Recall Training

[Lou SA]

Originally Posted by Mynona.

I've been trying to work out where you're trying to go with this Adam, but let me give some examples and see if I'm making sense

Many moons ago, I was successful at getting through an interview for a job that I both wanted and needed. However, the interview was only the first stage of the process of getting the job as it was followed by a three month training course and a test/exam at the end of it and only when that test was passed was the job secured. So, if I'm reading your reasoning correctly, I should have found that training course and exam aversive because my getting the job was contingent on learning and passing the test at the end. However, our trainers were great. They carried out their teaching with humour (and dare I say, much praise for our efforts) and all of us on the course not only passed it, but enjoyed the process - even the test at the end wasn't stressful because we were both confident and motivated to do well.

If I'm sat in a chair and I'm not comfortable, I'm irritated by it and shift position. However, if I had to keep on shifting position to find a comfortable way to sit I'd very likely move from being irritated to being miserable.

The happiest training I see is that carried out through play. Both dog and owner relaxed and happy and both enjoying what they are doing and learning taking place at great speed on both sides. Whilst we can't teach everything through play, we can try to keep the learning experience for both dog and owner relaxed and happy which does, I assure you, give positive results in a reasonable time-scale.

So, to answer your questions, if my really wanting something that was contingent on a specific behaviour was achieved through learning that behaviour in a way I found enjoyable, I would enjoy the experience.

If I'm sat in a seat and it's mildly uncomfortable until I shift position, then I'm still mildly irritated by it so being uncomfortable (even mildly and temporarily) would detract from my learning if that feeling of being uncomfortable and irritated was repeated fairly regularly throughout my learning experience my learning would be negatively affected.

Hope that makes some kind of sense

Couldnt have said or explained it better! Ditto!