Drinking From the Toilet: Real dogs, Real training – Details, episodes & analysis

Somewhere on the internet, someone is arguing that using a leash means you aren't really a force-free trainer. In this solo episode, Hannah unpacks the difference between impact and intent, explains why force-free training is a set of values rather than a guarantee of perfection, and gets into the mechanics of how a leash can function as a neutral tactile cue trained entirely through positive reinforcement. If you've ever felt defensive when someone questions your training tools, this one gives you a more grounded way to think it through.

Key Takeaways:

• Force-free training is an aspirational value system, not a pass/fail test: Holding that value means you're always asking what you can do better, not claiming you're already perfect.

• Impact and intent are both real, and both matter: The learner's experience of a leash always deserves your attention, and your intentions about how you use it shape what kind of trainer you're becoming.

• A leash can be trained as a neutral tactile cue through positive reinforcement: Leash movement doesn't have to carry any aversive weight to be a functional signal your dog can learn to respond to.

• What you do after a training error is the most important part: A force-free trainer's response to an unplanned correction is to figure out what needs to change, not to incorporate that correction into a training plan.

• Where you are in your training journey is less important than the direction you're headed: A willingness to examine your methods and stay open to new strategies is what earns you a seat at the table.

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Hannah Branigan is a teacher, trainer, podcaster, and author of Awesome Obedience and its companion field guide. She is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT) and a faculty member at the Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training and Behavior. Her work is grounded in applied behavioral science and focused on helping serious dog trainers build better skills through positive reinforcement.

Keep up with Hannah and find all her work and resources here:

• Website: hannahbranigan.dog

• Podcast: hannahbranigan.dog/dog-training-podcast/

• Program: hannahbranigan.dog/z2cd/

• Instagram: instagram.com/hannah_branigan/

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPh-msUZUNJksIAu2zDTQhQ

In this episode, we explore strategies to achieve faster and more precise behaviors in dog training. I discuss how clarity, timing, and reinforcement techniques can improve your dog's response times, reduce hesitation, and build confidence. Tune in for practical tips to keep your training sessions clean and effective.

Key Points:

- Clear communication prevents slow or hesitant behaviors in dogs.
- Reinforcement clarity is crucial, even when using a high rate of rewards.
- Capturing and reinforcing the initial signs of a behavior leads to quicker responses.
- Consistent timing with marker cues enhances behavior speed.
- Minimizing duration requirements can accelerate behavior performance.

For full show notes and transcript, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/187
This episode is supported by Patreon: www.patreon.com/DFTT

In his 1968 book, The Technology of Teaching, B.F. Skinner wrote:

Errors are not a function of learning or vice-versa nor are they blamed on the learner. Errors are a function of poor analysis of behavior, a poorly designed shaping program, moving too fast from step to step in the program and the lack of the prerequisite behavior necessary for success in the program. - BF Skinner

And that sounds great. It also sounds like a lot of pressure on the dog trainer. Never fear! In this episode, we discuss what errorless learning actually means and how to apply the principles in our real life training sessions.

In this episode, we discuss the original research on errorless learning by Dr. H.S. Terrace form 1963, what is the difference between errorless training and trial-and-error trainings?, why we care about training with errors - what's in it for us dog trainers?, designing our training sessions so that we don't rely on extinction as a training tool, and in fact actively structure our sessions to minimize our dogs' experience of extinction, strategies allow us to train more errorlessly (fading in discriminations - early and often, using back-chaining, even when shaping small behaviors, introducing a new element between the click and the treat, setting your minimum criteria to earn a click to behaviors your dog is doing frequently, and avoid raising criteria to something your dog has never done, or only done once).

For full show notes, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/178
This podcast is supported by Patreon: www.patreon.com/DFTT

This week we continue our conversation about that mystical dog training unicorn: Loose Leash Walking.

For full show notes, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/91

This podcast is supported by Awesome Obedience: A Positive Training Plan for Competition Success. Learn more here: shop.clickertraining.com/products/awesome-obedience

Loose leash walking (aka: the holy grail of dog training) is hands down the most requested behavior of all time from pet clients. It's also a topic of much debate on dog training circles.

This episode is the first part in a series because there is just SO much I could say about loose leash walking. Believe it or not, I have opinions!

For full show notes, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/90
This podcast is supported by Awesome Obedience: A Positive Training Plan for Competition Success. Learn more here: shop.clickertraining.com/products/awe…me-obedience

In this episode, Steve White and I discuss the pros and cons of using labels when communicating, how we might change our communication tactics depending on who we're talking to and what to keep in mind when having a conversation using labels.

For full show notes, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/89
This podcast is supported by Awesome Obedience: A Positive Training Plan for Competition Success. Learn more here: https://shop.clickertraining.com/products/awesome-obedience

In this episode, some of my closest training friends and I discuss "zoomies", including what they are, whether or not they are good or bad, where we see them in training and what to do if they become a problem.

For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/88
This podcast is supported by Awesome Obedience: https://shop.clickertraining.com/products/awesome-obedience

In this episode, Peter Amelia and I get real nerdy about things like
building a bulletproof recall (especially with competing reinforcers), improving your training skills by working with multiple breeds/species
and how to keep the natural history of the animal in mind and use it to your advantage.

For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/articles/episode87/
This podcast is supported by Zero to CD: www.wonderpupstraining.com/programs/z2cd/

In this episode, Bobbie Lyons and I discuss when to incorporate fitness training, the skills and behaviors we should prioritize with a puppy or young dog, exercises we should limit/avoid and equipment needed.

For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/86
This podcast is supported by Zero to CD: www.wonderpupstraining.com/programs/z2cd/

You may remember back to episode #76 where Emelie and I talked about how we had both gotten new puppies around the same time and how important it is to set ourselves and our puppies up for success. Well, now those puppies are teenagers, but we are still very much thinking about (and talking about in this episode) what we can do with our training to build the skills our puppies need to be successful in sports and in life.

For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/85
This podcast is supported by Zero to CD: www.wonderpupstraining.com/programs/z2cd/