WHAT IS GAMES-BASED,CONCEPT TRAINING?
Your dog is constantly making decisions in his daily life and these decisions will dictate the type of behavior he chooses.
All this takes place in your dog's brain!
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A calm dog will be able to "think" about what is the best choice to make in a particular situation.
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A nervous, anxious, fearful or overexcited dog can no longer "think", he will act instinctively - due to an increasing arousal level - hence the barking, pulling on leash, rushing over and jumping up on another dog/person.
Games related to concepts, is a games-based training method, rewarding your dog through positive reinforcements - that do not necessarily include food or toys. By using games to train your dog, they can help you realize your vision of how you want to live with your dog.
This training differs from many other canine training methods based on positive rewards, because it does not only concentrate on teaching your dog how to carry out certain behaviours - it teaches concepts that "reshape" your dog's brain, using games and strategies, that prepare your dog to be able to make better CHOICES when he sees disturbing or exciting distractions in the environment.
This method will have a positive influence on the attitude and personality of your dog, as well as on the way he behaves and reacts daily, to events occurring in the environment.
WHAT ARE THE "CONCEPTS"?
Concepts are what make up your dog's personality. His personality will influence not only the development of his training, but also the development of any behavioral problem.
Let's take a look at two of the foundation concepts that all dogs share:
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OPTIMISM: Is your dog a happy-go-lucky dog that will go and explore any new situations or objects without reacting negatively?
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If the answer is YES, then your dog has a very positive attitude in life and is an optimist.
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CONFIDENCE: Does your dog become worried as soon as he sees other dogs or people approaching in the environment, and he reacts negatively?
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If the answer is YES, your dog lacks confidence in himself - he is a pessimist. You will have to work on games and strategies that will improve both his confidence and optimism towards life in general.
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All dogs suffer, at some time or other, a weakening of these 2 Concepts. To help your dog, It will be necessary to work with the various strategies or games that improve both his confidence and his optimism towards life in general, taking into account his preferred rewards, as well as food and toys. (Check out the presentation videos for more details on the concepts)
The other concepts that make up the foundation level, are: CALMNESS, VISUAL CONTACT, ORIENTATION, SELF-CONTROL, and we recently added DISENGAGEMENT to the list, as it is becoming increasingly evident that many dogs can find it difficult to disengage from a worrying situation.
BE INSPIRED - AND INSPIRE YOUR DOG THROUGH GAMES!
The success of playing games linked to concepts, is due to a combination of the following:
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Reward the dog's choice, instead of rewarding a requested behavior. The choices made by your dog are never completely specific to one situation or behavior at any given time.
The choice you want your dog to make in one situation, can also apply in many other situations.
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The use of powerful STRATEGIES OF REINFORCEMENT, which are considered as valuable experiences by your dog. These strategies include not only the use of food and toys, but may also include other people; certain objects in the environment and also environmental distractions (under controlled conditions).
These are usually reinforcements that your dog gives a HIGH VALUE to. When you use a reinforcement considered high value to your dog, you will increase the likelihood that your dog will continue to carry out these choices in the future. Your dog's confidence and optimism will increase, which will also improve your relationship with him.
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1-3 minute games. Most dogs love to play - either with other dogs or with their human companions. They get immense pleasure from this form of interaction.
1-to-3 minute games will not only help improve your relationship, but will also change your dog's perception of how he can overcome his struggles.
3 minutes maximum for each play session will ensure your dog gets an optimal training experience – and because his arousal level is not too high, this allows him to make the right choices. These “good” choices are more likely to be repeated in many different situations, and different environments. (Check out the presentation videos for more details on the games)
...AND THE BENEFITS?
The advantages of a games-based training method are many:
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Not only will games build a better relationship with your dog, they will build trust, responsiveness in challenging situations - and more freedom out on walks.
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Games that are linked to the Concepts that your dog struggles with, will change his emotion from a negative state to a positive one - and consequently he will become calmer; be able to choose better coping strategies because he has learnt there are more better choices available that he can make, in many different situations.
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The games are not long (1-3 minutes), nor are they complicated – and they can be played at any time during the day or night! For example, when you are making a cup of coffee, even when you are watching the television.
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You no longer have to make elaborate preparations to attend a training session, just have some of your dog’s daily food allowance (or his favourite toy) in the areas you will play with him;
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It is much cheaper – even some of the props you will need to train your dog can be found at home – cardboard boxes; buckets; chairs; plastic bottles …
This method was created by absolute-dogs.com - an international dog training center in Devon, UK.
One of the co-founders is a veterinarian who is also a canine behaviorist and canine educator; and the other co-founder is a professional canine educator, and worldwide agility expert and competitor (and she is also part of the British national agility team).