HEAD START PROGRAM

3100 Cherry Hill Road | Ann Arbor, MI | 48105

(734) 662-5585 | www.hshv.org

•Introductions

•What is Head Start?

•Head Start Training Sessions-The Basics

•Training Tools

•Positive Reinforcement/Training Methods

•Let’s Practice

•Challenging Behaviors

•What’s Next?

Agenda for Today!

Humane Society of Huron Valley | (734) 662-5585 | www.hshv.org

What is Head Start?

Skills teaching program.

Gives them:

Enrichment

Mental Stimulation

Physical Stimulation

Teaches good behavior and manners

Needed socialization

Build relationships.

More Adoptable!!!

Humane Society of Huron Valley | (734) 662-5585 | www.hshv.org

Which Dogs Benefit Most from Head Start?

Dogs that are shy

Dogs than need help with basic manners

Behavioral concerns

Those that need special attention

Long Term Residents

Successful Head Start Trainers

Patience

Confident

Consistent

Understanding

Communicative

Assess Body Language

• Is the dog ready to learn?

• Is the dog afraid?

• Is the dog over stimulated?

• Is something else in the environment more relevant to the

dog?

• Set dogs up for success!!

Structuring a Session

Is the dog ready/able to learn?

Work in very short increments, mixed with breaks

(walk, play, sniff)

Choose where to work

Kennel

Play yard

Quiet area

Various places on walk

Head Start Tools

Positive Reinforcement Training vs Aversive Training

Rewards good

behavior

Builds bond with your

animal

Creates enthusiastic,

confident learners

Clear feedback for

animal to understand

Anyone can train

Suppresses “bad” behavior

Creates emotional fallout such as fear and avoidance

Results in negative associations with handler, environment

Can result in more problematic behaviors

Must be consistent and perfectly timed -trainer/aversive must be present

Trains out natural behavior and communication

Positive Reinforcement Training Punishment Based Training

Reinforcing Desired Behaviors

What motivates individual dog?

High Value Treats

Attention, Walks &

Play Time

Toys

Teaching Behaviors – Force-Free Techniques

Capturing

Shaping

Targeting

Luring (without force)

NOTE: Methods using compulsion, force,

and/or aversive techniques/equipment are

NOT to be used. Ask for help if you are

unsure how to deal positively with a

behavior.

Teaching with Marking

Marking is used to communicate with the dog

• Importance

• When good decisions are made

• Can use clicker or verbal as a way to “mark”

• Clicker Training Basics on volunteer resource library https://secure2.convio.net/hshv/site/SPageNavigator/volunteers/volunt

eer_resources.html

Provides instant and specific feedback

Mark for action – reward for position.

Think about placement of reinforcer

Skill Games

Treat delivery

To cup

To floor target

Marking a behavior

How does the dog know if he is

wrong?

Absence of reinforcement provides enough

information

No need for “No Reward Markers” such as “NO!”,

“AACH!”, etc.

Don’t provide any additional information

Too easily become punishers, resulting in same fallout

as other aversives (over-arousal, fear, etc.)

Changes the trainer’s mindset – focus instead on looking

for the “yes”

Steps to Teaching a Behavior

Get the behavior! Mark/reward.

Add a cue

CUE: A stimulus that elicits a behavior. Cues may be

verbal, physical (i.e., a hand signal), or environmental (i.e.,

a curb may become a cue to sit if the dog is always cued

to sit before crossing a road).

Cues vs. Commands

Cue = information that reinforcement is available for a

behavior.

Command = implied threat, “do this or else”

Generalize

Capturing

Marking/rewarding when the animal offers the

behavior naturally.

As behavior is reinforced, will be offered more

often, then able to put on cue.

Good method for behaviors that animals are likely

to do on their own (sit, four on the floor, eye contact)

Shaping

Shaping Building new behavior by selectively reinforcing variations in

existing behavior.

“Successive approximations”

Steps in the right direction toward ultimate goal behavior

Used during the action rather than after completion, to

increase or strengthen the behavior in a specific manner or

direction.

Empowers the learner to interact with environment and earn

reinforcement. Choices matter!

Good way to build more complex behaviors.

Does require good observation and timing.

Shaping Game

Targeting

Animal is taught to touch something with a part of his body.

Examples of targets: person’s hand, target stick, platform,

mat.

Can be used to train more complicated behaviors.

Good for moving animals, husbandry behaviors [video]

Teaching with Luring

Using food to guide the dog through a behavior.

For example, a food lure can be used to guide a

dog from a sit into a down.

Trainers must take care to fade the lure early or

food becomes part of the cue.

Core Skills

Understanding clicker

Eye contact

Impulse control

Four on the floor

Positions: Sit, Down

Hand target/touch

Find It

Advanced Skills

Loose leash walking

Stay/release

Go to Mat

Tricks

“Look at that”/Engage-disengage

Clicker Games

101 things to do with a box (cup, or any new

object!) [video]

Show me what you’ve got!

Great for building confidence in shy dogs!

Fun mental enrichment!

Take a 5 minute break and then we will

come back and practice!

Hands-On

Exercise demos and practice

Potential Challenges

Jumping

Leash biting/mouthiness

Reactivity

Strong pulling

Refusal to walk/go in certain direction

Be Proactive –

Don’t Wait for Problem to Start!

Reward behavior you want instead – feet on the

ground, walking forward, etc.

Provide incompatible behaviors – e.g., having leash

biter carry a toy

Watch for changes in body language, increase in

arousal, intense focus on something in the

environment.

Redirect with a cue, food, or toy. Move away from

trigger, etc.

Ask others for space if you need it.

“When in doubt, throw food.”

Effective Reinforcement

Set dog up for success (modifying environment, etc.)

Avoid frustration – “Split” behaviors into small components,

raise criteria gradually and “on average” (don’t get harder

and harder every time)

High rates of reinforcement help animals learn faster!

Give mental breaks

Experiment with different reinforcers

Be patient with generalization

Remember animals need to feel safe to learn

Stop if either one of you needs a break!

Challenging Behaviors: Jumping in Kennel

4 on the floor – even briefly

Treat on the ground

Rapid-fire rewards

Keep it low key

Ignore

No verbal

No physical

Challenging Behaviors: Leash Biting

Calm entering/exiting

kennel

Move quickly through

“red zones”

Reward absence of

biting

c/t for focus and

movement forward

Ask for alternate

behavior

Redirect to Toy or Treat

Shorten the Leash• Step on Leash

• Hold Collar

Challenging Behaviors: Excessive Pulling

Reward for loose leash, stop for pulling

Reward at leg or behind, c/t with very next

step

Practice skill in low-distraction environment

Allow sniff breaks

Look for signs of stress

Challenging Behaviors: Fearful/Shy

Be patient, never force

Allow choice

Be predictable

Change environment

Get down to their level

Little communication

Treats!

Is Dog Making Progress?

Importance of accurate logs

Describe observable behaviors:

“Fido was crouched in back of kennel,

trembling, looking away, and lip licking.”

Instead of:

“Fido was really scared.”

Behaviors reliable or getting stronger

Making good choices

Responds to multiple trainers

“I Know” cards

What’s Next?

Your volunteer schedule

Day (M-Su)

Time (am or pm)

Consistent schedule weekly, dog worked with 4x’s/week

Sign up in VIC

HS Teams (you never “have” to work with a dog you not comfortable

with, teams are based on scheduling, not a “ranking” of the dogs)

Junior

Senior

Mentoring into your new role at HSHV

Problem solving, who DO you talk to? Get help?

Head Start Volunteer Trainers

Behavior Team

Volunteer Resource Library: https://secure2.convio.net/hshv/site/SPageNavigator/volunteers/volunteer_res

ources.html

HSHV Head Start helps keep

our dogs happy, healthy and

above all, adoptable.

Thank you for your integral

part in their lives.

Humane Society of Huron Valley | (734) 662-5585 | www.hshv.org