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04-07-2018, 11:36 AM
I have a hard time envisioning how that works out in real life. It unreasonable to think our goats and our training is so perfect that they will never ever make a mistake. I also don't understand what's so terrible about being told "You're wrong." To me it often just mean's "Try something different."
I like what Alexandra Kurland said about this, and I don't think she even fully grasped her own concept here. Here's the quote:
"Think about situations in your own life where having some boundaries was helpful. Computers offer us so many good examples. You want something to change on your screen, but nothing is happening, so you start hitting buttons. Is it this combination or this one? When you finally do get the response that you wanted, do you remember what you did? Can you repeat it without first trying all the errors? Probably not. How do you feel? Frustrated.
But now think about those times when the computer gave you a “not this way signal”. When you tried something that wasn’t going to work, you heard an error message. It sometimes takes me a couple of repetitions to realize that that ping I’m hearing is the computer telling me what I’m doing isn’t going to work, try something else. Oh, right. That door is closed."
A correction is a "not this way" signal. It can range from almost imperceptible to downright abusive. In fact, I would say that abuse is no longer correction--it's a trainer's way of taking out her anger and frustrations on a hapless animal. The animal can learn nothing from it except fear or rage. But correction is often necessary in the real world where unexpected things happen. If a dog suddenly races out from underneath a parked car and attacks one of my goats from behind, he's probably going to veer suddenly toward oncoming traffic in the other lane. Immediate strong correction is needed to avoid catastrophe. It wasn't that the goat did something wrong--in fact, it was totally "right" and expected given the circumstance. But he still needs immediate strong correction to avoid a major wreck. He will probably never understand that you just saved his life, but he will also learn that you're not going to let him get eaten by that dog any more than you're going to let him run wherever he wants at any speed just because he got a sudden fright (even if it was a totally legitimate sudden fright!).
Obviously this is an extreme example to make a point, but I do think it's important for our animals to learn that it's ok to be corrected. It's not like we leave them in a "you're wrong" state of mind. Instead we give them something "right" they can do instead. Now we're back on a positive and rewarding track. If we use subtle corrections as we go along, the need for strong corrections is greatly diminished. Corrections should never be based on the trainer's emotions. If you get mad because your goat did the wrong thing, you're no longer training and you're on a fast track to abuse. Something I see in every good trainer regardless of their method is patience, kindness, and an obvious love for the animals they train.
I appreciate the parents and teachers in my life who told me when I was wrong in my schoolwork. They weren't out to humiliate, embarrass, or abuse me. They just wanted to make sure I knew how to work math problems, spell words, and use correct grammar. Had they never used negative feedback it would have been a long, frustrating process to learn the correct way. I don't think we should be afraid to correct, but it's important to always watch HOW we correct and make sure the level of correction is appropriate to the situation and not done out of anger or frustration.
I like what Alexandra Kurland said about this, and I don't think she even fully grasped her own concept here. Here's the quote:
"Think about situations in your own life where having some boundaries was helpful. Computers offer us so many good examples. You want something to change on your screen, but nothing is happening, so you start hitting buttons. Is it this combination or this one? When you finally do get the response that you wanted, do you remember what you did? Can you repeat it without first trying all the errors? Probably not. How do you feel? Frustrated.
But now think about those times when the computer gave you a “not this way signal”. When you tried something that wasn’t going to work, you heard an error message. It sometimes takes me a couple of repetitions to realize that that ping I’m hearing is the computer telling me what I’m doing isn’t going to work, try something else. Oh, right. That door is closed."
A correction is a "not this way" signal. It can range from almost imperceptible to downright abusive. In fact, I would say that abuse is no longer correction--it's a trainer's way of taking out her anger and frustrations on a hapless animal. The animal can learn nothing from it except fear or rage. But correction is often necessary in the real world where unexpected things happen. If a dog suddenly races out from underneath a parked car and attacks one of my goats from behind, he's probably going to veer suddenly toward oncoming traffic in the other lane. Immediate strong correction is needed to avoid catastrophe. It wasn't that the goat did something wrong--in fact, it was totally "right" and expected given the circumstance. But he still needs immediate strong correction to avoid a major wreck. He will probably never understand that you just saved his life, but he will also learn that you're not going to let him get eaten by that dog any more than you're going to let him run wherever he wants at any speed just because he got a sudden fright (even if it was a totally legitimate sudden fright!).
Obviously this is an extreme example to make a point, but I do think it's important for our animals to learn that it's ok to be corrected. It's not like we leave them in a "you're wrong" state of mind. Instead we give them something "right" they can do instead. Now we're back on a positive and rewarding track. If we use subtle corrections as we go along, the need for strong corrections is greatly diminished. Corrections should never be based on the trainer's emotions. If you get mad because your goat did the wrong thing, you're no longer training and you're on a fast track to abuse. Something I see in every good trainer regardless of their method is patience, kindness, and an obvious love for the animals they train.
I appreciate the parents and teachers in my life who told me when I was wrong in my schoolwork. They weren't out to humiliate, embarrass, or abuse me. They just wanted to make sure I knew how to work math problems, spell words, and use correct grammar. Had they never used negative feedback it would have been a long, frustrating process to learn the correct way. I don't think we should be afraid to correct, but it's important to always watch HOW we correct and make sure the level of correction is appropriate to the situation and not done out of anger or frustration.