Controlling signals are the cues that prompt us to behave in certain ways. Controlling signals can also reward behavior. A traffic light is a controlling signal. The traffic light controls how we drive. When we respond appropriately we’re also rewarded. Traffic lights present an interesting example because sometimes stopping is aversive yet it’s also reinforcing. How does the individual respond to this conflict?
Throughout an average day we encounter many signals that control our behavior. Controlling signals are so common in our lives that we don’t even notice them. If we’re not aware of obvious signals that control our behavior, how can we be aware of subtle internal signals?
When becoming aware of our own internal controlling signals we must become our own audience. We must listen to ourselves. This is part of a strategy used by ancient sages across cultures. The individual must know thyself. I would say it isn’t enough to just know oneself but we must also use that knowledge to influence our own behavior.
I feel that one of my jobs as a dog trainer is to instill in people the proper internal dog training dialog. If I can give people the verbal skills along with physical skills they need to control their dog the outcome will be more effective. The idea is to get the individual to more effectively control their own dog training behavior.
It’s not easy to teach others how to develop awareness, but awareness is a big part of dog training. I think awareness is important to most types of training. Some of the first steps of a training program are designed to make us aware. When we learn new skills it’s often necessary to pay attention to every step. In my training system I have developed techniques to literally teach people how to be aware of each step. After years of practice many procedural steps become second nature and the practitioner isn’t even aware of what they’re doing. As a dog trainer I can’t allow that to happen, because one of my jobs is to teach every step of what I do.
Teaching the physical movements of dog training can be accomplished in a step by step fashion. Teaching someone how to use internal controlling signals well is not as straight forward. It’s because of verbal behavior that many trainers say it’s much more difficult to teach the people than the dog.
When learning new skills the individual first needs to learn about the rules controlling those skills. Once the individual has some understanding of the rules then one needs a strategy to get the most from their beginning skill level. A strategy that will prove useful for developing effective behavior is asking good questions. It’s probably best to use questions as prompts and probes before they’re used to command one’s own behavior. Who, what, when, where, why, how, and which are good ways to begin the internal conversation. When will I have 10 minutes to train the dog is better than I have to train the dog today. Who will watch junior while I train the dog is better than I have to find someone to watch junior. If there is no one to watch junior then the question may be, how will I train the dog while caring for junior.
The other area we should manage is our picture or vision of what all our effort will produce. What will the outcome look like? What is it that we want? Is what we are doing now going to take us to where we want to be? Will training your dog ten minutes a week allow you to reach your objective? Will training you dog three times a week take you there? What do you picture as being the goal? The objective will often determine the amount of effort needed.
Wishing you the very best in dog training and in life,
Andrew Ledford