# True understanding



## Rod Roberts (Nov 7, 2007)

Hi Folks

How do you know when a dog has a true understanding of a required task?
Is it when the dog has completed it 3 times, 10 times how will you know when the true understanding is there and not just repeating the task parrot fashion?
Rod


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## Matthew Grubb (Nov 16, 2007)

I would say demonstrating the correct behavior 80% of the time.


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## Jenn Schoonbrood (Oct 31, 2008)

I feel the key is to generalize the behaviour to as many different environments and circumstances as possible.

A dog may get to the point he is performing the behaviour 80%+ of the time in the house, but barely responds in, say, the park. While many beginning handlers will say "he knows it, therefore he should be corrected" this is not the case. He knows that the command means to perform the behaviour in the house, perhaps even in all rooms of the house and even the back yard. But he has not generalized the behaviour.

I find most dogs will generalize the behaviour in under ten different environments, but it may take extensive work in those environments with increasing level of distraction.

If I read between the lines of your question, I read "when is it fair to correct the dog" and I'll answer that by saying personally I begin to correct the dog for disobedience when he's performing the behaviour 100% of the time in ANY environment, and under moderate to strong levels of distraction. In other words, he'll only be ready to correct (IMO) when I start losing his compliance under the strongest distractions.

Perhaps I take it further than most people with the positive training phase - but I've found that the further out I try to push correction, the more I realize that what I THOUGHT the dog knew wasn't something he ACTUALLY knew, and clarifying it in his mind (positively) was all that was needed to gain compliance.


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## Anne Vaini (Mar 15, 2007)

If the dog repeats it 80% of the time it is learned.

But finding out if the dog actually understands the behavior (in the way that you do) is different.


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## Emilio Rodriguez (Jan 16, 2009)

Rod Roberts said:


> How do you know when a dog has a true understanding of a required task?


Depends on what you mean by task. If we're talking about a simple obedience exercise; strangely enough one of the first clear indications is when the dog chooses to do the opposite. For example the place command. The dog has demonstrated some understanding responding to the command correctly a few times. Then at one point you tell him and instead he takes off in another direction. At this point it's clear that he understands what you want to the extent that he knows he'd rather not do it. From there it's just a few corrections to make him reliable.

This is to be distinguished from the situation where the dog is truly confused and just wants to avoid the whole situation. Part of being good at obedience training is reading the dog. Dogs are very good sometimes at feigning confusion. You only become aware of how much BS they were feeding you by executing a well timed and appropriate correction. It's like night and day. Having dealt with some head cases in the past I really like to give all dogs the benefit of the doubt and more repetition to be on the safe side. When you're stuck in this mode working with an intelligent dog with good nerves it's really amusing and funny when by accident you rediscover how much the dog really understood already.


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## Anne Vaini (Mar 15, 2007)

Emilio Rodriguez said:


> Dogs are very good sometimes at feigning confusion. You only become aware of how much BS they were feeding you by executing a well timed and appropriate correction. It's like night and day. Having dealt with some head cases in the past I really like to give all dogs the benefit of the doubt and more repetition to be on the safe side. When you're stuck in this mode working with an intelligent stable dog it's really amusing and funny when by accident you rediscover how much the dog really understood already.


I snapped at a dog yesterday. The ****er was playing me. He heard my nasty tone of voice and immediately complied. WTF. :twisted: He's not as dumb as he acts.


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## David Frost (Mar 29, 2006)

All of our tasks are criterion based. Each task is broken down into learning objectives (teaching steps) that lead to the terminal objective (complete task). The dog must perform the required learning objective X number of time, consecutively, without error. Each learning objective has a requirement attached. The criterion check is conducted the day after the criterion has been reached. 

DFrost


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Consistant, correct behaviour under different situations. 
With marker training in particular, nubys often teach the sit, for instance, while the dog is in front of them and get beautiful results. It doesn't take long for the dog to default to this position whenever it hears the command. 
When the dog can do a behaviour with the handler's back turned, at their side, in front, in a different area, at different distances from the handler, with new distractions it's a pretty good bet the dog is at least starting to understand. 
As handlers we can still screw up the best of them with something wierd.


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## Rod Roberts (Nov 7, 2007)

Hi Guys

For me the criteria for true understanding is when a dog completes even quite a complex task (complex by the dogs standards, possibly a multi choice exercise) almost 100% of the time regardless of major distraction or the task being required completely out of any normal context.

Rod


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