppresses behavior.
• How the key with positive reinforcement is that only the dog knows what is reinforcing.
• Examples of using the four quadrants in dog training, and how we really want to optimize positive reinforcement.
• The reason why no dog trainer is truly balanced.
• The decision I made in 1993 only to use positive reinforcement and what I learned.
• How our core values, education, curiosity, mentorship, and peer group impact our dog training.
• About what pressure and frustration can do to our dog training decisions.
• The most valuable lesson I learned from Feature when she was a puppy, and when I realized I’d come the full circle in my dog training.
Resources:
1. Podcast Episode 94: How the Best Professional Dog Trainers Use Reinforcement - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/94/
2. Podcast Episode 88: Barrier Frustration: Help for Fence Fighting, Leash Reactivity and Window Guarding - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/88/
3. Podcast Episode 34: Time Outs for Dogs: Does Your Dog Need One? - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/34/
4. YouTube Video: Susan Garrett Riffs on Transfer of Value in Dog Training (and water loving Labradors) - https://youtu.be/clFlutZ0mls
5. Podcast Episode 40: Using A Head Halter On A Dog, Why My Approach Is So Different - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/40/
6. Podcast Episode 16: The Thing Before Your Dog’s Thing - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/16/
7. YouTube Playlist: Crate Games and Crate Training for Puppies and Dogs with Susan Garrett - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLphRRSxcMHy2cs1uKBQTpAY-LUARQhzT7
8. Book: Shaping Success by Susan Garrett - https://dogsthat.com/product/shaping-success-2/
9. TikTok presentation with Sara Richter, CDBC on the 4 Quadrants - https://www.tiktok.com/@sara.richter.cdbc/video/7092504742357781806
10. Podcast Episode 11: The Power of Permission in Dog Training - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/11/
11. Podcast Episode 102: Transitioning Your Dog Training: From All That Is Wrong To That Which Is Right - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/102/
12. Watch this Episode of Shaped by Dog on YouTube - https://youtu.be/WtGjhPRQWoo
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Balanced dog training. |
| 0:02.0 | Does it really exist? |
| 0:04.0 | And if it does exist, why isn't everybody a balanced dog trainer? |
| 0:09.0 | And for those people who aren't a balanced dog trainer, does that mean they're out of balance? Hi, I'm Susan Garrett. Welcome to Shape by Dog. And this is my first podcast that I've |
| 0:31.4 | recorded in over a month. I'm going to share with you why that is later today. But first, let's talk about balanced dog training. |
| 0:38.8 | Now, if you are here and you are a balanced dog trainer, then you know what I mean when I say |
| 0:46.0 | balanced dog trainer. Let me just tell you my perspective. I too once was a balanced dog trainer. |
| 0:53.4 | And I believe there are some brilliant dog trainers |
| 0:57.2 | out there that call themselves balanced dog trainers. So, I am not here to say all of the best |
| 1:04.5 | dog trainers in the world are not. So, for those of you who are going like, Susan, you ever |
| 1:09.5 | really explain what a balanced dog trainer is? |
| 1:11.5 | And I'm about to click off. Why do I need to know this? You need to know this because, number one, |
| 1:17.1 | we're going to talk about the four quadrants of operant conditioning. And that is the science |
| 1:21.8 | of how dogs actively learn, not how dogs are conditioned. We'll talk about that another time. |
| 1:27.2 | This is how dogs actively learn. We'll talk about that another time. This is how dogs |
| 1:28.0 | actively learn. There's four quadrants to that. Now, once you are aware of what they are, |
| 1:34.6 | I want to take you through my evolution as a dog trainer. Let me just tell you, I'm going to share |
| 1:39.3 | with you, my very first ever dog training book. I still have it. Published in 1965. I didn't get it in |
| 1:45.6 | 1965. I think I got it when I was about 11 years old. So, that's close to 50 years ago and |
| 1:51.6 | dog-eared the section on training because I was crazy in love with training. And this was my |
| 1:56.5 | first foyer into balanced training. So that's what I learned first. All right? So, let's talk about it. |
| 2:03.6 | Balance dog training, there's four quadrants, all right? It's four ways that we can communicate |
... |
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