Fenzi Dog Sports Academy - BH102: Learning Theory for Dog Sport Trainers

Details: Category: Course Descriptions

Instructor: Amy Cook

(this course is the same as BH101 taught in the previous session, do not sign up for this class if you already took BH101)

If you wish to train a dog for performance and competition, you'll want to have a working knowledge of "learning theory," or the study of how animals learn and how we can best explain things to them. In this course, we'll take a look at the basic scientific principles that we use in our training. We'll talk about basic terminology so we can all be on the same page, and then we'll jump in with both feet, looking at operant conditioning, classical conditioning, their intersection, and the current state of animal learning since Skinner and Pavlov made their initial contributions.

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Course Length: 6 weeks

Start Date: December 1, 2013

Note: The August session of BH102 has been canceled

For details on each level (Gold, Silver, Bronze), please see the FAQ page.

Course Description

In this course, we'll take a look at the basic scientific principles that we use in our training. We'll talk about basic terminology so we can all be on the same page, and then we'll jump in with both feet, looking at operant conditioning, classical conditioning, their intersection, and the current state of animal learning since Skinner and Pavlov made their initial contributions. At every step of the way, we'll be asking and answering the questions, "Is this relevant to me?" and "How can I best use this information in my training?" Practical exercises may be suggested periodically, and discussion questions posed, but they will be used mainly as a jumping-off point for discussion, and are not required nor evaluated. This class is a Silver- and Bronze-level only, with no working spots or video.

This is not your boring theory class from college. This quick-and-dirty theory class has one goal - to make you a better "hands on" trainer.

Topics covered:

Week 1 -- Learning theory: Why are we getting so scientific, and how can this all matter? Do I need to know all the jargon? How thinking this way actually turns out to have many practical uses.

Week 2 -- Operant conditioning: Jump in! Are you sure you know what reinforcement and punishment are? What about secondary reinforcers? Do you need one? Let's talk about what operant conditioning is and what it isn't, and get it all sorted out!

Week 3 -- Operant conditioning, con't: Premack, and how it relates to chaining behaviors together, extinction, and why that isn't the same as punishment, shaping is just your hot/cold game from childhood, and deciding when in the process we teach dogs cues!

Week 4 -- Classical conditioning: Pavlov is on your shoulder! No matter what we do, we can never escape the effects of classical conditioning, and we wouldn't want to! Every time you teach your dog what to do, you also teach her how to feel. Let's use this force for good!

Week 5 -- Learning not covered by Skinner and Pavlov: Latent learning, observational learning, concept formation, match to sample and others! Useful in training? Let's get creative and see!

Week 6 -- Putting it all together: So when do I use which principle? Troubleshooting using these lessons in real life, thinking about thresholds, and what happens if you still can't figure out quadrants? What are the big take-homes?

RA500 Lectures

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Course Description

Prerequisites and Equipment