What Mister Softee can teach us about dog training
The other day my niece did something that was a perfect example of classical conditioning: The Mister Softee song wafted in from the street and she ran to my sister in a kind of blissful panic. An...
View ArticleHow trained pigeons could’ve won World War II
B.F. Skinner, the great 20th century psychologist and social philosopher, had an idea about how to bring about world peace. It involved teaching pigeons to guide missiles. Skinner isn’t the big name...
View ArticleHappy Birthday to BF Skinner: It’s time for a rebranding
BF Skinner, the man behind the best science-based animal training practiced today. He died in 1990, but, had he lived, today he would’ve turned 108. This is the first of several posts we’re putting on...
View ArticlePunishment & reinforcement in Little Golden Books
Today’s Birthday honoree, BF Skinner, outlined the four quadrants of operant conditioning that dictate so much about how we, and dogs, behave. The better we are at understanding how our own behaviors...
View ArticleThe Big Bang Theory explains Operant and Classical Conditioning
In honor of BF Skinner’s birthday, I thought I’d share these fun clips from the Big Bang Theory which touch on some of the four quadrants that Skinner pinpointed as part of “operant conditioning.”...
View ArticleVintage footage of BF Skinner’s animal training in action
When you’re trying to get a dog to behave the way you’d like it to, so much is contingent on figuring out what is most rewarding to the dog, and then delivering that reward with timing that’s precise...
View ArticlePodcast Episode 18: The Dog Training Triad Part 3
This episode is all about the importance of good timing in dog training. It is the third part in a series about what I call The Dog Training Triad. You can find Part 1 here (on Management) and Part...
View ArticlePodcast Episode 19: How to train a dog to “sit” from scratch
My latest podcast episode is all about teaching a dog to sit. Because… who doesn’t want a dog to know how to sit! In the episode, I break down how to do it, and how not to do it. In doing so, I...
View ArticlePodcast Episode 21: Being BF Skinner’s Daughter: Deborah Buzan Dispels The Myths
Deborah Buzan is a well-respected London-based artist, and the daughter of one of the most famous scientists of the 20th century, BF Skinner. But, too often, when she meets new people, they aren’t...
View ArticlePodcast Episode 26: Teach a foolproof DROP and COME using Classical Conditioning
Most of the time when we teach a dog a new behavior, it follows an “if/then” equation. If you sit, then you get a treat; if you stop jumping, then I’ll greet you. This is training using Operant...
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