Why Does Learning About Science Matter?

How Does it Help Me?

What if you discovered that, as a field, we have only scratched the surface of what there is to know about learning and behavior?  That we have just uncovered the tip of a vast and ever growing iceberg?  I think it would be incredibly exciting, because it would mean that we have so much room to learn and grow. I also happen to believe that this is true—there is a staggering amount of knowledge that we, as a field, have yet to tap into.

In 2008, I considered myself a well educated and skilled trainer and behavior consultant.  Before I moved to New York and opened my own business, I worked as an assistant trainer at Patricia McConnell’s school for a couple of years.  I also shadowed her to some of her behavior appointments.  I obtained my CPDT in 2004.  I had attended numerous conferences, workshops, and seminars by a number of prominent and well-respected trainers and behavior consultants.  I had a very strong understanding of learning theory and how to apply it.  I also had a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology, which gave me a solid foundation in science, biology and a little bit of animal behavior.

Then I entered graduate school.  Mind. Blown.  I took a graduate level learning class.  “This will be easy,” I thought.  “It’s just going to review everything I already know”.  I was partially correct. It did review a lot of material I already knew.  But, it also covered a lot of material that was brand new to me.  Suddenly, I understood learning in much more detail than ever before and was able to immediately apply that to working with dogs.  I learned nitty gritty details about timing that allowed me to reach behavior change goals more quickly and with fewer setbacks.  My other graduate courses helped me learn about behavior from many different angles. Much of this new information was also applicable to working with dogs.  For example, learning about how fear is processed in the brain helped me more effectively convince owners of the importance of prevention and early intervention.  As a result of taking these courses, my understanding of behavior grew substantially in a relatively short period of time.

The further I got into graduate school, the more my mind blew. I simply couldn’t believe how much information I’d been missing on animal learning and behavior—how much there is to know that I’d never had access to as a dog trainer. One could easily spend an entire career simply studying tool use in primates, or crows—and people do.  The knowledge of these researchers on their particular topics of interest in awe-inspiring.  And the depth of information out there that is largely unknown by the dog training world is unbelievable.  I thought I knew so much going into graduate school, but I knew almost nothing.  I still know very little compared to the amount of knowledge that’s out there.  But – that’s good news, isn’t it?  Because that means there is so much more for us to learn!

With every additional piece of information we learn, we grow in potential to help dogs and their people.  Perhaps you will put something together in a way you never have before and that will allow you to change one small thing—or one big thing—that dramatically improves your success rate with dogs.  Or maybe you’ll be able to explain a certain aspect of behavior much more clearly and convincingly and suddenly your clients will start following through more consistently than before.  Maybe you’ll be able to use your new-found knowledge to put together a persuasive budget proposal or successfully argue for a policy change at your shelter.  If you train performance dogs, you may be able to tweak your approach just enough that you jump into the next level of competition that has been eluding you.

Our profession needs this.  The dogs need this.  Don’t sell yourself short by limiting yourself to the knowledge that’s already out there in the dog world, circling through conferences, seminars and books.  Absolutely learn that—it’s very important!  But, also take the time to learn about academic research in the field of animal behavior and— just as importantly— learn how to critically evaluate and apply it.

This, of course, is easier said than done!  However, I think this is so important and I am so passionate about it, that I am making it my mission to bring this information to the field.  Through my monthly webinar series, Research Bites, I will bring the research to you so you don’t have to take the time to find it on your own.  My Unlocking Resiliency course takes an extremely detailed and comprehensive journey into the science behind the devastating effects of overwhelming stress – and how we can prevent and address those effects by fostering the development of resilience. The Advanced Consulting Practicum is a 6-month opportunity to discuss your actual cases with Dr. Spaulding and three other students.

In all of these learning opportunities, I will put research in context for you so you don’t have to read 10 other papers just to understand one concept (I’ve already done that for you!).  I will teach you how to interpret, question, integrate and apply the information to what you already know and how you work with dogs (and other animals).  I hope that you will take this journey with me.  It’s been an incredible and awe-inspiring experience to see what already amazing trainers and behavior consultants have done with this information!