The language of learning

As some of you know, before I turned to being a full-time Animal Training Instructor, I was a language teacher and teacher trainer. What you probably don't realise is how much language learning translates across to dog training/ learning, so I thought I'd write down seven key concepts for you to build into your own training.

1. Early knowledge acquisition is usually fast, consolidating it, and putting it together, is much slower

   If you've ever tried to learn a language you'll know that in the first few months you learn a LOT of words- you can say your name, count to ten, talk about your family members, pets, hobbies etc. You quickly feel able to communicate. Then comes the tricky part- you have to start constructing grammatically correct, complex sentences. This is HARD and takes a long time to get it right. For me it's the same in gundog training- there is often a "sticky" phase that feels like it's taking forever, but that's because some things come more naturally to your dog than others, and time, maturity, and patience all play a part. A plateau or two, especially with young dogs, is totally natural.

   
   

2. Context is important

   If you went into a train station in Italy, your brain would be preparing to have a conversation about buying train tickets. If the person selling tickets then started asking you about what vegetables you like to eat, then that would be incredibly confusing for you and you likely would forget all your learning, because you weren't prepared for that. The same is true for your dog- in fact more so because they are not at all good at conceptualising- so if you have taught them " stay" in your kitchen, they will not be expecting it in a field, or a wood, or a car park- the context has changed. So, we have to help our dogs understand to take this "new language" into different contexts.

   
   

3. Knowledge that is acquired through the learner's own discovery sticks better than knowledge from outside influence.

   There are several ways to teach ideas, for example, the classic way a language learner would be taught regular past tense endings in English would be "learn the rule, add "ed" to the verb". You then might have to complete some sentences "Last Monday I [play] with a ball" , "Yesterday I [pick] up sticks"- change the verb.

   
   

   This "outside influence" approach works, but it requires LOTS of repetition, and- thinking about point 2- it doesn't really put the language in context, so when you try to tell a story about "last night" you will likely struggle to generate your own sentences.

   
   

   Another approach is to present the learner with something, and ask them to discover what is going on. For example; "read the story below and answer the questions"

   "Yesterday, I walked my dog to the park. We played with a ball and he picked up a stick."

   Question 1- when did the story happen? (yesterday)

   Question 2- look at the verbs- what is different with their endings? (ed has been added)

   Question 3- What "rule" do you think there is with regular verbs when we use them in the past? (we add "-ed")

   Through this process, the learner has "discovered" the rule themselves, rather than just been told it. By looking at the information given and applying their brain, they now understand a new idea.

   The same is true with our dogs. If we shape a behaviour, where the dog really has to apply their brain and find solutions to a problem, then our dog will be more likely to have a stronger memory. Crucially, it is less likely to crumble when put under pressure, as the dog has a deeper understanding of the task required.

4. Check understanding

   Did the learner ACTUALLY learn what you think you taught? or did they learn something else? Always think of ways to check their understanding!

   
   

5. Always be pushing the zone of comfort, but not too much

   Think of this as "what they know, +1" (to steal a language theory from Stephen Krashen). If we stay too long in the zone of "things they already know" they will get bored, similarly if you jump too far ahead, they will get stressed/ frustrated and check out. This is as true of a dog as it is of a class of teenagers.

   
   

6. Allow space for thinking

   Don't ask your learner to apply learning and be perfect immediately. Similarly, don't always rush in immediately to help. Step back. Give them space to work it out- they may well surprise you.

   
   

7. Use it or lose it!

   As always, if you don't keep the learning cycling around, it will vanish. So don't think "we've learn that now, we can forget about it", think "we've learnt that now, so the amount I need to recycle it in training can decrease, but it still needs to be in there."