Book Review
How
Dogs Learn
Burch
and Bailey
This book covers the history of animal
training, utilising works such as Pavlov and Skinner as well as more current
research.
Human behaviour analysis tools are used, to
show the relationship between operant conditioned responses and training, while
looking at each dog as an individual and the intrinsic motivational factors in
canine behaviour.
It introduces the reader to functional
analysis in order to diagnose particular behaviours, it also highlights the
importance of taking into account medical as well as environmental causes and
introduces an easily recognisable antecedent, behaviour, consequence analysis,
which would be very useful to novice trainers.
This work attempts to provide humane solutions
to problems through positive methods by discussing the basic underlying
principles of behaviour particularly focusing on the role of positive
reinforcement.
This book is very engaging; the authors use
a good mix of fact and narrative, along with particular, and sometimes
personal, examples to assist the reader to strengthen
their understanding of individual topics. The author’s use of appropriate
humour to highlight key points further strengthened the reader’s understanding,
and it was nice to hear that occasionally things didn’t go to plan, that it
wasn’t the end of the world when it went wrong, and whereabouts in the book the
reader could look for answers.
It is easy to find what you are looking for
particularly if you want to ‘dip in’ rather than read from cover to cover
because the layout of the book is easy to follow. With amusing chapter headings
such as “Don’t just do something, stand there”, the reader is left in no doubt
about what they can expect, while the gentle humour captures the essence of the
chapter and appeals to the less academic reader often put off by technical
titles.
This book does contain technical
information, and is devoted to the science of dog training, it also contains a moderate
amount of academic language which requires some basic underlying knowledge to
read uninterrupted; this may not suit a novice reader to the subject, who will
find they have to stop to check out or revisit terms they are not one hundred
per cent familiar with. Reading this way would by no means be detrimental to
the readers understanding of the subject, but could impede the flow of the book,
and be somewhat frustrating.
In order to help the book flow logically
Burch and Bailey have gone to great lengths to give the reader something
tangible they can relate to, setting out chapters from early dog training
history through to present day and the most modern research (for the time of
writing). They highlight the most important points they want the reader to take
away by using photographs and small paw print boxes containing a condensed
version of the information, so readers can understand the importance of a
particular training method or term. While this may help some readers, others
may find it a little busy to read, which again could interrupt the flow, but
the content is so enthralling we can’t help but be carried along.
Burch and Bailey have written a
Comprehensive book which covers the topic of how dog’s learn, the aim of which
appears to be to equip todays dog owners with useful tools to help them train
more effectively, and humanely, in everyday situations with an understanding of
how operant conditioning can help.
Helping the novice to understand the often
confusing subject of negative reinforcement and punishment, is obviously
advantageous to the future of dog training, from both owner and the dog’s
perspective, and fits well with modern day philosophies such as dogs earning
their food as reward while learning sought after behaviours (Yin 2012).
The authors provide the reader with some
practical examples of how to increase sought after behaviours, using
scientifically proven methods such as shaping, prompting, chaining and fading;
however an owner looking for a ‘how to’ book will be disappointed, as the
examples are used to emphasize the scientific principles rather than act as a
step by step owner’s guide to a well-trained dog.
This work is useful as a guide for any
owner to understand learning theory from their dog’s perspective; it refutes
the long held theory that the domestic dog in our living room is really a wolf
in disguise, by encouraging us to look at dogs as individuals with distinct
identities. Rather than looking at dogs as members of a fixed species with
predetermined characteristics the authors urge us to treat each dog as a
distinct being with changeable moods, motivations and behaviours, while
emphasising how analysing the trainer’s performance can shift the focus from
what is often seen as an unco-operative dog, lacking the ability to learn, or
being stubborn, to the trainer’s lack of knowledge of behavioural theory,
and/or practical skills to teach the behaviour correctly; this point of view
would sit well with modern day holistic trainers who find physical punishment
abhorrent and akin to animal abuse.
Burch and Bailey acknowledge the sacrifices
animals (not just dogs) have made to behaviour research, and how significant
this sacrifice has been in propelling humane and holistic treatment forward.
The book gives information on how important areas such as physical health can
be in determining a dog’s behaviour, and encourages owners to rule out internal
factors such as pain, by having a thorough health check, before looking at
external factors.
Controversially the author’s state that
occasionally aversive stimuli (punishment), that may inflict pain, is a useful
method to modify behaviour, they do however caution the reader, both from an
ethical point of view and for the distress physical punishment can cause to the
dog, that punishment should only be used by experienced trainers as a last
resort, and only after a thorough analysis of the behaviour has been
undertaken.
Where this work comes into its own is in
the analysis of external factors; the chapter on functional analysis, identifying variables that influence
how problem behaviour occurs, using
the antecedents, behaviour and consequences model is easy to understand, even
for a novice, and is
the hallmark of contemporary approaches to behavioral assessment (Hanley,
Iwata, & McCord 2003). Using functional analysis methodology the reader can examine dog behaviour not just from
what they see at a fixed moment in time, but what occurred before and after the
behaviour. Using the above behavioural analysis the authors encourage readers
to explain undesirable behaviours in scientific terms, and to use strategies
like extinction, antecedent control and differential reinforcement to attempt
to modify the dog’s behaviour, which is a very valuable tool for any dog
trainer’s toolkit.
Another tool that the authors mentioned but
could have explored in greater depth, is the use of the conditioned reinforcer, which
is affectionately called
clicker training, it was Interesting to see that operant conditioning,
utilising a conditioned reinforcer had been used by a few practitioners in the
past, with good success rates; as the authors didn’t seem to whole heartedly support
positive training methods the
addition of information on the effectiveness, and importance, of good timing, and how
positive methods improve the animal trainer relationship would have helped the
reader to have a more balanced view.
However in an attempt at balance Burch and Bailey comment on how the dominance
theory of training evidenced by anthropomorphising that the dog is ‘feeling’
disobedient, guilty or deliberately destructive has held back modern positive
training methods for several decades.
In terms of modernising the feel of the
book, Introduction of more contemporary writers work, like the ten laws of shaping (Pryor 2012) or
the learn to earn program (Yin 2012), would update the feel of the book and
made it current, this along with improving the information on conditioned
reinforcer use (which I feel is not emphasized as the powerful tool it is
proven to be), would make this a book for the 21st century trainer.
This book has a good all round feel, it
would suit the novice reader as well as those with more scientific backgrounds,
the technical language is sometimes hard to follow but the reference section
and comprehensive index make it useful for either cover-to cover reading or to ‘dip-in’
for research purposes. Dog owners with little or no knowledge may feel a little
overwhelmed at first but with perseverance they would learn some valuable
lessons on the basis of how dogs do learn.
The Authors are recognised experts in their
field and they Integrate theory into practice in a scholarly way, making it
valuable to educators in the behaviour field. It has strengthened my teaching
by raising my understanding of the subject and increasing my confidence to use
the scientific terms correctly. I have used several tables and examples for
behaviour classes along with the objectives and revision section to consolidate
the students learning, and students give feedback to their value; this book has
recently been added as a recommended reading text for Otego Polytechnic
veterinary nurse animal behaviour students.
This book is not just for behaviour
students though; it will appeal to owners who want to focus primarily on the
topic of dog training through their understanding of classical and operant conditioning,
it isn’t a how to book but is does set out logically to take the reader through
the process of understanding a dogs motivation. Holistic trainers would relate
to notions like not blaming the dog for error, while looking at trainer
communication and reinforcement and the practical aspects leave the reader (and
myself) feeling they could try strategies not just read about them.
‘Properly trained, a man can be dog's best friend’.
~Corey Ford
Well done, this is a thorough review and you have given valid
points and have justified them.
References
Burch, M. R. & Bailey, J. S. (1999). How Dogs Learn. Howell Book House, Macmillan USA.
Hanley, P.G. Iwata, B.G. McCord, B.E. (2003) Functional analysis of problem behavior: a
review. Journal of
Applied Behavioural Analysis. 2003 36(2): 147–185
Yin, S. (2012) learn to earn
program retrieved from
Pryor, K. (2012) The ten Laws
of Shaping retrieved from
