Do you treat train your dog? Does the dog do weird things that you didn’t train? You’re not alone, and you may be dealing with what Skinner called “Pigeon Superstition”, it’s a phenomenon where the animal is rewarded at the wrong time – and since the animal needs to justify all rewards given, they will try to figure out what they did to get a treat that was badly timed. They will try to replicate what got them the treat – when in reality, nothing got them the treat but they need to perform. Hence the silly things that dogs (or any animals) do that you didn’t train.
What does it mean to justify rewards? When treat training, the dog quickly comes to realize that reward doesn’t just happen – they have to do something to get it. Let’s use a human example – We’re walking toward each other on the street, I stop you, say hi and give you $20.00 – have a meal on me. What is going through your mind? Likely, what did I do to earn this, what did I do to get this. Some people would take the money and run but others are going to try to justify it. I can simply tell you that “you seem to be a nice person, take the $20” – and it’s now justified in your mind.
Watch the video, watch what happens when the food door opens – and the pigeon didn’t peck the button to open it. It believes it did something for the door to open and the food to appear – flapping of the wings.
Robert Hynes Dog Training
Serving Edmonton, Alberta and surrounding areas.
admin@roberthynesdogtraining.com