The beauty of flexibility in learning.

Flexibility in learning is the ability of an animal or human to apply a learned principle in a variety of situations and contexts.

For me, an animal that has a sound foundation that allows them to be safe and feel safe in human society is then able to be granted the freedom within those societal constraints to experiment and interact freely. Applying basic behavioural principles as they go and enjoying a full life.

What the kahell am I talking about?

It's the difference between an animal that has had a regime of formal training sessions that teach total dependence on a human handler, and an animal that has a few basic tenets of behavioural dos and donts, that can then move freely and safely around as a youngster, learning with the support of a mentor rather than a drill sergeant.

The difference in appearance of these two animals will be -

- levels of tension

- levels of confidence

- levels of flexibility in new situations

- levels of independence from the handler

- ability to generalise principles

- ability to learn on into old age

- longevity

The fewer things you can formally teach your animal and the more they are able to pick up on the hoof in a supervised, but hands off manner, the more confident, outgoing and exuberant you will be able to allow them to be.

As I learn more and more about the riding of horses and the difference in training techniques applied the world over, the more I see fundamental taught behaviours whittling down to some simple, key safety moves, followed by a lifetime of experimenting freely around those few boundaries.

Dogs are the same. Once they understand the concept and the word 'No' and generalise it to mean:

Don't do that, put that down, don't do what you're about to do, don't go that way, a general 'stop - not that', they are pretty much safe to take anywhere if they are young enough to have not learned any antisocial or dangerous behaviours. When I raise a puppy, besides heavily rewarding the 'sit and look up at me quietly' whenever it is freely offered (which the pup will then generalise and offer in most circumstances as a way of asking for something and will also use as a safety point if they get scared out in the world - they automatically zoom back to me and sit), the only other formal word I teach is the word and concept of 'No'. It's not hard for me to give this to a pup I have bred as I allow and trust the mother I have here to give them their first taste of 'no' when she weans them.

I have a tiny, tiny chihuahua here who is extremely efficient at giving them their second taste of 'No' which is usually 'Piss off out of my face', delivered in no uncertain terms and compliance is guaranteed at the age she delivers the message. They don't tend to ask twice if she wants to play. She Does Not.

Puppies raised in this environment have excellent self control from birth, which ensures they pause before they do things, and check in with mentors frequently. They have no physical boundaries to push against, so feel no frustration, their self control ensures they don't run off edges, or fall down holes. They have flexibility of learning from the get go. They have learned how I want them to learn.

Puppies that aren't given this as a first introduction to the world who then find themselves in homes that are (quite rightly, as the pup clearly has no self control) overprotective tend to be a nightmare to raise. Always getting in scrapes and trying to die in various, convoluted, expensive ways.

Formal, drill type teaching of an animal seems to switch off their ability to think for themselves, and prevent any adaptive, flexibility in their learning.

For example, a dog that is endlessly drilled on 'come' and 'sit', particularly if they're not offered rewards that mean anything to them in any real sense (food has no real value to the average companion dog who is well fed, but 'go play' is hugely rewarding), they lose the ability to freely offer that behaviour in the real world. Or they don't offer the behaviour when it's not cued.

I can see how this would also apply to horses, but I haven't got to the bottom quite, of how it affects the overall demeanor and learning ability of the individual.

Pat Parelli (very notable horseman and people trainer) says

"The more you use your reins, the less they use their brains."

which I take to mean precisely what I'm referring to - heavily managed animals have a reduced flexibility of learning.

Something to ponder on and look out for huh! :)

Further reading:

Next of Kin "My conversations with chimpanzees" Roger Fouts and Stephen Tukel Mills