I’m continuing with Lightning’s yard work on PRT Formal Fetch step 4, proofing the Walking Fetch. Besides the training, it’s an interesting opportunity to observe a major difference in the way dogs and humans think.

How can Lightning, who is thoroughly fluent with the Walking Fetch performed with 2″ bumpers in the backyard, perform so badly when I try it with 3″ bumpers?

And then, why, when I go back and retrain it from Formal Fetch step 1 (Hold), and then proceed thru steps 2  (Fetch Game) and 3 (Walking Fetch), with 3″ bumpers, does he then become equally fluent with both sizes?

And yet, again, why doesn’t that fluency carry over to other proofing variations such as changes in location or terrain without additional retraining?

From a Behaviorist point of view, the answers to those questions don’t matter. You observe behavior and train accordingly. You don’t try to read the dog’s mind or emotions. You certainly don’t speculate that the dog is being spiteful, stubborn, stupid, or lazy, or exhibiting any other character flaw. You don’t expect the dog to generalize, for example by picking up a bird at training day based on yard training with a 2″ bumper. If the dog does so, great. If not, no surprise. The behavior just needs more proofing. That’s what step 4 is all about.

However, it’s also interesting to speculate: what is happening when the dog won’t pick up the 3″ bumper though fluent with 2″ bumpers? You’ve got high value treats available and the dog knows it. The dog wants those treats., and lunging for a 3″ bumper should be just as thrilling as for a 2″ one.

If you’re a dog trainer, you may have seen this or analogous situations before. From reading your dog, you may have your own theory of what is going on. I have my own. You may be right and I may be wrong, since I at least am not a doggie mind reader. But this is my theory.

Lightning simply doesn’t understand what I’m asking him to do. For the moment, set aside the facts that he knows the Fetch cue inside-out and the 3″ bumper is almost identical to a 2″ bumper. Instead, look at his behavior. He wants to respond, both because he wants the treat and because he’s come to love fetching to an almost fanatical degree. But for all the world, he has no idea what I’m asking him to do. He can’t even make a good guess. Run around in circles? Sit with tongue hanging out? Lick my hand or face? Dude, the bumpers right there! Fetch!

I think a tremendous number of instances of incorrect responses are simply that a dog’s mind is different from ours in judging similarity of one situation to another. As a result, if anything is different, the dog simply doesn’t know what you mean.

I find this theory helpful. But I think the Behaviorist approach is also fine. That is, don’t worry about why, just train based on observation of behavior.

What I don’t enjoy seeing is a trainer attributing bad motives to a dog who isn’t responding correctly, and then punishing the dog accordingly. What if the dog really doesn’t understand, no matter how obvious it is to you? Would you punish the dog that way if the dog really doesn’t understand? I don’t think so. At least I’d hope not.