Clarifying Criteria for You and Your Dog

Class Description

This class is going to break down criteria and break down exercises to demonstrate the importance of criteria.  Once a handler begins to understand WHY criteria is so important, they begin to understand the true use of operant conditioning and controlling where reinforcement is given.  The important stress in this class will be educating the trainer to define, identify and keep criteria in their training.  This leads to happy dogs and happy trainers!

Week 1: Criteria is so important in training and yet so many trainers struggle with defining it for their animal.  This week we will set clear and simple criteria that is easy for the dog and handler to understand.

Week 2: Now that we set criteria how do we get reinforcement density on the exact behavior we want?  This week we will see the importance of understanding behavioral mass and momentum

Week 3: This is the week we start to chain behaviors together. What considerations should the trainer make when deciding what to chain? Should you relax criteria when chaining behaviors?

Week 4: In the real world our behaviors will be challenged by competing stimuli.  How can you take your behaviors out of their normal environment and generalize them?  Should you relax criteria in a new setting?