Matching Law In Dog Training: How To Get Consistent Behavior Without Corrections #288
Shaped by Dog with Susan Garrett
DogsThat
4.8 • 679 Ratings
🗓️ 23 October 2024
⏱️ 15 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Visit us at shapedbydog.com
The science of Matching Law is vital for everyone with a dog to understand for dog training and daily life so you can get consistent behavior without needing to use punishment. It’s something we can all use to our advantage as positive reinforcement based trainers! Knowing about Matching Law and its relationship to reinforcement value and your dog’s natural drives will help you get great behaviors and give you a strategy to turn not-so-great behavior around.
In this episode you’ll hear:
• What Matching Law is and how it impacts your dog’s behavior.
• About reinforcement value and recency.
• How different parts of the predatory cycle influence a dog’s behavior.
• Real-world examples of how reinforcement works.
• Insights into training protection dogs and for bitey sports without punishment (training the out - with reference to my friend Matt Folsom of Modern Malinois).
• The importance of understanding your dog’s natural drives.
• Practical tips to use Matching Law to your advantage.
• About Matching Law in day to day life and dog behavior.
• How to use your dog's favorite reinforcements to your advantage.
Resources:
1. Podcast Episode 144: Teach Your Dog To Listen No Matter What… Even If You Think They Are Stubborn - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/144/
2. Podcast Episode 196: Why Mastering Reinforcement Is The Linchpin To Reinforcement Based Dog Training - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/196/
3. Podcast Episode 24: Distraction Intensity Index: Help For Dogs Who Chase Chipmunks, Bicycles, And Neighbor’s Cats - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/24/
4. Podcast Episode 232: Canine Predatory Motor Sequence: Understand Your Dog’s Prey Drive To Enrich Your Life Together - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/232/
5. YouTube Video: DIY Puppy Bombs: Easy & Affordable Enrichment Toy for Puppies - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBveJe2C2dA
6. Podcast Episode 265: Dog Training Community And Controversy: Can We Draw From Our Positive Reinforcement Values? - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/265/
7. Podcast Episode 102: Transitioning Your Dog Training: From All That Is Wrong To That Which Is Right - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/102/
8. The Modern Malinois YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@modernmalinois
9. Podcast Episode 6: The Art of Manipulation - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/6/
10. Podcast Episode 205: The Hidden World Of Reinforcement For Dogs And Why You Need To Know - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/205/
11. Podcast Episode 59: Why Your Treats Aren’t Working for Your Dog - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/59/
12. Podcast Episode 11: The Power of Permission in Dog Training - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/11/
13. Watch this Episode of Shaped by Dog on YouTube - https://youtu.be/qZSCQFapIww
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Do you ever wonder why a dog might listen 100% perfectly to you at certain times, but other |
| 0:06.2 | times like completely tunes you out as if he can't hear you at all? You may be surprised |
| 0:13.1 | to learn there is actually a scientific reason for that happening. And today I'm going to give |
| 0:18.4 | you a deep explanation as to what's happening and why you |
| 0:24.0 | see that. Why people say, well, I have to use punishing it in my training Susan because |
| 0:30.1 | this cookie is not going to overcome this problem. I'm going to share with you how it can. |
| 0:46.6 | Hi, I'm Susan Garrett. |
| 0:48.3 | Welcome to Shape by Dog. |
| 0:53.4 | And today I want to talk about a scientific principle, which many professional dog trainers either have never heard of or choose |
| 0:56.3 | to disregard, which is crazy, or just can't figure out how to apply it in their own training. |
| 1:02.4 | And that scientific principle is called matching law. And I'm going to read you the description |
| 1:09.2 | of what exactly matching law is. |
| 1:12.7 | And matching law states, the probability of your dog choosing one behavior over another |
| 1:20.1 | is all dependent upon the reinforcement history of each of those behaviors. |
| 1:26.3 | So you might think, okay, if my WIPP has had the chance to chase a |
| 1:33.0 | bunny out in the field five times, matching law then states, I just need to give them a cookie |
| 1:39.9 | six times to overcome that, right? No. It sounds like a reasonable explanation based on what I just |
| 1:48.0 | said matching law is. But today we need to dig deeper into what matching law is really talking about |
| 1:55.4 | because all reinforcement is not equal to our dogs. And so you really have to keep this principle, like |
| 2:02.8 | close to your heart. If you want to be a trainer like me who chooses to never use physical |
| 2:09.6 | corrections or verbal intimidation in order to have a dog fit into your world, into your life, |
| 2:15.6 | regardless if you choose to do sports or you just want a |
... |
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