Kay Laurence - Learning About Dogs

We're not quite sure why dog training turned into an exercise of "must be fun" or "must be entertaining" in order to be of "value." In this first episode of season two of the "Learning About Dogs" podcast, Kay Laurence of "Learning About Dogs," and Sue McGuire discuss what is a behavior and what is a trick? Is there a difference? We have all seen the marketing. Tricks for fun! Agility for fun! How is the dog to know if what is being taught is for fun? The labels we use for human comfort often come at a cost to the dog. All teaching should be done carefully and thoughtfully and for the benefit of the dog and the life they live with us. Article: One Dog's Trick is Another Dog's Lifeskill by Kay Laurence New Online Course from Kay Laurence-Learning About Dogs Training Beyond and Above This course is for people who relish learning as a community with a plentiful opportunities to travel with new eyes and change the way you look at things. We shall go Beyond and Above the standard recipes that will generate many Aha moments, engineer more questions, dissolve assumptions and challenge habits. This is not a course for replicating demonstration but identifying how to learn from demonstration, select critical points, identify skill sets, build clear task analysis, explore the concepts, adapt and apply the concepts to new conditions Classes: At Humane Society of Sonoma County, Santa Rosa, California Taught by Sue McGuire TAKL Certified "The Art of Teaching Dogs" Level 1: Saturday February 29th We start with how the teaching process works and develops into clarity of understanding for our dogs. This first level class explores the reinforcement process. We will investigate how rewards compliment a behavior. Reinforcement types, delivery and patterns are in play when developing behaviors. Only with a deep understanding of what dogs find motivating, can we begin to unravel the mysteries of how dogs learn.