Reinforcers and Their Values

I’m still experimenting with finding Jackie’s “100 dollar bill.”  Finding a high value reinforcer is important for rewarding high drive for performance and for building prompt and repeatable responses to cues.  We know it is helpful to use a variety of treats, from high value, medium, and lower value, to keep things interesting and also to have a high value reinforcer to teach new skills, or reward when extra effort is offered or desired.

For Jackie’s first couple of days I had my beloved lamb loaf and Hebrew national hot dogs cut up into medallions, as well as some store-bought soft mini treats on hand. However with all the distractions, new environment, and just general melancholy a sensitive Border collie goes through the first several days of adoption I quickly realized I’m going to have to up my reinforcer game.  Mostly Jackie likes everything I’ve been offering her but it is clear none of it is her equivalent of a 100 dollar bill.  So today I prepared some boiled chicken and flank steak cut up into mini one-bite pieces.  The chicken seems to be the highest-valued reinforcer as we are continuing to reinforce mistake-free potty habits, capture looking at me while going for a walk, and coming to me on her own or when I call her name. Of course I am continuing to reinforce good potty behavior, taking nothing for granted and wanting to put relieving herself on a cue for those times I truly need her to “hurry up and go potty!” 

Time will tell but probably, like many Border collies, the highest value reinforcer will become the work—agility or herding for example— itself.  But I will need to stack value to a reinforcer I can minutely control, in order to teach new habits or increase promptness or duration of a behavior in the education process. At this point in our relationship, during run-and-play, anytime Jackie spontaneously comes over to me and makes eye contact I give her a treat and verbal praise and petting, then release her with “Okay!” and make a “ssshwsh” sound that Jackie’s foster mom used with her.  I feel there’s a way to harness the power of that “ssshwsh” noise since Jackie is already super reactive to it— bolting off away from me in an extremely drivey display of speed.  Will keep you posted if I come up with any ideas, but for now I’m using it as a fun game to reinforce desired behavior during playtime.

Play, play, and more play:

Pearls:

• The individual learner decides what is valued as a reinforcer, and how much value each reinforcer has
• Experimenting with a range of reinforcer treats can be interesting, and it’s good to have lower value and higher value treats available
• Primary, high value reinforces (like herding for a Border collie) can be stacked with education into a small, easy-to-deliver controlled treat
• Question to ponder: what is a good way to use the “ssshwsh” noise for future training since Jackie already seems to be stimulated by this particular verbal cue?

The Many Benefits of Adopting

There are a myriad of ways to acquire a new dog, but the method that has proven successful for me time and again is adopting from a breed rescue like All Border Collie Rescue, Border Collie Save and Rescue, Cocker Spaniel Rescue of East Texas or other breed or type rescues.

In addition to knowing I am contributing in some small way to the decrease in suffering and overpopulation by supporting a rescue, there are additional tangible benefits.  Jackie came onto my radar from a foster where she lived in a family home and was acclimated to being around dogs of all sizes, energy levels, and stages of life.  Much had already been discovered about her temperament, and this was communicated clearly to me by her foster mom.  Knowing a fair bit about a dog’s temperament, drive, and energy level helped guide my decision-making process in choosing the best fit for my next dog. 

While considering my ideal candidate, I wanted an adult dog that was still young enough to have lots of time on the clock to learn sports and obedience, but I knew I did not want a puppy.  I wanted a dog with high drive— but I knew to be careful what I wished for as I first and foremost wanted a dog with the (relatively lower for a Border collie) energy level to be a family pet and get along well with my two older dogs.  My preference was a female, for a number of reasons including I felt the getting-to-know-you period would be smoother since I already have two males. I preferred, if possible, to find a dog that if she had already been de-sexed, that she was spayed after becoming an adult or even well into her adult life.  I wanted a smallish-sized Border collie in the 30-something pound range.  Having a dog that was crate trained, potty trained, leash trained, reliable around horses, and already educated in basic commands was a consideration. While temperament, drive, and energy ALWAYS eclipse looks, I admit I prefer the classic black and white coat of the quintessential Border collie. 

So that’s a demanding list!  Of course I was open minded and ready to be flexible in my wishlist.  The thing is, with a great breed rescue like Border Collie Save and Rescue, they worked with me to find the perfect match, and were deliberate in sharing all of each potential dog’s history: the good, the bad, or the ugly.  

Jackie ticked every item on that exacting wishlist, and then some!  Jackie’s foster family did an outstanding job rehabilitating her from a rural, shy stray into a happy-go-lucky family pet with the boldness yet patience to coexist with other pets and animals, large and small, young and old. With her foster family Jackie learned all the solid foundations to life as a well adjusted house pet. This put Jackie, and indeed me, in a position of strength to begin our relationship together.

Jackie, well prepared to take on her next adventures thanks to the excellence of her wonderful foster family

Pearls:

• Adopting a dog from a breed rescue is an excellent way to get a head start with a new dog
• Breed rescues allow you to be as specific as needed, and provide all the background they know about each individual dog
• Being in a foster family can give a dog a better chance to find the right home, thereby decreasing the likelihood it will end up back in a shelter
• Fosters, and all rescue volunteers, are special people and are owed a debt of gratitude!

Jackie’s foster mom and dad did a phenomenal job