Have you ever heard about the magic 5 to 1 ratio principle? The 5 to 1 refers to the ratio of the positive and the negative experiences. We feel fulfilled and happy if the ratio of positive to negative is at least 5 to 1 in our everyday lives. Dr. Maureen Gaffney, leading Irish psychologist calls it the state of “flourishing”. We are at our best if we act five times more in a positive manner, if we have five times more positive feelings and thoughts than negative. Of course, it doesn’t mean that we can keep that ratio all the time. Naturally, there are times when the positive to negative ratio is lower that 5 to 1. We all experience a bad patch, and in such situation we can easily get stuck with the negative. The principle gives us an idea what we need to drive towards. Dr. Gaffney suggests that the positive to negative ratio should not be lower than 3 to 1 because beyond that ratio we enter a phase she calls “languishing”; and it shouldn’t be higher than 11 to 1, because such high level of positive response would probably result in a distorted view of ourselves. The ratio between 3 to 1 and 5 to 1 guarantees a normal state of being, the flourishing point is 5 to 1 and the flourishing state accelerates up to the ratio of 11 to 1.
What does the 5 to 1 ratio principle have got to do with puppy training? When we function normally, in best case scenario, when we flourish, our emotions are in the positive spectrum, and these positive emotions will influence our decisions. We can respond to our environment in a much more compassionate and effective way. And who are in our environment? Our family, our friends, our colleagues, and naturally, our puppies. When we have a lot more positive feelings we can deal with stress better and we perform better. So, do our puppies.
So, imagine the situation that we try to teach the puppies a behaviour to a cue with no success. We try again, and try again, and again, and again. If we rehearse the unsuccessful scenario multiple times and on multiply occasions, we get disappointed, frustrated, maybe angry with ourselves and our puppies. On the top of all that the situation can get worse if it happens in a training group where other puppies show the same low level response or if they are more advanced than our puppies, and it can become a painful experience if punishment is recommended to regain the puppies’ focus.
Here is the thing. Some people believe that punishment is an unnecessary tool in puppy training. I am certainly not one of them. But everybody knows that punishment is a negative, uncomfortable action for the puppy and let’s be honest, most of the punishers don’t feel good about carrying out the punishment either. If we follow the logic of the 5 to 1 ratio principle we can easily understand that punishment doesn’t break the negative circle. The 5 to 1 ratio principle suggests that we need to change our mindset, we need to focus on the positive, let our puppies have some encouraging encounters.
The first step in order to break the negative circle is to stop doing what seemingly doesn’t work. Well, it is easier said than done because most puppy training happens in a group setting and each group session has its own agenda which every participant should follow. Some trainers suggests that we should keep doing what we are doing, and the puppy will eventually learn. The truth is that to teach a behaviour on cue is not a long process. However, the puppy needs a lot of practice to reliably carry out the behaviour each and every time. So, if we are not having any success within a short period of time, we will not have any success in the long run either. We have to change something about our approach because it is definitely not our puppies’ fault, but I will dedicate an entire blogpost to the subject matter of timing, patience and other aspects and telltale signs of puppy training.
It is important to differentiate between practicing a behaviour that the puppy has already learnt or repeating the same unsuccessful attempt to teach something over and over again. A good example is the recall. If the puppy has learnt to come when it is called, it can be a brilliant opportunity to practice it in different ways and in different settings such as a group training. If the puppy doesn’t come when it is called, and that happens most of the time, it is absolutely no use to practice what we don’t want the puppy to do, namely, not to come back. We ruin the cue, and we reinforce what we didn’t want at the first place whether it is in group training or not. Whatever behaviour we want the puppy to do on cue if we keep repeating the cue which is followed by no execution of the behaviour, we spoil the cue, it becomes worthless. The puppy will definitely learn something, but not what we originally wanted to teach. In such case, keeping an open mind and reaching back to the 5 to 1 ratio principle can actually be the key to our success.
Whichever search engine we use if we give the words “group puppy training”, we will get a long list of URLs, specific addresses, mainly website addresses which would contemplate on the pros and cons of group puppy training. A lot less of them would actually start with the core element of the subject matter: PRACTICALITY. Considering practicality can be super useful when we want to decide what is better for our puppies, let it be individual training or group training.
A group training can be a useful tool, but, if we see that the puppy is more attentive to the other puppies, if the environment might be too much for the puppy just yet, we probably need to find another way to train the puppy, at least for a while. And there is, what I call, “the fear effect”. Meeting a bunch of dogs, even if they are puppies, can be an overwhelming experience for our puppies. Some trainers would advise to throw our puppies into the deep end of things and let them figure out that group puppy training is not such a bad idea. Well, we can try to do that, but it is a tricky business. In worst case scenario, the puppy becomes more afraid of the owner than the actual situation that triggered the fear. Another problem is that a fearful puppy can become the target of bullying by other puppies which only increases the level of fear and can cause a major throwback. The trainer can certainly step in and try to resolve the issue. Nevertheless, interfering in such a situation is effective if it is an immediate action and such interference can only help to stop the bullying it doesn’t help to diminish the negative experience of the puppy which suffered the bullying. Also, fear is a blocking agent. If there is fear no learning occurs. So, it makes no sense to force group training on our puppies. And one more aspect. In one of my previous blog posts Puppy Training: Sparkle In Our Eyes I wrote about a frustrated boy who had not much luck with practicing recall, and he was on the verge of giving up. He definitely had my sympathy. But the answer is not to give up, on the contrary, we need to reach back to the 5 to 1 ratio principle, search for another approach which can lead to positive experience for us and for our puppies. Maybe it is best to leave the group training . Obviously, that doesn’t mean that we never return, and our puppies can’t have a wonderful time in the company of some newly gained friends.
We all want to avoid a situation in which we feel frustration. So, do our puppies. We eagerly start puppy training with the goal to enjoy some quality time with our puppies, grow the bond between us and to reach the point of flow, the feeling that our dogs and we actually can read each other’s minds. Once the learning starts, the cue finally works. When our puppies are actually doing what we ask them to do we get reinforced too. Such event boots our confidence level, it makes us feel excited and gives us more ammunition to carry on with the training. Frustration doesn’t have such positive effect on us.
Again, I have to refer to Karen Pryor’s approach to training a group of animals: “If you want to improve behaviour, in one animal or many, you choose a new criterion, then only reward behaviour that meets that new standard. To be fair to the animals, it has to be something that’s already happening some or most of the time, so the animal can continue to have a good chance of reinforcement. Raising criteria in easy steps also gives the animal a chance to discover what specific behaviour is working now and what no longer works. We raised criteria with patient attention. If one animal needed a few more chances to catch on to one particular new condition, fine; we didn’t go on to a new criterion until every animal was secure about the old ones.”
The last sentence is probably the most important for us. If we train animals in group we have to let the animal catch on and feel secure, not fearful. We have to give a chance to our puppies which means that we manipulate the environment in a way that our puppies experience success. For example, we ask them to do something we know they can. We want to support them we want them to stay eager and excited when they spend time with us. We want them to initiate things. Through our positive attitude they become more confident, relaxed, cheerful, and they realize how much fun it is to be in our company.
It is a far better strategy to help a puppy become more open and friendly to other animals and people than to try to force it to take part in the group training session. The puppy will be happier, and with that, the owner will be happier and more relaxed. Confidence will grow resulting in mutual trust. Gaffney recommends that we should act rather than react. So, if the puppy shows fear, if the puppy is reluctant to take part in the group training session, we simply postpone attendance. There will be plenty time for group training when the puppy is good and ready.
There is one other thing we should always keep in mind: the training must go on. There are plenty different activities we can do in an environment where the puppy feels safe. We set up a training plan that will eventually prepare the puppy to be happy to take part in any kind of socialization activity at a later date. Because being in charge doesn’t mean that we are in charge of our puppies. It means that we are in charge of when, how and under what circumstance puppy training will proceed. We set the frequency of the training. We decide if we want individual training or group training. These details can be all planed.
We know our puppies best. If we see that our puppies are uncomfortable, stressed, overwhelmed we should adjust the plan and go with the flow, let our puppies enjoy the benefit of the 5 to 1 ratio, too.
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