@eeeefarm - Totally agree with both of you, while I don't do the "restrain the pup", but if it works great and in a pinch it does work for me if really needed. When we have pups (babies) and Mom is tired of them and puts herself in a position that they can't reach her, they turn to the next adult in the house.... same thing will happen if they get over excited and yes, I have seen Basenji Moms, pin the pup to the ground and/or other adults in the home.... so it is something that a pup understands. Walking away works for me... or I try to change up the "game" by turning to working their minds and getting them to think about other things. In the Basenji Breed this is another way of teaching them that the prior behavior is not acceptable. They learn pretty quickly. Thanks for posting this thread eeeefarm... well needed...
Operant Conditioning
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Since the subject comes up from time to time, it is useful if everyone applies the terminology correctly. I dug around and found a pretty good explanatory article here.
For anyone who took psychology, this is not new news, but with the current popularity of "all positive" dog training, it's useful to understand where it comes from. B.F. Skinner's work is hardly new or modern, but it is certainly in vogue these days! Unfortunately it is also frequently misunderstood or misinterpreted. Understanding the basics is helpful when you are observing how an animal is reacting to your training methods, and can help one make good decisions about both reinforcement and punishment. IMO, many people make the mistake of not moving to a variable reinforcement schedule once a behaviour is established. Anyhow, I hope the article is helpful in clarifying the terms and the science behind them.
