Dear, gentle reader.
I am going to be honest, I only have shady responses to this comment. Not because it isn’t an issue, not because I hold any judgement, but because humans are so funny.
We go to work to get a pay check. The second that pay check doesn’t come through, we’re OUT. We’re a very transactional species. And please don’t take that the wrong way, there are plenty of times that we do things because it is the kind, good, compassionate thing to do, but at the end of the day, we’re still getting community, social acceptance, feel good feels stuff.
The laws of behavior apply to all, and while the laws of learning and behavior are much more nuanced than what I’m about to say, for the sake of this blog:
- Reinforcement increases behavior
- Punishment decreases behavior
I find humans delightfully funny in our expectations of others that we wouldn’t have for ourselves. I had to learn these lessons the hard way, and to be frank, I don’t even know that I’ve “learned” them yet!
Alright, my shade and jokes aside. This is a common problem that I see with pets and their people. But I have some good news, it usually takes a little troubleshooting, a little skill acquisition, and things get much better quickly. So, let’s talk about the scenarios where I see this challenge frequently start and what to do about it.
Scenario #1: Your dog is doing exactly what you taught them.
Dogs, cats, birds, fish, humans, we all learn in context. The environment when we learn something becomes a part of the picture of execution. Humans develop all sorts of funny little routines around this. We may insist on sitting at the same desk for the test where we learned the materials. We may have a work zone and a relaxation zone. We may be social at the dinner table, but hardly speak if we’re on a hike with our friends. Our pets are similar. If the picture we’ve provided says “only do when person holds treat,” then nice work! You trained something very well, it just isn’t how you want it. This might be your case if you tend to hold treats in your hand while you’re training, walking, and/or working with your pet.
If this sounds like you, then try having treats off your body or at a minimum, out of your hand.
Practice clean training mechanics: cue -> behavior -> mark -> pause -> reach -> treat
Keep in mind, you may need to accept an easier behavior to start! We’re changing the picture on your pet, so it may take them some time to figure it out.
Scenario #2: You’ve tried to keep food out of your hand, but your pet doesn’t do the thing, so you pull food out to help your pet do the thing.
Again, dear gentle reader. You’re a stellar trainer, you just aren’t training what you want! I see this most commonly happen when a pet has been taught with a lure. We use treat-to-face to help move our pet’s body in space, but we aren’t sure how to get the treat out of the equation. So, we go cold turkey. We’ve practiced “spin” 15 times with a treat to our pet’s face, and on the 16th, we scrap the treat, the pet stalls, and then we present this beautiful treat. We just taught our pet to stall or wait. This is how we would go about teaching a calm stand!
And look, I’ve been there, done that, gotten that t-shirt MANY TIMES. This is a very normal thing to do because, remember, we’re also playing under the laws of behavior. When you have a treat in your hand, your pet does the thing, and that’s fun, exciting, and reinforcing. When you don’t have a treat in your hand, your pet doesn’t do the thing, and that’s frustrating, annoying, and punishing.
If this sounds like you, check out this video by Kikopup on fading the lure. Going cold turkey can make the experience rough for both people and their pets.
Scenario #3: You’ve got phantom hand.
Phantom hand is what I call it when our hands do things we aren’t even aware of. It happens. We just reach out and go to pet our dog. Or we become an autonomous Pez dispenser while we’re waiting for our coffee at the shop. If you think you might have phantom hand, you have two options:
- Put your hands in your pockets or clasp them behind your back. How quickly did they come out to do the phantom hand thing?
- Take a video of yourself working with your pet. Is your hand doing things that you weren’t aware you were doing?
I see this happening most often when folx are splitting their attention in too many ways, and again, we’re all influenced by the laws of behavior. We like to pet dogs, so our hand reaches out even if we aren’t doing it on purpose. We like when our dog is quiet when we eat dinner so we toss them some treats, but what we don’t notice is that there are ever so slightly whimpering, and that’s going to be a headache later.
If this sounds like you, try to drop the distractions for yourself. Practice being more present in your time with your pet, so that you can be moving more intentionally with them.
Scenario #4: You don’t trust your pet.
Man, I really am coming in hot today, huh? And honestly, I don’t mean this in a bad way. One guarantee when working with living creatures is that there is no such thing as a guarantee. Your dog may have shown you that if you don’t have food in your hand, they will take off or go yell at the other dog in training class. Shoot, another dog 10 years ago may have taught you that, and you didn’t realize that you were still under the influence of that experience. You may not trust your pet to stay with you. Or you may not trust they will do the thing, see the above scenarios. Or you don’t trust yourself to appropriately match the challenge and ask for your pet’s skill level (or your own). Or you know that you’re in a harder environment than you typically want to be in, so you’re keeping food in your hand to help you.
If this sounds like you, reflect on what you need to trust your pet. Is it a demonstration of skill? Is it repairing your relationship? Is it something else?
Scenario #5: Your pet doesn’t trust you.
There are a lot of ways we can erode our pet’s trust in us. Have you broken the “Nothing Spooky After Food” rule? Or are you stingy with the treats, and your pet knows that 90% of the time that food is in your hand, they get paid for their efforts, but 10% of the time food isn’t in your hand, they don’t? Teaching your pet that they get the good thing even if it isn’t actively on you, is super important for reliable responses without food on your body.
If this sounds like you, start teaching your pet that if they respond when you don’t have treats on you, it’s even better than if you did have treats in your hand.
Scenario #6: You only rely on food.
Your pet is more than their food. They have so many other things that they like, love, want, and need. Learning to use other things to reinforce and celebrate their behavior will pay off big in the long run. That might be a good scritch on the bum, or a quick play session, or the opportunity to go outside.
If this sounds like you, start learning how to “pay” your pet with more than food! It is incredible to watch that communication and variety develop!
Scenario #7: Your pet is a stellar trainer!
For real though, I have pets that are incredibly skilled at delivering consequences that are EFFECTIVE. It is fascinating to see the ways that they have shaped my behavior without me being aware. It really is awe inspiring.
If this sounds like you, check out scenarios 1-3. There have been many times where I look at what my dogs have taught me and jokingly yelled, “but I have THUMBS.”
Now What?
Did any of these scenarios stand out for you? Tag us on Instagram or Facebook @petharmonytraining, or comment on this blog (note: you must be logged in to comment).We want to hear about it! You can also join our email list for more training and enrichment tips for pet parents (and professionals!).
Here’s to harmony,
Ellen