Gotta love to do what we do

If we train animals we have heard of Classical Conditioning (Pavlov dogs) and Operant Conditioning. We are taught that we use operant conditioning and focus on positive reinforcement - which we are told is a part of operant conditioning. I would like to challenge this approach a little. The world of ethical animal behaviour management and particularly animal training is exploding with beautiful concepts. Providing animals with the ability to give us their consent, and to always be at choice is beginning to become a part of what we do as animal care specialists. Animals are being shown how to say no for example, and we take this as information - that we are not making what we are asking them to do clear or reinforcing enough. Hurrah.... So, with this in mind, we need to begin to recognise that most behaviour is - once it is trained - essentially a habit. If we cue an animal to do a behaviour and they have had a favourable association with that particular cue in the past, they are inclined to give us the behaviour we are asking of them. That favourable association has become paired with the habit of the behaviour they practise. With this said, essentially, operant conditioning is the tool, and behaviour that is classically conditioned is the result. If an animal does not offer the behaviour we are asking for, the association is not favourable enough. We need to change the association. I love it. Love what we do. Love that we are starting to listen to animals and hearing when they are comfortable and when we need to adjust to communicate more effectively and then achieve a result based on ethical manipulation of their environments.