Premack at the Park

David uses Premack's principle to build a reliable off-leash recall under high distractions.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• David
• the
• Dog
• Trainer
• reward
• training
• positive
• reinforcement
• Premack
• Off-Leash
• Recall

[paulabatistadesouza]

I love positive training, and Premack Principle interests me a lot, but i would like to understand it better. If the dog knows that the only thing he will get by coming to you is be released again, why would it come? If the dog is already where he wants, won't he think that it's better just to stay there? If the training included giving a treat at each recall and THEN releasing, that would be ok. But if you are already with your ice cream, why would you eat vegetables to "earn it again"?

[davidthedogtrainer]

@paulabatistadesouza Thanks for the question! I want the dog to THINK that the only reason he is allowed to do behavior X (running around free, etc.) is because he is performing behavior Z (the Recall then wait to be Released). I used this principle the other day for DOWN-STAY during a party. I released the dog for mannerly greetings of guests (what he REALLY wanted), then returned him to the down-stay (what I really wanted). Does that help?

[paulabatistadesouza]

@davidthedogtrainer But in this case isn't the behavior with higher probability going BEFORE the one with lower probability? See, your dog is doing what HE wants, THEN what you want. Anyway, I partially understood. "I know you already have the ice cream, but if you don't eat the vegetables AGAIN, you will lost it.". But how do you teach that? Don't giving the dog the opportunity to "discover" that he has choice(using a leash e.g.)? Building a very strong history of reinforcement on COME cue?

[davidthedogtrainer]

@paulabatistadesouza This is a repetitive Premack exercise. At least in my understanding of the principle. I am exchanging freedom for recalls. One I have reliable on-leash recalls around distractions, I will put freedom on cue - go play, go away, free dog - and toss in recall exercises during off-leash play. The Recall is Rewarded (R+) by freedom. I hope this helps!

[davidthedogtrainer]

Dear sabumitz, thank you so much for your comment.

In my practice, I find clients often complaining that they cannot get their dog's attention or get their dog to comply when the dog is "distracted."

What I am hoping to illustrate with this video is that you can use the "distractions" in your dog's life as rewards! Instead of telling the dog to stop attempting to do X, Y, or Z, it is often possible to train your dog to exchange good behaviors for access to what they want.

~ David

[angelamdimarco]

Lily will be getting her ice cream for sure!

[sabumitz]

I like to say-why wouldn't a dog come to me when I called them?! If it's not unpleasant and there are rewards involved and the dog often ends up getting what they want anyway, what do they have to lose? They just need to understand what having their name and a cue word shouted means. Oh there are those darn distractions but with practice, like you've shown with Lily, it's more likely to occur. New hat?