Moving on to Partial Reinforcement
with Caitlyn Mattern of ModDogTraining, Training Advocate
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Welcome back to week two of talking about reinforcement schedules in dog training!


Today, we're going to talk about graduating to a partial reinforcement (PR) schedule! You'll know your dog is ready for this when they are performing a cue very consistently. For example, your dog sits each time you ask or maybe they even default into a sit in certain situations.


One of the biggest mistakes I see clients make is using continuous reinforcement for so long that their dog has a tough time staying motivated if they aren't receiving food treats after each cue is performed. Once our dogs know a cue well, we want to keep them guessing, so to speak, about when they are going to receive a food treat. Moving on to this type of reward system keeps our dogs happily participating in training because there is always a chance they're going to receive a treat!


There are two types of partial reinforcement schedules that we are going to go over in the next two weeks: interval and ratio. While we want to move on to using one of these as soon as possible, do not be discouraged if you try and your dog isn't ready yet! We can always go back to continuous reinforcement to brush up on skills that are still new or have become rusty and then go right back to PR when we're ready!


When using an interval schedule, your dog may be rewarded for a cue or behavior after a certain amount of time has passed it could be random, or fixed!


When using a ratio schedule, your dog may be rewarded after performing a cue or behavior after a certain number of repetitions this could also be random or fixed!


This week, all I'd like for you to do is notice when you mark and reward for certain cues or behaviors! Do you give your dog a treat every time they sit? Or only in certain situations? Do you notice any patterns in the way you mark and reward your dog's behaviors?


Happy Training!

Caitlyn Mattern of ModDogTraining

Training Advocate
Dogly loves Caitlyn because the heart of her science-based training is helping dogs and their people understand each other better.

Caitlyn guides you

Manners - New Dogs - Enrichment - Puppies - Walking - Basic Training

Caitlyn is certified

ABCDT