Punishment is unavoidable. It’s a naturally occurring phenomenon but it’s not the most effective way of changing behaviour. Rather than leave it to chance of what our learner will do, let’s take responsibility for teaching the behaviours that will work functionally for us both.

We don’t always behave in the same way. Nor we, nor our dogs.

Behaviour principles can be applied across the species. From animal training to personal development. Changing my behaviour changed the way I talk to myself. It can be applied to any new skill you would like to learn, I applied it to changing my diet. I’ve done it, you can do it too.

Animals just as much as humans are individuals with their own set of preferences and biases. What works for one will have no effect on the other. We can influence a positive change in the behaviour of any individual but the approach needs to take the individuality into consideration.

I write about many things and it might seem chaotic. There is one thread in all of this. Behaviour. Behaviour is everywhere. No matter the species and situation. There are principles of behaviour that are being researched by the field of behaviour analysis. Let me shed some light on it.

Learning takes time. For us, humans and for the animals that we are teaching alike. While working with owners and their dogs, it’s not just the dog that needs to develop a new habit, it’s also the caregiver. When we expect too much from ourselves we can easily get discouraged. If you never used treats with your dog – it’s going to take time for you to build a habit around it. You might not see the change in your dog immediately but have you made the sustainable change in you first? It’s easy to blame the dog but for him creating a new habit can be equally challenging as it is for you.

Dogs had years and years of evolution to become a different species from wolves. I find it unfair for both of the species to keep comparing them according to the leader of the pack belief. I will continue to provide content for everyone who loves to learn more and is not settling on the status quo.

Learning is a huge passion of mine. Learning about animal training is my two biggest passions coming together! I would love to inspire you to learn more and continue to grow. It's not always easy and there can be plenty of obstacles (time, money, lack of guidance). Fortunately, there are many resources to learn from (much more than mentioned in the video) and I hope you will be able to find a suitable one for your situation.

You can use behaviour science and shaping in your own life to design learning new skills in the most positive and least intrusive way. It might not be the easiest thing to analyse and some people might not like self-reflection part. But if you are already doing self-reflection on a regular basis, this can be an amazing tool to enhance your self-development significantly and learn new skills effectively.

Writing and talking about your own failures or mistakes isn’t easy. However, sharing it with others gives them the opportunity to learn from it too. I also believe that it humanises you and shows that no one is perfect. I am choosing to be a brave learner. Hope you can learn from my mistakes.

1. There are zoos that have the welfare of their animals at heart and they go above and beyond to make sure their animals are in the best conditions possible.
2. You don’t have to tell your animal that they’ve done something “wrong” when you are using behaviour science principles effectively.
3. We can all strive to achieve more with our companion animals.

Dogs learn all the time not only when we decide to train them. Whether you like it or not, your behaviour is a big influence on your dogs’ learning. I would encourage you to focus on the positives and the things that you want to see in him. Focus on what you want, reinforce it and see more of it.