Dog Training Video Demonstration - The Premack Principle

A couple of days ago I wrote about the Premack Principle. I decided that a video would be a great way to show you exactly how it is done. Here is the video:



Hope this helps you train your dog. Feel free to pass it on to all your friends and family.

Your friend,

Eric

P.S. What to learn more amazing dog training principles and techniques. Check out:
The Amazing Dog Training Man's Home Study Dog Training Course.

The Power Of The Premack Principle, How To Use Grandmas Law To Boost Your Dog Training Efforts

Do you remember as a kid when your Grandmother would tell you that you had to finish your vegetables before you could have any ice cream?

If your Grandmother or anyone else has ever said that to you, then they were using the Premack Principle, also known as Grandma's Law.

Basically, the Premack Principle is this: "If high probability behaviors (more desirable behaviors) are made contingent upon lower probability behaviors (less desirable behaviors), then the lower probability behaviors are more likely to occur."

Or to put it simply: "You can't watch TV until you finish your homework."

So how does this apply to dog training?

The Premack Principle works great when you are trying to teach your dog to come when called. You see, when your dog is outside there are more desirable things to do than to come back to you.

If your dog is outside and sees a squirrel, the chances of coming back to you decrease dramatically. Chasing the squirrel is much more desirable than responding to your command "Come."

But...

Since we now understand the Premack Principle, we can set up training situations where your dog learns to respond to the command "Come" before taking chase.

Here is an exercise that I teach:

With your dog on a 10 to 15 foot leash, throw a treat about 20 feet away. Let your dog see you throw the treat.

Now let your dog go to the treat but stop her about two feet from the treat. Your dog will be interested in the treat and probably ignore your command "Come." Give your dog just a slight tug on the leash and back up a few feet.

Once your dog comes to you, hold your dog's collar, praise your dog, and then let your dog run back and get the treat. You have just used the Premack Principle with your dog.

Your dog wants the treat (very desirable to your dog) but can't get the treat until she responds to the command "Come" (less desirable behavior), you are now teaching your dog to respond to your commands in distracting situations.

At first you need to use the leash to get the less desirable behavior to occur, but over time you'll find that your dog will start to respond to your voice command and you'll need to use the leash less and less.

Start using the Premack Principle and you'll be amazed at how much better your dog responds to your commands.

As always I look forward to your comments.

Your friend,

Eric

P.S. If you like this article you'll love reading "The Amazing Dog Training Man,"

Who else wants their dog to come when called: Part 2

In my last post I talked about giving your dog some freedom. That when your dog develops a sense of freedom it will be easier to teach your dog to come back to you when you give the command "COME".

My dogs are very good when they are off-leash because they get to spend a lot of time off-leash. I once worked with a German Short Haired Pointer that was next to impossible to teach the recall command to.

You see, this poor dog had been tied up in the owners backyard for seven years. The dog had never been off-leash his entire life. The last thing this dog was thinking about when he got off-leash was coming when called.

Can you blame him?

Anyway, what we need to do is let our dogs develop the sense of freedom. This can be done with a long line. A 20 to 30 foot long line. Bring your dog to a big open area and put the long line on your dog.

Let your dog hang out and just be a dog. Let your dog sniff and run and explore the area without any commands and as little interference from you as possible. When I do this with a dog that I am training I just stay near the long line. I step on it if the dog starts to get to far away.

Most dogs on leash are constantly getting commands from the owner. "Heel", "Leave it", "Sit", "Stay", etc. When you have your dog on a long line just let your dog hang out and do dog stuff.

After a few days of this you'll see a change in your dog. Your dog will start to come back to you when you call.

I have always believed that the recall command is one of the most important commands we can teach our dogs. This is a easy and useful step to follow and apply. You and your dog will be happy that you did.

As always I look forward to your comments and suggestions.

All the best,

Eric

Who else wants their dog to come when called?

I was a terrible student in school.

Really, I barely and I mean barely squeaked out a diploma in high school. The reason I was such a bad student was because I just could not keep focused on what was being taught - except history.

Math, English, Science class, in one ear out the other.

Because I did so bad in school I couldn't stand it. My day would start by looking at the clock and counting down the hours I had left in school. I did this every single day. All I wanted was out, I wanted FREEDOM!

Since I hated school so much I never signed up for any after school activities. I never played on the baseball or football team (two sports that I love!). I never went to a dance, pep rally, game, event or anything else that took place within a half a mile from school. In fact, my high school year book doesn't even have my picture in it!

I think you get my point.

So why am I sharing all of this with you.

Simple.

I have just shared with you one of the biggest secrets to teaching your dog to come when called. What was the secret?

FREEDOM - or lack of it.

You see, one of the big points that I make when I'm working with a client on the recall command is that most dogs don't come back to their owners due to their lack of freedom.

Think about the way a lot of dogs live. They live a big portion of their lives under some type of containment. Most dogs spend a lot of time on a leash, in a house, in a fenced in area, in a crate, in a car, etc.

Because the dog is always confined the last thing the dog is thinking about coming back to the owner when they get a little freedom.

So the secret to getting your dog to come back to you when you call is to give your dog some freedom...

BUT...

How do you give your dog freedom when they don't come back to you when you call?

Excellent question. In my next post I am going to share with you exactly how to do it. So stay tuned...

Your friend,

Eric

P.S. Ready to teach your dog to come every time you call? Check out The Amazing Dog Training Home Study Course.