The Cognitive Canine with Sarah Stremming CDBC

08/20/2024

In the first of a three part series exploring nuances of reinforcement, Sarah talks about what she calls the 1:1 ratio of behavior : reinforcement. When we are training or maintaining behavior we need to always maintain a 1: 1 ratio and what that looks like varies based on the learner, the task, and the payout. A seemingly simple unit of behavior might require a big payout and that payout is not a jackpot if it is simply the appropriate amount of reinforcement owed for the behavioral input given.

In the first of a three part series exploring nuances of reinforcement, Sarah talks about what she calls the 1:1 ratio of behavior : reinforcement. When we are training or maintaining behavior we need

08/14/2024

Where was your walk this week?

08/13/2024

REPLAY: Is there a time and a place to intentionally utilize one type of learning over another in dog training? Can you ever be operating in only one learning form?

Is there a time and a place to intentionally utilize one type of learning over another in dog training? Can you ever be operating in only one learning form? https://sarahstremming.com/products/ Sign

08/07/2024

In about an hour! Tonight we are talking about when antecedent changes will be enough to change behavior and when added training or skills will be required. I will be looking at this through the lens of some recent things I have worked through with my own puppy, Carson.

🔗in comments!

08/06/2024

We talk a lot about “management” in dog training but what is it, actually? When is management just training? When is training NOT management? Is this all just semantics? All this and more with Julianna DeWillems.

We talk a lot about “management” in dog training but what is it, actually? When is management just training? When is training NOT management? Is this all just semantics? All this and more with Juliann

07/30/2024

Hey everyone, there is auditing space available in my upcoming workshop. Worked Up is all about high-arousal behaviors and I love teaching it. Join us!

07/30/2024

Do dogs need to tolerate frustration to live successfully in the human world? Do they need to tolerate frustration in order to be successful in sports? What even IS frustration tolerance?

Do dogs need to tolerate frustration to live successfully in the human world? Do they need to tolerate frustration in order to be successful in sports? What even IS frustration tolerance? https://sa

07/23/2024

Should dog trainers be training dogs, or is it ok for us to focus our efforts elsewhere? Are sports the best inroad to hands-on work? What standards should we hold our mentors to, and should we have mentors? All this and more with industry leader Kelly Gorman Dunbar.

Should dog trainers be training dogs, or is it ok for us to focus our efforts elsewhere? Are sports the best inroad to hands-on work? What standards should we hold our mentors to, and should we have m

07/16/2024

As a field (and as dog owners), we are often talking about different things when we refer to “separation anxiety.” But is isolation phobia the same as hyperattachment? Are some dogs just upset about confinement, and not about isolation? And what about FOMO? Buckle up for a nuanced and in-depth conversation about the entire suite of behaviors we call “separation anxiety” with Karishma Warr, the co-founder and head of behavior at Calm Canine Academy. Sarah and Karishma dig into when a dog’s behavior warrants suspended absences with desensitization, when it doesn’t, and what all behavior cases can use more of.

As a field (and as dog owners), we are often talking about different things when we refer to “separation anxiety.” But is isolation phobia the same as hyperattachment? Are some dogs just upset about c

07/09/2024

McCarthyism in US history names a time when unfounded persecution availed. Being afraid to show our training or speak about what we are doing is the current era of dog training because of similar unfounded persecution. When dog trainers accuse each other of not being positive enough, as is rampant in dog social media circles, we only serve to harm each other and the industry.

McCarthyism in US history names a time when unfounded persecution availed. Being afraid to show our training or speak about what we are doing is the current era of dog training because of similar unfo

07/02/2024

Cog Dog Club!
In one hour, 5pm pacific, it’s all about what we call “start buttons” in training. I have thoughts, and if you learned about this from me more than a couple years ago, they’ve changed a lot.

Membership or patreon! 🔗 in comments

07/02/2024

In this crossover episode with The K9 Conservationists Podcast, Sarah sits down with Kayla Fratt CDBC to discuss a recent problem Kayla faced in the field with her detection dog Barley. What started as a conversation via text between friends became an educational and geeky conversation about what to do when things go wrong, how we can adjust behavioral outcomes with reinforcement, how much it matters to understand behavior chains when working complex tasks, and so much more.

In this crossover episode with The K9 Conservationists Podcast, Sarah sits down with Kayla Fratt CDBC to discuss a recent problem Kayla faced in the field with her detection dog Barley. What started a

06/26/2024

Where was your walk this week?

06/22/2024

Well *I* was riveted and fully enjoying my entire recording with Kayla Fratt but somebody else apparently wasn’t.

Watch Cog Dog Radio with Sarah Stremming for a crossover episode with K9 Conservationists in which we got REAL geeky in the coming weeks.

06/18/2024

In this episode Sarah outlines what she did to change her personal dog’s behavior regarding horseback riders. Once a shrieking, lunging, inconsolable mess, now a model trail citizen, Rayya the Icelandic Sheepdog is the star of this episode.

In this episode Sarah outlines what she did to change her personal dog’s behavior regarding horseback riders. Once a shrieking, lunging, inconsolable mess, now a model trail citizen, Rayya the Iceland

06/11/2024

In the third and final (maybe?) installment of the least intrusive principle series Sarah explores what choice and agency have to do with intrusiveness.

In the third and final (maybe?) installment of the least intrusive principle series Sarah explores what choice and agency have to do with intrusiveness. Degrees of freedom: https://www.researchgate

06/04/2024

Cog Dog Club is in less than an hour!
5pm pacific
The topic tonight is reinforcement at play in reactivity and how we can be smart about it.

🔗 in comments!

05/28/2024

The dog training and behavior industry is all abuzz with the conversation of ethics. A field that largely adhered to the LIMA (least intrusive, minimally aversive) principle is now divided once more on this stance. But what does it truly mean to be least intrusive? Doesn’t “least intrusive” imply minimally aversive? Do we need a new model entirely, as those in favor of the newer LIFE (least inhibitive, functionally effective) principle propose? In part one Sarah delves into what it might mean to be least intrusive, and sets the background for the part two conversation which will go into practical applications.

The dog training and behavior industry is all abuzz with the conversation of ethics. A field that largely adhered to the LIMA (least intrusive, minimally aversive) principle is now divided once more o

05/21/2024

Join Sarah as she discusses common pitfalls in pre-run rituals for agility (and other sport) dogs. Should you feed a lot of treats before you run? Should you try to minimize your dog’s exposure to the environment? What about tug? All this and more, and check out the Crate to Gate webinar either as part of the Ringside Skills bundle OR as part of your community membership.

Join Sarah as she discusses common pitfalls in pre-run rituals for agility (and other sport) dogs. Should you feed a lot of treats before you run? Should you try to minimize your dog’s exposure to the

05/14/2024

The second half of Sarah’s conversation with Monique Feyrecilde, a licensed veterinary technician with a specialty in behavior whose book Cooperative Veterinary Care is finally available for purchase. In this episode Sarah and Monique get deeper into things that can be practically done to help dogs that struggle at the vet, as well as a few philosophical meanderings.

The second half of Sarah’s conversation with Monique Feyrecilde, a licensed veterinary technician with a specialty in behavior whose book Cooperative Veterinary Care is finally available for purchase.

05/08/2024

Where was your walk week?

05/07/2024

In an hour it’s Cog Dog Club! We are going to talk about what it means to be “least intrusive.” Join us!

🔗 in the comments to the membership and patreon, where Cog Dog Club lives.
🕔 5pm pacific!