March 28^th, 2006

Transferring Motivation from Food to Yourself

Training my horse has made me rethink motivation in a huge way. I have chosen to read about mostly natural horsemanship. Two trainers who I have worked with that truly use natural horsemanship have been very influential. One of my dog friends, Lark Pollari, helped me make my biggest breakthrough at one of these lessons when she reminded me to pet my horse to reward her for a job well done. I perceived that I was petting the horse, but it wasn’t an unconscious gesture for me. Since then I have been a lot less stingy with my affection during training sessions. It’s very interesting to contrast the horse training with our own agility training.

In agility training we quickly reward our dog with a conditioned reinforcer, (click, yes, good) and then follow up with the dog’s primary motivator of the toy, or food. In many ways we are completely out of the equation and have become a “Pez Dispenser” (Thanks Christie Leone). In the September, 2005 issue of Clean Run Magazine Sharon Nelson addresses this issue. It’s the column where a reader writes in with a problem that their dog is showing. This particular case was a dog that would not perform the weave poles when trialing, but had dynamic fast weaves at home. In her direct way Sharon says the handler is not the primary motivator. Basically all dogs can quickly figure out that at a trial we can’t take the toys, or treats into the ring and that there is no chance that their primary motivator can be presented while in the ring. I’ve seen several competitors get around this by wearing large baggie sweatshirts that the dog learns to tug, but for the most part all the dog has in the ring is ourselves. On page 33 of the article Sharon recommends that the handler transfer the motivation to themselves. Once your dog wants the treat or toy you first praise and touch your dog. I often hear Sharon tell her dogs, “You da best” while thumping them on the sides and back. “Since the dog has learned that the praise/touch always precedes the food/toy, the praise/touch becomes the primary motivator and the food/toy becomes the secondary motivator.” I’m not sure that she is using her terminology correctly here and I would say that for most dogs the praise/pet is the bridge to the food.

In class this past week we’ve working on this idea. After all, many of us have dogs that look better in practice than they do at a trial. For most of us the dogs have proved to be very resistant to the pet/praise before the reward. Generally Saales is oriented with every cell of her body towards the treat. After a run at a trial I have to use a lot of voice commands to get her to wait long enough to put on the leash before heading to the crate and the reward. After 7 days of pet/praise therapy she is occasionally relaxing into my affection. When I feel her body accept the attention I release her and we head for the treat. Now every treat, ball toss, or snowball toss is preceded by petting and praise and guess what? I think that she’s getting it. The test, of course, will be trialing, but I can take myself into the ring and I can take my love into the ring.

Fortunately for me I have a good model that I can copy and that is Kili. Somewhere along the line people have become Kili’s primary motivator. After a job well done she is quite happy with praise and affection. After an agility run she always checks with me first and does her rolling happy growl.

Have Fun Playing,

Nancy