Positive interrupter

What:

  • A positive interrupter is a sound, object, or action that is positively Conditioned so that when the dog hears or feels it, it stops what it is doing and receives the reinforcement.
  • A positive interrupter is not a punishment. It simply shifts focus to allow you to reinforce a more desirable behaviour.
  • A positive interrupter only temporarily stops behaviour. It does not teach the dog what to do or result in new behaviour unless it is followed by training, reinforcement, and repetition of the new behaviour.
Difference between Corrections and positive interruptors
Corrections
  • Corrections introduce something the dog finds undesirable.
  • Corrections stop behaviour as long as the dog thinks repeating the behaviour will result in another correction.
  • Corrections can Inhibit the dog's ability to learn the new behaviour and sometimes prevent them from trying to understand or attempt any new tasks. (NLM.gov)
  • Corrections that are too small do not work, and ones that are too great can cause long-term physical and psychological damage.
Positive Interruptor
  • Positive interrupters introduce something the dog finds pleasurable or desirable.
  • Positive interrupters do not stop or change behaviour. They disrupt the behaviour and bring the dog's attention back to you.
  • Positive interrupters encourage the dog to pay attention to you, making it easier to teach them the right behaviour.
  • Positive interrupter effectiveness is directly proportionate to the level of conditioning. When dogs are over threshold, they may be unable to hear or focus on anything other than the trigger.

Why:

  • If we don't stop undesirable behaviour, it is automatically reinforced, and the behaviour will reoccur. Since most undesirable behaviours are self-rewarding.
  • Ignoring a dog's undesirable behaviour creates confusion for your dog since it feels the behaviour is being accepted and can make it harder to change the behaviour later.
  • Some undesirable behaviours can be dangerous and may harm or injure your dog or people and dogs in the general public.
  • The longer behaviour goes unchecked, the stronger and more ingrained it becomes.

How:

  • Choose an upbeat, loud sound/signal that you would like to use. Create the sound, and when your dog looks at you, run a few steps behind to initiate them to chase you. Then mark and reward them at your feet.
  • When your dog reliably responds to the interruption sound with excitement, start asking them for a known obedience behaviour, like sitting.
  • Start to add criteria for difficulty outdoors slowly by repeating the behaviour around other dogs and people.
  • For dogs that haven't had a conditioned positive interrupter, you can use their name or your marker.
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