Conditioning and Training Methods and Techniques

Techniques > Conditioning

'Conditioning' is a method of creating predictable ways of behaving that began with Pavlov and his dogs and is widely used in training of dogs and other animals today. It is also useful for training children, adults and even yourself! It sometimes get criticized, though this is often due to misunderstanding of how to use it and what it can and cannot achieve. Here's a set of pages with practical information on how you can successfully use it in a wide range of training situations.

Conditioning basics (a simple set of key words to describe critical principles):

Subject: The person or animal being conditioned.

Action: A sequence of detectable acts.

Behavior: See Action.

Stimulus: Provocation to act.

Reward: Post-action reinforcement.

Pairing: Connecting two events.

Cue: Pre-action signal.

Luring: Showing reward as cue.

Delay: The gaps between cue, action and reward.

Guiding: Helping through the motions.

Demonstrating: Showing them how to do it.

Prompt: See Cue.

Trigger: See Cue.

Command: See Cue.

Fading: Moving from reward to cue.

Reinforcement

Stopping Undesirable Action

Training dogs:

See also

Classical Conditioning, Operant Conditioning, Conversion techniques, Institutionalization, Dogs and motivation, Habit, Motivation