Re: [RC] Spooking and punishment - Ed & Wendy Hauser
"....word when he spooked made him REALLY scared,...."
One of my principals of discipline (horse, dog,
small children) is that the first requirement is to figure out why the
undesirable behavior happens. The appropriate response is radically
different depending on the reason for the behavior.
1. The animal, or small child is
scared.
If you react with a negative, harsh response
(slap, gruff vocalization etc) they will only learn to fear not only
the original stimulus, but the coming pain. (physical, or
emotional). If on the other hand you overly sympathize with them and give
them lots of love, kind words etc., the response will continue because "Mom (or
Dad) is concerned, so there must be something to be scared of...". The
classic, extreme, example of this is the 2 yr old who screams at being left at
day care. The caregiver tries to reassure him/her for a long time and the
screams only get worse, and worse with each passing day. The proper
response is to pretend that there is nothing to fear and continue on about your
business. In my example, the 2 yr. old is kissed on the forehead, left
with the day care worker, and the caregiver just walks off. The undesired
behavior ceases in a few days.
2. The animal or small child is obstreperous or
playful.
If a negative reinforcement happens, the behavior
stops fairly soon. Note: The "negative reinforce", while it may
entail pain or discomfort, is not abusive or prolonged. A quick slap, a
harsh word or even a look, that is over in a flash is all that does any
good.
The real challenge is to figure out what is going
on in the mind of the animal or child. Knowing the mind of the animal is
what separates the good trainers from the rest of us.
Ed
Ed & Wendy Hauser 2994 Mittower
Road Victor, MT 59875
