Gunner has been working on weaving so I previously ordered a set of six weave poles. As someone who has been strongly reinforced by excellent results from using positive reinforcement training, I am always keen to learn new behavior, on my part as much as the animal's with which I'm working. So when Gunner makes a "mistake" (offers a behavior in which I'm not interested-- for example waiving goodbye when I ask for stand) I've simply ignored it, kept moving and either waited for the "correct" behavior I wanted to capture, or gone back a step to ask for something I can then reward.
I recently observed a trainer in action that said the word "oops" when her dog made a "mistake" (by mistake I simply mean the dog offered a behavior in which the handler is not currently interested). I thought saying "oops" was a nice idea to remind the handler that it's no big deal, to keep moving, and search for the behavior that I will eventually want to reinforce.
So during our next weave pole session, if Gunner missed a correct entry to the weave poles, or skipped a pole, I simply started saying "oops," not reinforcing, and moving back a step to repeat a behavior that I could reinforce. Quickly though, Gunner began to offer the "I've been shot in the chest" look: stopping and shrinking, looking dumbfounded and apologetic, when I said "oops." It was perceived by Gunner as a punishment, which of course goes against everything I'm trying to do here. It took a few repetitions for me to notice Gunner's "shot in the chest" behavior was linked with the word "oops" rather than just thinking, as I did at first, that he was confused by the task being too hard or that I had asked for too much too soon.
The "oops" had become a marker for "you didn't do it right and you're not getting a cookie" in the way that "yes" means "you're doing it right and you will now get a cookie." Since Gunner understands this way of thinking, he learned the meaning of "oops" even before I caught on! But it went too far, and was not just a game of hot-cold (where "yes" means hot- keep going and "oops" means cold- keep trying), rather the "oops" was perceived by Gunner as a punishment that was in turn shutting him down.
A valuable lesson for me to learn, and I'm glad I noticed it relatively quickly (though not as quickly as my Border collie I must admit). I continue to make a knowing effort to display neutral emotion without any disappointment or other marker if a mistake happens. Energetic celebrations, jackpots, and precise marking for behaviors that I want; and behaviors that I don't want are met with the same emotion with which I buy a loaf of bread, ignored; then the next behavior I can mark and reward is sought, found, and celebrated.
I like these Trademark Innovations weave poles as they can be configured two-by-two, and later I can add another set to make a full set of twelve weave poles, plus they were relatively cheap (about 50 dollars for the set of six), they came with a canvas carrying bag for clean storage, and they've been perfect for home use:
- Weave poles are challenging, and I'm grateful Gunner has become my trial-and-error schoolmaster dog
- I'm not at all interested in punishment, and am grateful for a patient and intelligent dog who teaches me to do better
- Some trainers do well with event markers to indicate "cold, keep trying" but my focus remains on rewarding the behaviors I want and ignoring "mistake" behaviors to become extinct
- There is a plethora of information out there on the world wide web, in books and journal articles, but sometimes you have to get past the lecture and into the lab of life and break some eggs to make an omlet
