brokenclay.org/journal

Training

I frequently tell my children that I wish I had trained a dog before I ever had children, because I learned so much about behaviour that way.

Eldest Son kindly sent me this article:

The central lesson I learned from exotic animal trainers is that I should reward behavior I like and ignore behavior I don’t.

Back in Maine, I began thanking Scott if he threw one dirty shirt into the hamper. If he threw in two, I’d kiss him. Meanwhile, I would step over any soiled clothes on the floor without one sharp word, though I did sometimes kick them under the bed. But as he basked in my appreciation, the piles became smaller.

Katja

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