Finding the Magic in the Science
Many people find B.F. Skinner's work on Operant Conditioning distasteful. If Skinner was right, doesn't that make our dogs mere machines that can be programmed using science? Well, not quite.
Long before I started using Operant Conditioning in training my dogs, I gained a passing familiarity with it in a college level psychology class. I remember lengthy debates with classmates over whether B.F. Skinner’s work on Operant Conditioning reduced behavior to something that was purely mechanical. Was Skinner’s assertion that “consequence dictates behavior” an attempt to reduce us all to simple input/output machines.
On the surface, Operant Conditioning may seem very mechanistic in its approach to behaviour. When my dog does something I like, I reward it with something she enjoys. This simply programs my dog to do that behaviour whenever she wants the reward. If I’m consistent, the behaviour becomes reliable and I give it a name or “cue” (e.g., “Sit!"). The same is true of behaviours I don’t want. If my dog pulls on leash or tries to get into the garbage, I can yank her leash or yell to interrupt her from taking the trash. Done consistently, my voice becomes a signal that ceasing or not beginning a behaviour is the best way to avoid something unpleasant.
Cold mechanics
Although nearly a century has passed since Skinner began his research, Operant Conditioning still raises skepticism in the minds of many people. It can seem almost too simplistic - reward a behaviour and it happens more frequently, punish a behaviour and it happens less frequently. It’s almost mechanical. If I push the right buttons, I can get my dog to behave exactly how I want.
But most dog people don’t want to think of their dogs as simple behaviour machines. And we certainly don’t want to think of ourselves that way. What about free will and the ability to choose? Could there be more to Operant Conditioning than the simple mechanics of reward and punishment?
Skinner’s research on Operant Conditioning has proven to be remarkably accurate and effective on literally thousands of species including dogs and humans. Perhaps our emotional resistance to Operant Conditioning is just a misunderstanding of the deeper aspects of behaviour. When we dig beneath the mechanics to how operant conditioning works we come face to face with a simple problem - what does my learner “like” and “dislike”? Without some idea, nothing works as expected.
Magic behind the mechanics
Having used Operant Conditioning to train my dogs for more than 20 years, my perspective has changed significantly. I don’t see Operant Conditioning simply as a means to an end to get certain behaviours. The “magic” of Operant Conditioning is not in the simple fact that it is effective for teaching dogs behaviours. Those who focus solely on that kind of goal-oriented approach miss what I feel is the most important aspect of the Skinner’s behavioural technology.
In order for any Operant Conditioning to work, there must be something that the learner will desire enough to make the effort to get it. That’s the Reinforcement part of it. Similarly, if Punishment is used, the consequence of performing an unwanted behaviour must be unpleasant enough that the learner will try to avoid it. In other words, in order to use Operant Conditioning effectively we have to know what our dog likes and doesn’t like. We need to know their preferences.
Discovering my dogs
Operant Conditioning provides a wonderful framework for discovering those preferences. For me, this is where the real magic in the science lies. Before I can even begin to teach my dog behaviours, I need a general idea of what she likes and doesn’t like. How do I know what my dog likes? I have to experiment. I start with the obvious - all dogs eat! Food is generally something any dog will make an effort to get.
This is where Operant Conditioning gets even more magical. I experiment as I work with my dogs. I try different foods to see what each dog prefers. I use toys and play to see if they value activity and interaction. I can even experiment with sounds or physical affection to see what my dog likes. By watching her responses, I can learn what my older dog likes more than others. I get to know her individual likes and dislikes. My younger dog will show me a different set of preferences. That is where I find the magic.
Too clinical to care
In recent years even the positive dog training community has begun to distance itself from Operant Conditioning. Many of the terms have been renamed and redefined to have a more comfortable, emotional feel. There seems to be a sense that the stark definitions of the Operant Conditioning model are too cold and clinical. That using Operant Conditioning means that you don’t care about the emotional life of your dog.
To me, this is a fundamental misunderstanding of how Operant Conditioning works. Yes, it can be used in a utilitarian way with only an eye to getting the behaviour the trainer wants in the moment. But I think that kind of use squanders the important opportunity to get to know our dogs and lay the foundation for a solid long term relationship. If I take the time to observe and use my dog’s preferences for rewards, how often she likes to train, when she has had enough, when she wants to play, etc., I can create a cooperative relationship instead of one based only on getting what I want.
Yes, the Operant Conditioning model and protocols have well defined terms and rules. People can and have argued about those definitions and protocols for years. But anyone who has ever really used Operant Conditioning with an animal can tell you that they have come away from the experience with a greater appreciation of the individual animal and even developed a deep affection for them.
As with many things in science, if you stand back and try to analyze it from a distance, you only get a part of the picture. Sometimes you can’t really understand something until you put it into practice. As I’ve learned to get good at Mark & Reward Training and it’s roots in Operant Conditioning, I’ve also learned to see dogs in new and interesting ways. That has been the greatest gift the science of behaviour has given me.
20 years of Operant Conditioning with my dogs has helped me to understand them and love them more than I ever have. Not just my dogs but all dogs!