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Stopping Unwanted Behavior At Source
Here are our 3 proven techniques for eliminating undesirable behaviors and getting that clean trained final response you have always wanted!
Reward On The Nose
Definition: When the handler rewards the dog as soon as the dog sniffs the target odor.
If using a marker, you would mark at the instant your dog sniffs the target odor. You are not WAITING for any part of the trained final response. You are not CUEING the trained final response. This technique rewards your dog's choice to sniff target odor, reinforces that reward only comes at target odor, and allows you to reward before your dog can perform an unwanted behavior. Timing is critical so the opportunity for reinforcement isn't missed. The Reward on the Nose technique builds your dog’s confidence that they can earn their reward and can often increase the speed your dog offers their trained final response minimizing their desire to perform other unwanted behaviors.
When to use: We recommend this as a great technique to employ on the first run or two in troubleshooting training session. It guarantees success and while minimizing the opportunity for your dog to make an incorrect decision. This primes your dog to focus on the correct TFR behavior in the next run as they know reward is available.
Reward On The First Bark
(or the instant the dog performs their passive TFR behavior)
Definition: When the handler rewards the dog as soon as the dog performs their trained final response.
This technique is used to reward your dog’s CHOICE to commit to target odor and perform their trained final response. By providing an instant reward for performing the correct behavior (their TFR) you are building your dog’s confidence in their choice and their desire to make the same choice again to earn their reward. It gives you the handler the opportunity to reward your dog before they get confused or seek out reward by exploring other incorrect behaviors.
If you anticipate a delay, you can prompt the behavior and then reward as soon as the dog responds. Remember, this is training. The goal is to create opportunities for your dog to be successful and to reinforce their path to their reward.
When to use: For dogs who may not have a solid foundation in their TFR training, it reinforces their correct decision and prevents repetition of other unwanted behaviors. It is also great for dogs who may have started displaying unwanted behaviors because the criteria has gotten too hard too fast.
Non-Reinforcement
Definition: When the handler waits, without any interference, for the dog to stop doing the incorrect behavior and choose to perform their correct TFR.
Once your dog stops the unwanted behavior and performs their trained final response, you can then provide their reward. This allows your dog to learn to problem solve and make the correct choice without intervention from their handler. If it took an extended period of time for the behavior to extinguish, we recommend using Reward on the Nose or Reward on the First Bark that we covered above rather than asking for an extended TFR.
(A note about training props) Often times dogs offer unwanted behavior at source because they are trying to gain access to it. That is why prop durability, especially when using non-reinforcement, is so important. Accessing source can be detrimental to your TFR troubleshooting training because it makes the dog’s intensity to try that unwanted behavior even greater the next time because they have had previous success. Keep in mind prop durability is subjective based on each individual dog. What is durable for one dog is not durable for another. You want to use a prop that gives you the confidence that they cannot access source so you can patiently wait for your dog to make the correct choice.
When to use: This is good to use for dogs who may not have a solid TFR foundation and are not clear on how to get rewarded. This may be a dog who isn’t solid about the behavior you want from them or a dog who doesn’t have a strong enough reward system in place. It can also be effective for a dog with a history of reinforcement from incorrect behaviors. A behavior such as digging source has previously resulted in them getting rewarded by giving them access to source. Non-reinforcement “unlearns” that behavior but giving them repetitions that it no longer works. They then begin to explore other options for getting their reward and learn that their TFR is now a more productive path then the previous behavior.
Preventing Unwanted Behaviors
When first teaching a young dog their trained final response (TFR), the focus is not on troubleshooting incorrect behaviors but building a reward history for the right behavior. The more value your dog finds in performing the correct behavior, the less likely they are to offer other undesirable behaviors. What you do see though in this video is that CFTE Founder Deana Hudgins employs some of the same techniques we recommend for troubleshooting (Reward on the Nose and Reward on the First Bark) to help build Indy's confidence in making the correct choice to stay at target odor and to bark.