Animals in Control: The Choice Is Theirs
Eva Bertilsson & Emelie Johnson Vegh
Related Learning Lab:
Animals in Control - In Action!
As positive reinforcement trainers, we work hard at building relationships and creating partnerships with our animals. But there can be a huge difference between simply gaining an animal’s cooperation and giving the animal true choice! Trainers Eva Bertilsson and Emelie Johnson Vegh have explored this concept in vastly different scenarios and are eager to share with ClickerExpo attendees.
This presentation, which combines lecture, personal examples, and videos, will introduce various techniques designed to help open the conversation with your learners. These techniques have been used successfully with dogs, horses, and many zoo animals in various contexts, including medical behaviours, challenging working scenarios, or any exercise that may give an animal pause. Teaching animals a way to “give you permission” to proceed or indicate that they are “ready” prevents inadvertent cueing behaviour before an animal is prepared or committed to the activity. While all experienced trainers must become skilled at reading their learners’ body language, it is possible to take that skill a step further by teaching the animal to signal or “invite” the trainer to continue. Learn these techniques and you will be able to take another giant step toward the place where you and your animals are full and harmonious participants in a teaching and learning process.
Course Type: Session
Experience Level: Intermediate
Topic: Skill
Animals in Control - In Action
Eva Bertilsson & Emelie Johnson Vegh
Prerequisite:
Animals in Control: The Choice Is Theirs - Session
Participant notes:
We will have approximately 6 dog/handler teams. Dogs should already understand the click/treat relationship, be comfortable with normal handling, and be able to work in close quarters with other dogs. Handlers should have some experience with shaping. You may participate with your dog or you may attend as an observer. Observers should not bring their dogs to the Lab. To participate in any Lab, you are expected to attend the prerequisite Session.
We all strive to create a good relationship and true partnership with our animals. This Learning Lab is designed for clicker trainers who want to take their level of communication with their animals one step further.
In this Lab you’ll experiment with creative ways to ask your animal’s opinion. We’ll play around with giving the animal control over pairing procedures, shaping start-button behaviours, and learning how to respond consistently to the cues the animal gives you.
Course Type: Learning Lab
Experience Level: Intermediate
Topic: Skill
The Fab Five: Concepts That Will Make Your Training Rock!
Eva Bertilsson & Emelie Johnson Vegh
As readers of their book, Agility Right from the Start, already know, the ideas these two trainers present transfer extremely well to training venues other than agility. In this Session, Emelie and Eva will connect the dots for you, condensing their principles and procedures into “five favorites”—five concepts that will bring your training to new heights.
Are you curious about what “Good Agility Practices” look like when applied to obedience training? Can you see the similarities between heel-work and weave-pole exercises? And, what’s up with those spontaneous starts, anyway?
Everyone committed to reward-based training will enjoy learning from this Swedish duo. If you are looking for a competitive edge or simply for more joy and confidence in your training, this Session is for you!
Course Type: Session
Experience Level: All Levels
Topic: Skill, Competition
Reward Ends, Then What?
Eva Bertilsson & Emelie Johnson Vegh
A desired behaviour is followed by reinforcers, which strengthen the behaviour in the future. That's the bottom line of positive reinforcement training. But does it matter what happens right after each reward? You betcha! What happens right after the reward is a neglected part of the training loop that deserves more focus. Whether we intend it to or not, the end of the reward will function as a cue for some behaviour. The behaviour that regularly appears and is reinforced after a reward ends will then be under stimulus control of that reward ending. By being aware of this process, one desired behaviour can be promoted, and undesired behaviours nipped in the bud before they become built into the training experience.
This Session will discuss rewards both as consequences and as antecedents. Attendees will learn how to predict and develop specific behaviour so that what happens after each reward is beneficial for future training. Examples and video demonstrations will be included.
Course Type: Session
Experience Level: Intermediate
Topic: Skill
Thinking Fast & Flow
Eva Bertilsson & Emelie Johnson Vegh
In this Lab, Emelie and Eva will teach you how to advance your training all the way through flow-charting training sessions. This Lab will take the form of an interactive lecture. There will be no dogs working; instead, all attendees will be active with pen and paper.
Flow charts help you prepare for all the possible outcomes in a session, make it easier for you to make decisions, and clarify what actions you should take—and when. Flow-charting will hone your training skills, make the training process cleaner and smoother, and keep you on track with the tools you use in your training.
Flow charts will also help you evaluate new training procedures and customize them to work for you. They are also great tools for clarifying instructions. Flow charts are simply an invaluable tool. Once you start using them, you will wonder how you ever trained without them.
Course Type: Learning Lab
Experience Level: All Levels
Topic: Skill, Teaching Others
Teaching & Training At The Next Level: Karen Pryor Academy
Aaron Clayton
No matter how long you’ve been training, there is always room to improve!
Perhaps you’re an experienced trainer who is looking to kick it up a notch by becoming an expert in fluency, using cues as reinforcers, and/or constructing solid behavior chains. Maybe you’re looking to grow your training business, or become part of a global network of certified trainers.
In addition to explaining the ins and outs of Karen Pryor Academy's (KPA) Dog Trainer Professional program in this Session, we will delve a bit into the six aspects of fluency.
Wherever you are in your training, this Session will show you how Karen Pryor Academy can help. KPCT President Aaron Clayton will give you a taste of content from KPA’s courses and discuss the benefits of a KPA education. There will be plenty of time for you to ask questions as well!
Course Type: Session
Skill Level: All Levels
Topic: Skill, Teaching Others
Newcomer Orientation
Aaron Clayton
This Session is STRONGLY recommended for first-time attendees. It will also be useful for Expo veterans who need a little refresher.
First time here? Welcome to ClickerExpo! Aaron Clayton will help you make the most of your experience in this Session designed specifically for newcomers to ClickerExpo. He will cover topics that include how to maximize your chances of winning the big daily raffle, navigating ClickerExpo with your dog, choosing courses and changing your schedule, and attending special events.
This practical but humorous 45-minute introduction to ClickerExpo is a "must" for those experiencing the magic of ClickerExpo for the first time. The Session is a wonderful refresher for Expo veterans, too!
Attend this Orientation and then follow up with the general Opening Session at 9:00!
Course Type: General Session
Experience Level: All Levels
Consuming Research without Indigestion
Susan G. Friedman, PhD
SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: Swallowing Research Findings without Chewing Can Cause Indigestion.
Reading a research study without the necessary tools to evaluate the validity of the author’s findings can often feel like a bout of indigestion. Not everyone needs to read original research. Academic texts and other trusted sources are often enough. However, this presentation is for those trainers and consultants who want to judge for themselves the extent to which research claims can be considered credible. A systematic approach to evaluating research studies will help you make more informed decisions about how reported findings should impact what you do. In this Session, the logic behind two main research perspectives will be introduced—group designs and single-subject designs—and a structured way to evaluate the validity of these designs will be explored.
Course Type: Session
Experience Level: Advanced
Topic: Science
Ideas that Should Die: Outdated, Outmoded & Misunderstood Behaviour Science
Susan G. Friedman, PhD
The inertia that results from so-called conventional wisdom about how behaviour works is a big obstacle to the widespread adoption of positive reinforcement-based training. Discussions quickly devolve into rancorous debates based on little more than personal belief and political affiliations. One example is the intrinsic vs. extrinsic reinforcement debate. As a result of many myths and misunderstandings, learners fail to benefit from the wellspring of information that is the result of decades of application of the technology of behaviour change known as applied behaviour analysis (ABA). At the center of this problem is the deeply rooted belief that behaviour exists inside individuals, independent of the conditions in which they behave. In this Session, common myths and misunderstandings will be discussed so that participants are better able to address them.
Course Type: Session
Experience Level: Intermediate
Topic:
We Just Have to Dish: Training, Science & Nerdy Stuff with Kathy & Susan
Kathy Sdao & Susan G. Friedman, PhD
There’s never enough time to chat, right? You know, time to safely engage in meaningful conversation with colleagues about evolving topics in our field. In this Session, Kathy and Susan invite you to join them in an informal discussion of current practices they have been thinking about a lot lately, such as client compliance, animal consent, naturally occurring reinforcers, and separating negative punishment and negative reinforcement in the procedural hierarchy. Join us as we go off the leash, off the perch, and outside the box.
Course Type: Session
Experience Level: Intermediate
Topic: Skill, Science
The Story of KONG
Hannah Slater
In this brief seminar we will discuss how KONG was born, the rubber used and how KONG is made. We will also discuss how to choose the right rubber type for the dog and how KONG can help with basic training.
Course Type: Session
Experience Level: All Levels
Topic: Sponsor Session
Impulse “Recycling”
Kay Laurence
Impulse, or natural energy, was never intended to be loose or out of control. For each individual it has a purpose, usually survival, where energy can be called upon and channeled into very specific uses. Suppressing this function can leave dogs in a very frustrating state, and the bottled-up impulses can be misdirected.
A range of different activities that absorb impulse energy naturally can leave dogs in a calmer state and an undamaged environment. Minor adjustments to training style can make a significant difference, especially with adolescent dogs. It is possible to include regular practice to develop skills to pre-plan when energy can be used as well as the skills to contain it when inappropriate.
Course Type: Session
Experience Level: Intermediate
Topic: Skill
Lure, Shape, and Target
Kay Laurence
We are often so focused on using tools, such as markers, and on the philosophy of positive reinforcement that we can overlook the subtleties of initiating the behaviour that enables us to mark and reinforce.
We also may have a prejudice for one teaching process over another. This is often aligned to our own skills, superstitions, or perceived ease—from our own perspective. It is always worth taking the time to explore the many varied ways to enable learning and the benefits and disadvantages of any teaching strategy.
The reality is that we can blend strategies—luring, shaping, and targeting—to facilitate learning without frustration and with a high sense of achievement for both trainer and learner.
Course Type: Session
Experience Level: Intermediate
Topic: Skill
Lure, Shape, and Target - In Action
Kay Laurence
Dogs in this practical Lab will have a chance to learn simple behaviours through different teaching strategies. We shall look in close detail at the skills trainers need to become equally competent in all strategies. An emphasis will be placed on recognising when to change strategies for the benefit of the learner and how to ensure the smoothest path for the foundations of any learner.
Course Type: Learning Lab
Experience Level: Intermediate
Topic: Skill
Understanding, Managing & Modifying Problem Behaviour
Chirag Patel
Clients always call trainers when they are experiencing problem behaviours with their pets. In this Session Chirag Patel will focus on a practical and scientific approach to analysing and resolving problem behaviour. The Session will cover various management tools and techniques, as well as strategies for effecting behaviour change. Going beyond theory, the Session will emphasize how to use these skills as a consultant in areas of work, including taking case histories, working with clients, evaluating motivation, and other practical real-world situations.
As passionate and interested trainers, our approach is sometimes “too much” for a caregiver who just wants to have “this problem behaviour fixed.” Chirag will look at simple, yet ethical and effective, ways to work on various behaviour-management and change exercises.
Course Type: Session
Experience Level: Intermediate
Topic: Skill, Aggression & Behaviour Management
Understanding, Managing & Modifying Problem Behaviour - In Action
Chirag Patel
In this Learning Lab Chirag will work with 12 dog/handler teams to teach, demonstrate, and practice several management techniques for dealing with problem behaviour. He will also work with the handlers to demonstrate how to handle human-to-human interactions as well. In this Lab, participants will learn practical management and behaviour-change techniques, as well as coaching skills for the human animals.
Course Type: Learning Lab
Experience Level: Intermediate
Topic: Skill, Aggression & Behaviour Management
Rethinking Puppy Socialisation
Chirag Patel
Great trainers are always questioning and making changes where needed, rather than accepting the obvious and sticking to what has always been done. In this Session, join Chirag in questioning the obvious when it comes to socialisation and puppy training.
From critical periods to bite inhibition, from introducing puppies to dogs and people to the benefits and detriments of the ever-popular puppy play time during puppy training classes, Chirag will explore each event and help attendees look at them from new perspectives.
Course Type: Session
Experience Level: Intermediate
Topic: Skill, Aggression & Behaviour Management
Rethinking Puppy Socialisation - In Action
Chirag Patel
Prerequisitie:
Rethinking Puppy Socialisation - Session
Participant notes:
In this Learning Lab Chirag will work with six puppy/handler teams. Participants must have attended the prerequisite Session Rethinking Puppy Socialisation.
Great trainers are always questioning and making changes where needed, rather than accepting the obvious and sticking to what has always been done. In this Learning Lab, join Chirag in questioning the obvious when it comes to socialisation and puppy training.
From critical periods to bite inhibition, from introducing puppies to dogs and people to the benefits and detriments of the ever-popular puppy play time during puppy training classes, Chirag will explore each event and help attendees look at them from new perspectives.
During the Lab Chirag will work with puppies and their caregivers to put the new theory into practice.
Course Type: Learning Lab
Experience Level: Intermediate
Topic: Skill, Aggression & Behaviour Management
Pace, Place & More: Strategic Reinforcement Delivery
Michele Pouliot
Effective clicker training is sometimes thought of as exclusively dependent on the timing of the click and the value of the reinforcer. An often-overlooked subject is reward delivery. How, where, and when rewards are delivered is often crucial to efficient and clear training, because it is a linchpin in the communication cycle you are creating. Implicit in "Click, then treat" is all of the activity that happens in "then." While most beginners know that beginning the process of reaching into the bait bag, say before the click is completed, can weaken the power in the click, even experienced trainers don't always understand other critical effects of reward delivery on learning.
Strategic reward delivery includes how reward delivery can be used to either lower or increase a dog's energy, how the makeup of the physical reward itself can enhance or hinder the reward process, whether the placement of reinforcement should support the goal behaviour or be used to reset the dog for another repetition, and how teaching a dog to tolerate occasional longer reward sequences can allow for flexibility without dampening the reinforcement process. Finally, strategic reward delivery means being conscious of the choices you are making and how they impact your dog's learning.
This is a PowerPoint presentation with video demonstrations and examples.
Course Type: Session
Experience Level: Intermediate
Topic: Competition
Taking Platform Training to New Heights
Michele Pouliot
Participant notes:
We will have approximately 4 dog/handler teams. Dogs should already understand the click/treat relationship, be comfortable with normal handling, and be able to work in close quarters with other dogs. Handlers should have advanced experience with platforms. Platform equipment will be provided; working participants are welcome to bring their own platforms. You may participate with your dog or you may attend as an observer. Observers should not bring their dogs to the Lab.
Raised platforms of all sizes and shapes have become globally popular tools for all kinds of training. In 2010, Michele Pouliot broadened the use of platform training techniques with her DVD Step Up to Platform Training. Since then, the use of raised platforms in training has expanded worldwide.
This Session and Learning Lab will include both training demonstrations and direct work with dog/handler teams. The Learning Lab will focus on expanding the application of platforms in training, providing creative ideas for training new behaviours and for solving training problems. Learn how to use raised platforms in more advanced arrangements and scenarios to take your training to new heights.
Advanced Platform Lab Working Spot Requirements
- Dog immediately approaches and mounts a platform (precise position size) with all 4 feet
- Default position upon mount may be a stand or a sit
- Upon 4thfoot mounting platform, dog gives attention to handler
- Dog immediately mounts without any handler assistance cues (handler is still)
- Dog performs the above from any angle of approach
Course Type: Session & Learning Lab
Experience Level: Advanced
Topic: Competition
Tricky Motivators
Michele Pouliot
Participant notes:
We will have approximately 5 dog/handler teams. Dogs should already understand the click/treat relationship, be comfortable with normal handling, and be able to work in close quarters with other dogs. Handlers should have some experience with shaping. You may participate with your dog or you may attend as an observer. Observers should not bring their dogs to the Lab. To participate in any Lab, you are expected to attend the prerequisite Session.
This is a combination Learning Session and Learning Lab, mixing lecture with-hands on training for working participants. The Session will include PowerPoint presentation, video demos, and hands-on training exercises with working teams.
The Lab will focus on clicker training a variety of trick behaviours, with a goal of discovering new and useful motivators for your dog. Tricks are entertaining and fun to train, but they can also be applied as rewards and motivators for performance. In addition, trick training can continue to expand the handler's and dog’s abilities in shaping behaviour.
Course Type: Session & Learning Lab
Experience Level: Intermediate
Topic: Skill
Turn Me On… (or Not): Inspiring Others to Choose Positive Reinforcement Training
Michele Pouliot
Are you critical of traditional training and individuals who continue to defend punishment-based methods of training? Do you want those trainers and training programs to change to positive reinforcement training? Are you new to clicker training and are at Expo to learn more about these reward-based techniques? Feeling overwhelmed with how much there is to learn?
Changing an experienced trainer skill set over to a very different trainer skill set is not an easy journey. Many individuals are facing the challenges of learning and trusting in a new way of training. Experienced positive reinforcement trainers can feel impatience with organizations or individuals they see being reluctant or simply very slow to adopt modern training methods.
This Session will help you understand the process of changing for yourself, your own organization, or for others in your life. Michele Pouliot has impacted the international guide dog training world effectively, shifting the historical beliefs in successful traditional methods to the adoption of clicker training among a majority of programs. Michele has become an expert on motivating and assisting programs and individuals in change, and will share what she has learned over her now 16-year journey as a changemaker.
Course Type: Session
Experience Level: All Levels
Topic: Teaching Others
Competition Obedience: Winning is FUNdametal
Catja Borchard Pedersen
Obedience is often a big part of competition programs. It tends to be the boring part, as many of the other exercises can feel more fun and exciting. But there are a lot of points in obedience that can make the difference between winning or not.
Competing in obedience can be as much fun as everything else. It all depends on how you set up your training; you want your dog to think of obedience as the most fun part of your training. By using all your clicker training tools, both you and your dog will come to love obedience and look like a perfect match in the ring. Nothing beats the feeling of working obedience with a dog that really shows his happiness!
To give your best performance with your dog at competitions, you need to prepare the dog properly. This includes solid and highly reliable cues and behaviours, dealing with distractions, reliable behaviour chains, and working long periods of time without a primary reinforcer. But, most of all, it is about FUN and ATTITUDE!
In this Session we will explore what can be done to make sure that your dog knows exactly what kind of game you are about to play together. They key is to make him feel comfortable and safe. Most important, make sure "the game" is worth his while, even though you cannot click and reinforce while being judged.
The Session will also explore how distraction can be your best friend. The more distractions there are at a competition, the better! Instead of fearing sudden noises, people, kids etc., make those experiences reinforcers for the dog. That way, the dog will be more focused and very unlikely to lose focus, no matter what. It will become a well-known game for the dog, where the dog's perception will be “no matter what you use to distract me, I won’t fall for it.” We will use video examples to show how distractions can go from being an annoyance to a great help.
Course Type: Session
Experience Level: Foundation
Topic: Skill
Aggression Treatment & Context
Ken Ramirez
Dealing with reactive dogs, handling aggression, and working through problems with highly sensitive animals can be a challenge for even the very best clicker trainers. Over the years, many creative trainers have presented various alternatives to handling aggression and reactivity problems. The explosion in the number of approaches, combined with an array of new nomenclature, is often confusing for trainers seeking to choose an approach for themselves or to recommend to others.
Today, some of the most discussed approaches include, but are not limited to, Counter Conditioning, Constructional Aggression Treatment (CAT), Click to Calm, behavioural Adjustment Training (BAT), the “Look at That” game (LAT), and a host of others. How do these varied treatment approaches compare? What common or distinct scientific principles are being employed? Are certain plans better for certain situations than others?
This Session is designed to help you sort out the choices. It will explore the science underlying the approaches, look at their known efficacy, and help you see what these approaches share, as well as their differences, so that you can make informed choices. Attendees at this Session will also learn to ask the right questions and listen/look for thoughtful answers to be well-prepared when the next approach makes its way forward.
Course Type: Session
Experience Level: Advanced
Topic: Aggression & Behaviour Management, Science
Closing Session: Have You Seen That?
Ken Ramirez
Positive reinforcement training has been used in unique ways to problem-solve and accomplish amazing things in all corners of the world. Take this opportunity to view the power of clicker training in environments and applications that will delight, surprise, and inspire before you head home. A “don’t-miss” Session with Ken.
Course Type: Plenary Session
Experience Level: All Levels
Dr. No: How Teaching an Animal to Say “No” Can Be the Right Prescription
Ken Ramirez
Positive reinforcement trainers try to create a safe and nurturing learning environment for animals. When done properly, this makes the learning process fun, and the animal will participate in sessions eagerly. It is common for trainers to point out that their animals have the choice to participate, and that the lack of the use of punishment creates a stress-free working environment. Ken believes these statements to be true when everything is done correctly.
Choice and control have been proven to be powerful reinforcers for most learners. Trainers in recent years have explored how to provide more options in their training. Over the course of Ken’s career as a consultant and problem-solver, he has encountered situations where the relationship and trust between trainer and animal appear to have become strained for various reasons. In a few of the more extreme situations, Ken initiated a protocol in which the animal was taught how to indicate that it did not want to do a particular behaviour. In essence, this was teaching the animal to say “no!” In all four cases where this protocol was used, it resolved the problem behaviour and moved the animal and trainer back to a good working relationship.
In this Session, Ken will explore these case studies, describe the training process involved, and discuss the broader significance of this protocol. The Session will also compare and contrast the protocol to other types of training that are about teaching the concept of “no.” These other types of training will include intelligent disobedience work with guide dogs and “the all clear” signal in scent-detection work. These latter examples are very different protocols, and the differences will be discussed.
Ken will conclude the Session with a broader discussion of whether his “say no” protocol should be implemented with all learners. It is a unique protocol that is not widely used in the training community. After Ken shares the details of this protocol and his opinions about its use, there will be some time to engage in a discussion with the attendees.
Course Type: Session
Experience Level: Advanced
Topic: Skill, Aggression & Behaviour Management
How to Get Started with Concept Training
Ken Ramirez
Participant notes:
In this unique Lab, approximately 6 dog/handler teams will learn the first steps of teaching their dogs to participate in concept-training exercises. Dogs should already understand the click/treat relationship, be comfortable with normal handling, and be able to work in close quarters with other dogs. Dogs should be fluent in cueing, be comfortable staying on a mat, and know how to touch/target a variety of objects with their noses when cued. You may participate with your dog or you may attend as an observer. Observers should not bring their dogs to the Lab. To participate in this Lab it would be helpful if you have attended one of Ken’s previous Sessions on concept training, although this is not mandatory.
In this Lab Ken will guide dog/handler teams through various basic exercises required to teach more advanced concepts such as Matching to Sample, Modifier Cues, Imitation, and Counting. Although the exercises are basic, the Lab is designed for experienced dogs and advanced handlers who want to get started teaching conceptual learning. The Lab will focus on how to set up your dog for success when you are training matching concepts. There will be four primary exercises:
- Targeting – Use of multiple targets; teaching the dog to make selections and indicate choices through varied types of targeting
- Pairing, Choices, and Repetition – So much of concept training is teaching multiple options at the same time, repeating trials over and over again, and teaching the animals a way to make choices
- Release cues – This concept may go by different names depending on your, and your dog’s, training history. For many types of conceptual learning it is important to teach the animal a way to receive multiple cues and wait to carry out the instructions until released.
- Cue transference (fading) – Most concepts are about teaching the learner a new or different type of cue. Learning how to fade to a new cue is a necessary skill for most concept training.
This Lab will focus on the tools needed for advanced conceptual learning. Because of the advanced nature of the task, participants will only be able to participate in the first steps of each exercise, which will set them up to continue the work and succeed when they return home. All exercises are basic, but they are the essence of successful concept training.
Course type: Learning Lab
Experience level: Advanced
Topic: Skill
Opening Session: The X-perience Factor
Ken Ramirez
We talk about trainer experience levels frequently, and use the terms novice, intermediate, and advanced. But what do those labels really mean? There is no universal agreement on the difference between each of these levels, and they are used for very different purposes. Levels can sometimes be beneficial in guiding learners toward appropriate-level courses, but they can also become divisive categories that make trainers feel uncomfortable with such vague, generalized groupings. However, we all agree that experience is important in becoming a great trainer. So how do we define experience, and how should experience be evaluated and used?
Ken will explore this common question and give his own perspective on the topic of experience. While this discussion may aid some attendees in selecting the right level of courses for this ClickerExpo, the Session will go beyond Expo and talk about the role of experience in the larger training community. Ken will also share some thoughts about why experience is important and why it has relevance to improved training and better animal care.
Course Type: Plenary Session
Experience Level: All Levels
Wanted: Training Consultant (Those Good with Animals Need Not Apply!)
Ken Ramirez
The title of this Session is, of course, somewhat facetious! To be a good animal trainer, one does need to understand training and be good with animals. However, sometimes the most important skills needed to solve behavioural problems are not animal-training skills. People skills, observational skills, and organizational skills can be key to finding solutions to behavioural problems. Before tackling a behavioural problem with the household pet or a large zoo animal, several factors need to be considered. This Session will focus on those other factors that need to be addressed while trying to solve animal-related problems. A review of various case studies will help reveal the right tools to start with, and why animal skills may not be the only talent required.
Course Type: Session
Experience Level: All Levels
Topic: Business, Teaching Others
Effective Affection: How to Get it Right
Dr. Jesús Rosales-Ruiz
Pet owners often reinforce unwanted and annoying behaviours inadvertently (such as petting a dog when he jumps up) by giving attention and affection for these behaviours. When trainers are shaping new behaviours, they often default to food as a reward, and find it difficult to use petting, scratching, or other forms of affection effectively in order to reinforce behaviour. Yet, if the problem behaviour is maintained by affection, using affection is often the fastest and most effective way to solve the problem. The pieces that are often missing in this kind of problem-solving are teaching the animal how to receive affection and teaching the human how to use affection correctly to shape behaviour. In this Session, I will describe in detail a powerful procedure that can be used to teach animals how to request and receive affection. Then we will discuss how to use affection to shape new behaviour effectively, with plenty of video examples from a variety of different species.
Course Type: Session
Experience Level: All Levels
Topic: Science
Poisoned Cues: Diagnosis, Analysis & Repair
Dr. Jesús Rosales-Ruiz
Much is known about cues that are established using positive reinforcement and cues that are established using aversive events. However, much less is known about the effects when cues are established using a combination of positive reinforcement and aversive events (such as corrections or punishment). This phenomenon has been termed “the poisoned cue” by Karen Pryor, and Dr. Rosales-Ruiz presented lectures on the subject at early ClickerExpo conferences. Understanding the poisoned cue is very important for animal trainers, especially working with cross-over animals that have been trained previously using traditional or balanced methods.
For those familiar with the concept of a poisoned cue, the beginning of the Session will be a review. The review will be followed by new material demonstrating what has been learned about the poisoned cue in recent years. We will review some experiments demonstrating the effects of the poisoned cue with both animals and children. We will also discuss ways to identify if a cue has been poisoned. Sometimes trainers blame poor performance on distractions or lack of motivation, when the culprit is actually a poisoned cue. Finally, we will discuss ways to overcome a poisoned cue if you discover that you have one.
Course Type: Session
Experience Level: All Levels
Topic: Science
Using Resurgence to Your Advantage
Dr. Jesús Rosales-Ruiz
Resurgence is commonly defined as the reappearance of previously reinforced behaviour during extinction. This reappearance is governed by the animal's training history. If the target behaviour is no longer reinforced, a previously reinforced alternative behaviour will appear. If that alternative is not reinforced, a behaviour from earlier in the animal's training history will appear.
Extinction is usually thought of as a procedure to reduce behaviour. But, extinction is also a part of the process of differential reinforcement, which is at the core of shaping. Because trainers often misunderstand extinction, they dismiss it or misuse it during training. However, extinction, like reinforcement, is an orderly and predictable process.
Several types of phenomena are associated with extinction, such as extinction-induced variability, spontaneous recovery, and resurgence. If extinction is continued for too long, an animal can become frustrated or just give up. Knowledge of the extinction process can be used to increase the efficiency of your shaping plan—and can also suggest what to do to decrease the likelihood that unwanted behaviour will reappear in the future. An understanding of how extinction works also helps trainers deal effectively with mistakes during training and prevents guessing on the part of the animal. Because of extinction, letting the animal offer lots of extra behaviour (figuring it out on his own) during shaping can lead to accidental chaining and undesirable resurgence in the future.
This Session will describe the process of extinction. It will focus on resurgence and how trainers can use resurgence to their advantage while shaping and capturing behaviour.
Course Type: Session
Experience Level: All Levels
Topic: Science
The Veterinary-Trainer Connection
Linda Ryan
This session will discuss the importance of trainers, veterinary staff members, and owners working together to embrace the concepts of patient-friendly veterinary practice and techniques. Linda will discuss her experiences and the insights that having a foot in both camps have given her.
A team approach to patient-friendly practice is not just about being respectful of pets and providing the best care possible, it’s about working together with an evidence-based approach, too. We now have knowledge of dogs’ and cats’ emotion, cognition, intelligence, and social needs; it is no longer acceptable to ignore this information in day-to-day work with animals. We need to work together, in an integrated and collaborative way, to ensure that we are providing the best care, education, and high welfare standards for pets at the vet. Not only is patient-friendly practice better for patients, it makes life easier and safer for vet staff, builds great team relationships across the disciplines of veterinary and behaviour practice, saves time, and makes everyone’s work more fulfilling!
An animal’s behavioural health and emotional welfare is dependent on its physical health, and vice versa. So really, EVERYTHING is about behaviour—and not just the aspects of it that are obvious, i.e. behaviour that is problematic for the humans/veterinary professionals that live/work with dogs and cats! From feeding patients, to handling and medicating them, to how we educate owners, we need to understand the patient’s needs and how to fulfill those in order to enhance the human-animal bond and quality of life. The trainer-owner-veterinary team is the perfect triad to make this happen. It builds mutual trust in each profession, which enhances everyone’s reputation, and allows everyone to help more pets stay well and happy!
Course Type: Session
Experience Level: All Levels
Topic: Skill
A Moment of Science: Clicker Training 101
Kathy Sdao
If you have been using a clicker but are not fully familiar with the science behind it, you will find this Session to be highly worthwhile.
Are you new to clicker training? Or are you using it, but are confused by the terminology and the reasons behind what we do? Here's an introductory course on learning theory and the important scientific principles that govern clicker training. The information you'll learn here will inform the many choices you must make as a trainer and will improve your application of clicker training techniques.
Kathy Sdao, applied animal behaviourist, former marine-mammal trainer, and dog professional, is a gifted teacher who enjoys sparking her students’ interest in the science of animal training. Start your ClickerExpo experience on Friday with this Session and you will have the foundation and vocabulary to help you understand, enjoy, and benefit from the rest of the program.
Course Type: Session
Experience Level: Foundation
Topic: Science
If You Build It, They Will Come: Training a Reliable Recall
Kathy Sdao
Participant notes:
We will have approximately 6 dog/handler teams. This Lab will have handlers and their dogs work on beginner, intermediate, and advanced recall exercises. All dogs must be comfortable working near and around other dogs that may be running nearby. All dogs will be able to participate in the beginner exercises and probably the intermediate exercises, but only a few dog/handler teams will be able to participate in the more advanced exercises.
Many people struggle with teaching dogs to run to them on cue. Though a relatively simple movement, the recall is also a crucial behaviour with several key criteria. This means trainers can easily make mistakes! Yet the power of clicker training is perfectly suited to this task. In this Lab, we’ll practice three specific training exercises (beginning, intermediate, and advanced). As a bonus, we’ll provide a list of 10 practical training tips for your use and to share with your students, if desired.
Course Type: Learning Lab
Experience Level: All Levels
Topic: Skill
It’s a Good Fit! Operant and Classical Conditioning
Kathy Sdao
Some trainers rely heavily on classical conditioning, especially when trying to overcome behavioural difficulties such as fearfulness and fear-caused aggression. Techniques based on classical conditioning can include desensitization, habituation, and counter-conditioning, creating a classically conditioned association between primary reinforcers and the triggers for unwanted behaviour.
Other trainers rely heavily on operant conditioning when trying to combat unwanted behaviours or emotional states. Techniques based on operant conditioning include training an incompatible behaviour, bringing an unwanted behaviour under stimulus control, extinction by removal of reinforcing events maintaining the unwanted behaviour, and use of the LRS (“least-reinforcing stimulus”).
In fact, both classical conditioning and operant conditioning are involved in almost all learning situations. While operant conditioning may be uppermost in the trainer’s mind, classically conditioned stimuli from the environment, internal states, and previous learning may all impact the learning. The trainer working solely with classical conditioning may be unnecessarily prolonging a process that could be hastened by the addition of conditioned reinforcers as markers of desirable behaviour.
Kathy Sdao will discuss ways of blending both kinds of conditioning to simplify and speed up both the acquisition of new responses and the repair or modification of existing, undesirable behaviour or emotional states.
Course Type: Session
Experience Level: Advanced
Topic: Science
We Just Have to Dish: Training, Science & Nerdy Stuff with Kathy & Susan
Kathy Sdao & Susan G. Friedman, PhD
There’s never enough time to chat, right? You know, time to safely engage in meaningful conversation with colleagues about evolving topics in our field. In this Session, Kathy and Susan invite you to join them in an informal discussion of current practices they have been thinking about a lot lately, such as client compliance, animal consent, naturally occurring reinforcers, and separating negative punishment and negative reinforcement in the procedural hierarchy. Join us as we go off the leash, off the perch, and outside the box.
Course Type: Session
Experience Level: Intermediate
Topic: Skill, Science
