The eBark: Rockingham Dog Club Issue 3 April 2016 | Page 22

Mechanics matter: Examining the little details of food delivery weren’t expecting. When behavior deteriorates suddenly, many people assume that the animal has forgotten, is being lazy, has gotten bored, or is just having a bad day. Often, though, the animal’s behavior has changed because the trainer has unknowingly changed her own behavior (or something has been altered in the environment without the trainer noticing). Here are two recent examples from my own training that illustrate how little changes in the placement and timing of the treat can result in big changes in the behavior of the animal. By Mary Hunter on July 3, 2015 in Dog Training The more animals I train, the more I understand how tiny details can make a huge difference! Often times, a seemly insignificant change in how we interact with an animal can totally change the learning process. A small change can sometimes make learning happen faster, but sometimes can make learning happen slower, and sometimes can result in the animal learning something completely different from what we intended. It can be particularly helpful to start examining the little details when the animal’s behavior changes in a way you Down and up I have a student with a smart, young mix-breed puppy that has been doing great in class. The dog learned how to lie 22