One of our listeners got in touch with a question that comes up a lot when people start exploring positive reinforcement training:

"When do I know when it's time to stop giving food rewards?"

It seems like a simple question. But the more we talked about it, the more we found ourselves asking: Why do we want to stop?

If reinforcement maintains behaviour, what happens when reinforcement disappears?

And why are we so keen to remove a tool from the toolbox when it's working?

In this episode, Jen and Barbara get into:

• why behaviours stop when reinforcement stops
• when behaviours can become self-reinforcing
• intrinsic and extrinsic motivation
• antecedents and how reinforcement changes over time
• how our animals are often training us as much as we're training them
• why we don't ask the same questions about reins, leg aids, or other training tools
• and whether the real question is not when can I stop reinforcing? but what is maintaining the behaviour now?

Along the way, Barbara talks about living in the "clicker closet", why she owns more treat pouches than any reasonable person should, and how this is apparently balanced out by Jen's rug-buying habit. (We're not convinced either.)

Because sometimes the answer isn't to stop using reinforcement. Sometimes it's understanding what reinforcement is doing in the first place.

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Got a question you are burning to asking us, nothing is off limitis, or do you have a behaviour issues you’re trying to figure out? Send us a voice note. Your voice, your question, your community is here.

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Meet Your Hosts

Barbara Hardman (Bright Horse Equiation)
www.brighthorse.ie

📧barbara.j.hardman@brighthorse.ie ☎️+353 85 143 8688

Jen Nash (The Equine Method)
www.theequinemethod.co.uk

📧 Info@TheEquineMethod.co.uk ☎️+44 7902920923