If Bloom's Taxonomy, Merril's Component Display theory and Gagne's Nine Learning Events is what you're accustomed to discussing on a daily basis, you'll know where I have been for a while now.
Yes, they call that curriculum design, and it is both an art and a science in not only understanding how one learns but you also get to apply how one should ideally teach.
If there's anything that is true of people who work in a field such as this, it is the fact that they can get jolly stubborn about what they propose is spot on or not.
It was a word I looked for, and found in a Landmark Forum: pretentious… and the reason why I say this is due to the fact that everything in education is a work in progress.
And I mean, everything. There is no absolute theory, and if one has to be successful in a career such as this, you have to be able to combine a whole bunch of theories in writing good curriculum. In other words, it is an ongoing experiment…
Conditioning or Positive Reinforcement: Which is the right approach?
And since we're talking about matters of learning and experimentation, this bring to mind, the great man Ivan Pavlov and how he understood classical conditioning using dogs as the subject of his painful (read: cruel) experiments. Thank goodness, there were no animal rights organizations at that time!
However, when it comes to the training of dogs, the curriculum has changed from punishing the dog for doing something wrong to rewarding it whenever it obeys.
(They call it "positive reinforcement" in learning psychology lingo, regardless of whether this is learning for animals or humans. )
And yet again, the relationship between man and beast (read: man) and the effectiveness of teaching a dog the right skills depends on trust and mutual respect.
Alternatively, if you suppress a dog's instincts, it only results in viciousness and inadequate training and which will cause trouble for both owner and dog later on.
So, teaching a dog commands in a positive and non violent manner can only mean well… much like how this works like magic with adults too!
Basic Dog Training Tips
There are two types of training which spans anything from obedience training all the way to specialized training which involves protection of property, law enforcement and assisting disabled people.
Since we're dealing with the basics, there are six commands that are normally taught such as sit, down, heel, recall, stay and close. Yet there are four others that can be of special benefit to the owner, and ultimately for the dog in question.
1) Not to bite
In order to do this, you have to divert the dog's attention by tugging his leash and directing his attention to anything that interests him otherwise.
2) To fetch the newspaper
Throw a tennis ball while teaching the dog to get it for you, while being on a leash. If it's not on a leash, pretend to walk away after the dog has got the ball back.
3) Not to bark at visitors
Barking at visitors can seem threatening, so the trick is to teach it to 'sit' as soon as the doorbell rings.
4) Crate training puppies
Using a kennel crate is a fast and effective way to housebreak your dog, because they are less likely to pee or poop where they sleep.
In Closing
And trust me, just like the Father of Learning Psychology described his work, teaching your dog these basic actions is always a work in progress…
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