Consistency Creates Stability
Consistency helps us create more or less stable systems. We create consistency by following rules. There are rules for most things we do. Sometime the rules are so ingrained into who we are that we don’t even notice them. Do you need to think about how you’re going to put your sentences together when speaking to a friend? Well, sometimes you do. If you’re considerate and talking about a sensitive subject you may be more carful about how the sentence is constructed. When taking care not to offend another we are concerned with social rule and the stability of our relationships.
Fowling rules in a consistent manner make our behavior predictable. One of the traits I see quite often when instructing others to train dogs is a lack of consistency. Sometimes a behavior is rewarded, at other times the behavior is ignored, and still other times the same behavior is punished. What will be the results of treating an individual with such an inconsistent reward system?
How an individual responds to inconsistency depends a lot on the individual. Some individuals will learn the rules, but most will not display a stable version of the desired behavior.
One formula for making an individual crazy is to sometimes reward a behavior and at other times punish that same behavior. If not performing a behavior is life threatening and performing that same behavior is also life threatening, what’s and individual to do? The individual adapts by establishing rules about how to meet basic needs while avoiding the aversive consequences. When following rules cannot avoid random good and bad experiences the individual is placed under a great deal of stress. Randomness can make it impossible to predict how to prevent aversive consequences. When we can’t predict the outcome of our behavior how do we adapt?
For the sake of those we care about it’s best to treat them fairly. To treat others fairly begins with being consistent.
Wishing you the best in dogs and in life
Andrew Ledford