NePoPo - Kaizen K9 style

For this session I'm using a chameleon 3b with a PT3000 on level 1 and it's paired to a sound box to indicate when I press the button. When you hear an audible sound that indicates the ecollar being activated on level 1.

Shred is a working dog. She keeps a yard secure at night. When not performing this role we often use her as a training aid for decoys and handlers. So she hasn't really been formally trained to do anything.

Therefore, she knows a little of lots and lots of nothing. The perfect dog to demonstrate how utilising low level stimulation with an ecollar can be highly effective as a communication tool.

In this session I'm teaching Shred to listen and not guess when words are spoken. She has done a lot of downs and prefers that position. So choosing the sit was a difficult problem for her. She isn't being disobedient but she also isn't concentrating on what I'm saying. She's guessing. This isn't a shaping session and I want her to concentrate on what she is being told.

I'm teaching her to think and problem solve by using low level stim as a negative reinforcer below her level of hope. I'm using low levels because I'm not sure exactly what she knows and I want her to think clearly and problem solve. She won't be able to do that at a level that bothers her excessively.

The stim basically tells her to keep trying. It gets her attention without making her scared. It annoys her but doesn't put her into a state of emergency. I don't want her there. I want her calm and clear headed enough to think and problem solve.

When using an ecollar as a negative reinforcer we must remember that it provides no direction. You should not consider raising the level unless you are certain the dog understands the desired behaviour and that they can control the ecollar. Excessive stimulation will demotivate the dog and risk learned helplessness. This must be avoided.

Here Shred started to learn and worked harder due to the mild discomfort. You'll notice the stim wasn't used everytime. The dog needs to know they can turn it off and on. And, most importantly, they can avoid it altogether if they try hard.

This is NePoPo...