How modifier cues saved the day

Ignorance is Bliss: Real-World Use of Modifiers with a Search & Rescue Dog By Ken Ramirez A search-and-rescue start Sometimes trainers venture into uncharted training territory without realizing how novel or new it might be. I have been teaching a graduate course on animal training at Western Illinois University since 1995. One of the students in my very first class was a firefighter named Bill, who also trained search and rescue dogs. Throughout the semester, he would ask great questions about the use of positive reinforcement, because most of his experience was with more traditional, correction-based training. After hearing about a technique that had been employed with dolphins or other zoo animals, frequently Bill would ask, "Would that work with search and rescue dogs?" My reply was always, "Of course it will; it works with all animals!" Although at that point I had never worked with search and rescue dogs, I was confident in my answer because I had worked with many different species and always found the techniques successful. Read the Full Story > Concept Training with Ken Ramirez What Will You Learn? You will learn the core skills needed to train all concepts and then teach your animal his or her first complete concept skill: match to sample! The core skills are fluency in stationing, advanced targeting, desensitization, generalization, release signals, and fading a cue. Match to sample is the skill of identifying a match between two things. Your dog or other animal can be cued to find the object that looks or smells like the one presented. Learn More > Dog Trainer Professional Program Deadlines are Quickly Approaching  Our Dog Trainer Professional program focuses on the science behind behavior and gives participants all of the skills needed to succeed as professional trainers! Click to learn more about each location: See All Locations Laurie Luck to lead Dog Trainer Professional Program in St. Louis, Missouri Apply Before June 1st Q. Was there a particular dog/animal in your life that was your most important teacher? Laurie: I had a dog called Bad Dog Lucky. He LOVED to bite people, kids especially. Lucky is the dog responsible for turning me into a clicker trainer. He would bite when I'd use the choke chain on him (because he lunged at kids, bicycles, joggers, strollers, etc.) and I was fairly certain he'd have to be euthanized. I fell into a clicker class by accident and was SHOCKED at how well it worked with Lucky. We also found Dr. Karen Overall and she helped us implement positive training in our everyday lives. Bad Dog Lucky lived out his entire life with us—all due to behavior modification via clicker training. Read More of Laurie's Q&A > Apply for DTP St. Louis Meet May Certified Training Professional (CTP) of the month Molly Johnson! Working fulltime and raising a family, Molly continued to squeeze in training where she could. It was her husband who convinced Molly to enroll in the KPA DTP program after she discovered it researching professional dog-training programs. Molly completed the DTP program with Julie Shaw in Lafayette, Indiana. "I was eager to learn more about clicker training," remembers Molly. She found KPA to be a great fit. "The philosophy of the program, the time requirements, and the professional instructors were exactly what I was seeking." Read more > Happy Clicking from all of us at KPCT! Karen Pryor Clicker Training | 49 River St., Suite 3 | Waltham, MA 02453 | 1-800-47-CLICK

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