Desensitisation

http://www.thehorse.com/articles/16200/unpredictable-fear This article explains the difference between the training practices of desensitisation (controlled exposure to novel objects: horse habituates to the stimulus and stays under observable reactivity threshold) and flooding (intentionally, and unacceptably in my view, taking the horse over threshold by forced proximity/exposure to something that frightens them, until a fear response is no

Bad Science: Quadrants of Operant Conditioning

Originally posted on Dissecting Behavior:
People become dog trainers for various reasons. Often, these individuals will talk about a dog’s “performance,” yet this undoubtedly has a variety of interpretations. After all, what is performance? Is it speed? Strength? Accuracy? Reliability? Chat up a few trainers involved in any professional sport (canine or human) and you…