At ClickerExpo last season, Karen Pryor talked about paired or "opposite" cues, and gave the "bark/be quiet" pair as an example. This is an easy pair to train as a demonstration if you happen to have a very barky dog handy. The concept of teaching cues in pairs is new to many dog trainers, although a familiar tool to some marine mammal trainers.
Dogs
Pony's Choice: On Behavior Revisited
By Karen Pryor on 08/01/2004The article below is excerpt from On Behavior entitled "Pony's Choice." This selection comes from a speech, The President's Invited Scholar's Address, which I gave to the Association for Behavior Analysis (ABA) in 1992. I chose it as an example of how one could use operant conditioning techniques to develop abstract thinking—the weighing of alternatives—even in an animal not generally considered intelligent.
On My Mind: The Perils of Praise
By Karen Pryor on 08/01/2004Earlier this summer I visited Honey Loring's "Camp Gone to the Dogs," in Vermont. Classes were held all day long for various kinds of dog sports and activities. The throngs of vacationers were showing off their pets and having fun experimenting with new activities. All the instructors were positively inclined. Many people carried treats, but clickers were not much in evidence. I saw lot of leash guidance, food luring, and praise.
Reinforcing Cues from a Distance
By Karen Pryor on 08/01/2004Q: I'm training my dog, an English springer spaniel, to do signals for Utility obedience competition. My dog understands what the sit signal is. When I am close he sits up like a rocket, as I get further he sometimes hesitates, and if too far, doesn't do it at all. If I go back, again he sits up like a rocket. However, when I go just a bit further, he sits on the signal but moves forward a bit. I have used things to prevent him from moving forward but they only temporarily fix the problem. I'm looking for some guidance on building a sit signal so my dog eventually understands that I can give the signal when I'm 20 feet away from him. I'm not in a hurry and am willing to build; just not sure I'm going about it right.
Adding the Cue
By Karen Pryor on 07/01/2004When we first start out clicker training, we tend to get very excited about the fact that we can teach the dog a new behavior in just a few clicks. Suddenly we have a dog that sits, does a belly flop down, a spin, a paw wave, and six other things-but all at once. You're hoping for a sit/stay, and the dog is running through his entire repertoire trying to find something you'll click.
