“Behavior Adjustment Training” DVD
February 18, 2010 at 9:31 pm 8 comments
I will write more about this later but want to mention a very interesting, awesome DVD that I ordered recently.
It’s a seminar on BAT – “Behavior Adjustment Training” given by Grisha Stewart, the dog trainer who answered my question on this Dogster Good Dog Blog last year.
In a nutshell, this is a training system that focuses on reducing fear and aggression and reinforcing friendly behaviors so that dogs learn to control their needs using socially-acceptable behaviors (no barking/biting) and gain self-confidence in the process.
Doesn’t this sound PERFECT for Boogie?
The process takes a lot of time, patience, and “set-ups” and we would need professional help to try this, but anyhow, I still learned a lot about dog behavior and psychology from this DVD, which helps ME not to stress-out.
What sounds great about this training is that the main reward is not food, but giving the dog what he really wants, which is DISTANCE or INFORMATION to feel safe.
There are lots of details to take into account – timing, proximity, body language – most importantly, keeping the dog “under threshold” (stress-free) in order for the learning to be effective. When a dog is “over-threshold” ie, has emotionally-crossed over into that reactive uncontrollable-growly-lungey-zone when his owners no longer exist – oh yes, we know this one well – it is too late.
Unfortunately in life, shit happens when sometimes dogs and strange people appear out of nowhere …
Regardless, I love having more knowledge about what’s going on. When I feel more attuned to Boogie’s body signals and CAN communicate with him, this makes me so happy and gives me hope.
–> Many examples on Boogie’s Walk Log!
Here is the info on BAT and below is a YouTube clip with an excerpt from the DVD:
*Update: Here is a simpler explanation of BAT
There is also a BAT/Functional Rewards Yahoo Group where dog trainers and dog owners do Q&As and discuss their experiences.
Just read:
Sophia Yin: How to Behave So Your Dog Behaves <- loved it!
Next on my reading list:
Leslie McDevitt: Control Unleashed <- highly recommended by lots of dog trainers!
Entry filed under: Articles, links, BAT sessions, Books & DVDs, Cool Products, Reads, Training.
Boogie's blog 
1.
Words and Steel | February 19, 2010 at 5:19 am
Thanks so much for sending me this link from Woofboard. I’ll be following along this blog!
(Orby’s ma)
2.
lili | February 19, 2010 at 5:30 am
Hi Orby’s ma!
Thanks for commenting. I’d love to be updated on what you decide to do with Orby. I am learning too… There is so much information sometimes it’s overwhelming.
– Lili
3.
Nan Cowin | February 20, 2010 at 12:54 pm
Just found your blog and am interested to read more about your “bat” training with Boogie.
I see Dr Yin and Sue Ailsby’s site and dogstar daily listed on your page and then I see Cesar and am wondering why you do that?
He really disturbs me – his take on dog “behaviour” is just ignorant and dangerous. I’d really like to know why you think he belongs on the same page as these other good resources.
Thank you
Nan
4.
lili | February 20, 2010 at 5:12 pm
Hi Nan,
Thanks for commenting! Positive Reinforcement training is still new to me… and there is still some stuff to “undo” from past experiences before we can start BAT. I will definitely share on the blog.
Re: Cesar Millan, I I understand why you ask.
I could write a long blog post about how the Dog Whisperer has impacted on my life (the good and the bad) but the short answer to this question is that I used to be a big fan of the Dog Whisperer show – it was EVERYTHING I knew about dog behavior & all that stuff remains in my consciousness. (for the record, I have watched 3 seasons, read 3 books, bought the Pack Leadership DVDS, spoken to people who have worked with Cesar, was invited to be on the show too but I didn’t go along with it… that would be a separate long story for this blog!)
Even though I am now more educated and am aware of the limitations of Dog Whisperer thinking and have seen the bigger picture ie, the world of dog behavior philosopy/training BEYOND Cesar Millan, the fact remains that random people continue to quote the ‘Dog Whisperer” AT me as if I have never seen the show and don’t know who CM is…
I put the Cesar links up there to show that I am familiar with his work and I KNOW what he is about. Perhaps I need to list him under a separate category…
Lili
5.
Positive Reinforcement 101 « Boogie’s blog | February 28, 2010 at 10:54 am
[…] first encounted Sarah of Bridges Dog Training on the Functional Rewards Yahoo Group (see my earlier blog post)and was really impressed by her posts and Youtube videos. And what’s more, she lives near […]
6.
Turid Rugaas “On Talking Terms With Dogs” DVD « Boogie’s blog | March 2, 2010 at 2:38 am
[…] and our dog goes off to one side to sniff or mark, we should let him do it. (According to BAT, this is a “functional reward”. I let Boogie do this anyway, and I also praise him […]
7.
Lesson#3: On the street « Boogie’s blog | March 7, 2010 at 6:09 am
[…] ahead of us was a pit bull behind a fence. Sarah said that this was a good opportunity to do some “Behavior Adjustment Training” . Fortunately, we were still at a safe enough distance that Boogie wasn’t yet growling or […]
8.
Back home with Boogie! « Boogie’s blog | August 13, 2010 at 8:10 am
[…] Socialization – which I cannot wait to watch. I have read that this latest DVD is even better than the first one, and what’s more, some of my dog training related illustrations are on […]