Course Details
Motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic), reinforcement, engagement, confidence, and our handler-dog relationship are all very closely linked. In this webinar we discuss all of these individual elements and how they fit together to elicit enthusiastic participation and reliable performances even from our “differently motivated” dog.
It is common in dog sports to be working with a dog that has either:
• An innate drive (motivation) to perform at least some of the behaviours required for our chosen sport (e.g. retrieving, chasing, biting, jumping, running, circling, hunting / searching, tracking, herding, etc.); and/or
• An innate desire (motivation) to be extremely interested in their human and to keenly follow their human’s cues (i.e. highly biddable dogs; dogs with genetics for working closely with humans; dogs that place substantial value on praise / interaction / attention); and/or
• An innate drive (motivation) to access a stimulus that can readily be used as a reinforcer (e.g. a strong prey drive that can be shaped into a desire to engage with toys, a naturally strong “food drive”, etc.).
However, sometimes we are working with a “differently motivated” dog; one that lacks some or all of the above behavioural drivers, and/or a dog that possesses a strong innate desire (motivation) for autonomy, and/or exhibits a strong innate desire to undertake activities that are inherently independent (i.e. activities that do not involve the human), and/or a dog that is innately low energy with little “drive” or enthusiasm for the activities that form the foundation of most dog sport training.
Common training strategies that are highly effective for building motivation, enthusiasm, focus, and engagement with a typical “work-oriented” dog, may be ineffective when applied to a “differently motivated” dog due to the significant differences in their innate traits / drives. Hence, when working with "differently motivated" dogs, it is usually necessary to make adjustments to our standard training strategies / programs; adapting our training approach to suit the innate drives of our “differently motivated” dog will result in more enjoyable training sessions (and competition performances) for both us and our dog.
About the Instructor:
Sharon has been a professional animal trainer for over 30 years; she currently operates a dog training and behaviour consulting business based in Newcastle, Australia.
Intent on really understanding animals better, Sharon completed a Bachelor of Applied Science, a Graduate Diploma (Captive Vertebrate Management – wildlife and exotics), and a Master of Animal Science. Sharon is a fully certified behaviour consultant with the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) for both dogs (CDBC) and horses (CEBC) and is a certified professional dog trainer - CPDT-KA. Sharon is also a faculty member of Fenzi Dog Sports Academy.
Sharon has published several scientific papers and review articles on the topic of training and behaviour modification in journals, including veterinary journals. Sharon guest lectures to post-graduate veterinarians and behaviourists at several universities and organisations throughout the world on the topics of animal behaviour, training, species-specific cognition, welfare, and psychological trauma in animals.
Sharon currently competes in a variety of dog sports with her 3 standard poodles Jericho, Vincent, and Kane.
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