top of page
Search

Choosing to Reinforce Pieces and Parts




What to listen for:


"When I softened, my training, my dog got stronger. And I think people would say, ‘oh, you know, you're just being too soft and you're being too forgiving’ or whatever, but it changed everything."


Our hosts, Robin Greubel, Stacy Barnett, and Crystal Wing, dive deep into a counterintuitive training philosophy sparked by their recent interview with Petra Ford: sometimes accepting imperfection creates better performance in complex behavior chains.

The conversation began with Petra's story about reinforcing her dog even when she knew it wasn't sitting perfectly square. When working on complex detection behaviors, trying to perfect every element simultaneously can destroy the bigger picture. As Robin notes with her recall-refine work over 600 feet of varied terrain, if she withheld reinforcement because her dog's elbows weren't perfectly down, she'd be punishing extraordinary effort over a minor detail.


Crystal's breakthrough came through Denise Fenzi's exercise that forced her to reward every single repetition—even mistakes. When her dog Checkmate downed instead of sitting, Crystal still had to reward it. "I thought it would ruin my training," she admits, "but instead it ruined my frustration." The exercise revealed that her dogs were trying harder than she'd realized. They weren't being disobedient; they were navigating the learning process.


This philosophy transformed Crystal's work with Radish, a sensitive dog who needed space during training. Instead of correcting her for standing with one foot off the mat, Crystal rewarded the effort. As a result, Radish became more creative, more willing to problem-solve, and visibly happier in her work. As Crystal puts it, "Good girl" became permission to keep trying rather than confirmation of perfection.


The Dames of Detection emphasize balance throughout. Yes, reward imperfect efforts when building complex chains or working through challenging problems. But don't reside there permanently—sloppy chains help no one. The key is reading patterns: one mistake is information, three times becomes a training issue to address.


Every attempt provides valuable information. Whether working detection, obedience, or protection sports, dogs need to feel free to try without fear of shutdown. When handlers create that emotional safety through strategic reinforcement—even of imperfect attempts—dogs develop the grit and resilience needed for complex work.


Key Topics:

  • Petra Ford's Philosophy on Complex Behavior Chains (00:59)

  • Recall-Refine Over Distance: When Good Enough is Great (02:52)

  • Teaching Scent Theory vs. Perfect Alerts (05:00)

  • Crystal's Breakthrough: Rewarding Every Repetition (12:33)

  • Building Duration Behaviors (22:41)

  • Reading Patterns vs. One-Off Mistakes (36:20)

  • Final Takeaways on Clarity and Balance (41:51)

 

Resources:


We want to hear from you:



Audio editing & other podcast services by: www.thepodcastman.com Instagram: @the_podcast_man

bottom of page