Amanda Gagnon Dog Training

While Facebook was down, we were hard at work on something VERY special and VERY new from Amanda Gagnon. Any guesses at what it could be from this behind-the-scenes sneak peek? Keep your eyes peeled on our socials in the coming days for more details!

This week's word is: "EXTINCTION." I chose this word because I often see it used incorrectly. In fact, this week alone I have seen this term applied incorrectly... twice! So, let me clarify: Extinction is the process that occurs when we STOP reinforcing a behaviour. The classic example is the dog the jumps on house guests. She is seeking human attention. When we give her that attention in any form, we are strengthening the behaviour. In other words, our attention is reinforcing her jumping behaviour. If we stop giving our attention, presumably the behaviour will also stop. This is the extinction process. But wait, what next? A few things we need to consider. If we simply STOP rewarding her jumping behaviour without any further information, she will be both frustrated and confused. She will likely try something else to grab our attention. So even though the jumping has stopped (yay!), she may grab pant legs or start barking for attention instead (boo). Have you seen some new behaviours crop up recently? Perhaps this is why! Additionally, when we simply cease rewarding a behaviour, we will see what is called an "extinction burst." This is when the behaviour reappears and increases in frequency and intensity. If we keep withholding the reward, the extinction burst will eventually stop but may return more than once. Therefore, she may stop jumping and then suddenly start again, jumping higher, longer, and with more tenacity! Lastly, if we truly wanted to make the behaviour stop altogether through extinction, we would need to be extremely consistent. Even occasionally reinforcing the behaviour can actually strengthen it! So, what should we do instead of ignoring our dog? We should instead teach our dog what we would like them to do instead of jumping on house guests. For example, we might teach them to lay on their mat. Laying on their mat is a behaviour that is incompatible with jumping up. They literally cannot jump and lay down at the same time! It is a win-win -- our dog is no longer jumping on our guests and she now knows what she should be doing because we have provided her with the information she needs as long as the new behaviour is equally as reinforcing (or more reinforcing) than jumping up! If we do use extinction, it absolutely should be in conjunction with teaching something to replace the undesired behaviour. So, instead of focusing on what you don't want your dog to do, try reframing the question and asking what behaviour you would like your dog to do in a particular situation!

Wanna know more about bats?? Come to this on Thursday night. We heard there will be prizes!!!

What are you doing in half an hour? Check this out. It's free and it's going to be excellent!

https://newyork.cbslocal.com//dogs-separation-anxiety-str/ Check out Head Traininer Amanda Gagnon on CBS News!

"When society shifts its concept of how a dog should behave, and how that might fit into our human-centred priorities, as a whole, we can begin to shift how we think of dogs and their role in society." Hear! Hear! The ever-insightful Erin Jones just published an article about street dogs. Many of you know that I am obsessed with free-roaming dog populations, and Erin offers some awesome insights in this article. Take a look!

A job well done!

Ready to upgrade those skills from Puppy Kindergarten? Or, do you already have a strong foundation with the basics and want to learn how to start fading treats, what to do when your adolescent pup blows you off, and perfect your training with the distractions of the outside world? Join us for PUPPY LEVEL TWO!!! We have open spots still for our virtual class starting THIS SATURDAY 1/23 at 1pm. (Ps: training always starts indoors with low distractions!) Email [email protected] or give us a call for more info or to register.

Is your pup just licking their lips in anticipation of learning more??? Come join us for PUPPY LEVEL TWO to upgrade those skills learned in Puppy Kindergarten. Here you’ll learn how to fade out treats, upgrade impulse control, and keep your pup motivated - especially through that pesky adolescent phase! New course starts next Monday 10/19 at 7pm. Limited in-person availability but virtual availability also available - take the course from anywhere you are!!! Email [email protected] or sign up on our website (link in bio)!

Happy Friday from our Puppy Day School crew this week!