How Dogs Learn & Think

This video was created for our online training clients, but we decided to post it here on KZbin for free.
We believe teaching the “WHY” is critical to our clients long-term success.
Note to clients: Hopefully, this video provides you with a solid baseline to work from, and you can fill in the gaps as you work through the training program.
This video was shot in one take, so there are bound to be moments I misspoke or should have said something and didn’t, but hopefully it helps you out nonetheless.
Interested in training with us? Check out our training programs: www.hamiltondogtraining.co/

[@vickifisher5494]

Amazing explanation. I have spent a fortune on bahaviourists trying to deal with my dogs reactivity and watched hours of training videos but yours are the only ones that are comprehensive and after only 2 days of doing things differently my German Shepherd is a different dog. She is actually listening to me now and has stopped pulling on the leash. Thank you so much for your exvellent teaching. I'll carry on with your methods now I understand the psychology.

[@debbieurias5151]

You are so right !!! Thank you so much teaching us how dogs learn and think. I have studied dog Behavior since I was 12 and I'm 67 now I've read every book on teaching dog obedience, why dogs do what they do, why different dogs breeds do what they do, why dogs don't do what we want them to do, I've owned a dog grooming business since I was 12, Ive groomed pet dogs, show dogs, circus dogs, shelter dogs, took every dog training class I could afford, showed 2 of my dogs. Bred my different breeds of dogs, using "Puppy Culture" method for new born to old age. With saying all that... you have tought me more, in the last couple hours, from watching your videos, then I've learned in all my years of being involved in dogs lives. Please keep on teaching us about our dogs! You are Awesome and so smart! Don't let any human being discourage you on your journey. I say humans because it's, not the dog were our discouragement comes from it's humans were it comes from. Please keep teaching us old and young dogs new tricks. I need to take notes when watching your videos so I can remember what I'm learning. 😊

[@prashantshukla7731]

This guy is more into educating people to know the issues rather than just prescribing quick-fix panacea, so that people can address the issues before they get out of control. Lots of blessings to you dear. 😇

[@Because_Reasons]

Best dog training lessons on KZbin, bar NONE. No extra and unnecessary words and bs like other channels.

[@samantic7]

Not sure why all dog trainers are not teaching pet owners the theory behind training and psychology of dogs. This really helps, thank you for being one of the few to teach this.

[@Clear_Spectre]

Because everything is about money. Lol. Well at least before KZbin and whatnot.

[@ChannelCreator]

It’s really because people don’t care to know the details. Most clients want to know the direct steps they need to take to fix the problems they’re having and don’t understand the importance of foundational knowledge. The client’s dog is pulling and they want to know what they should do in that moment to fix it, they don’t want to hear about operant conditioning. I think it’s important for clients to know why they’re implementing training techniques but I can see why some trainers just tell their clients what to do without explaining the reasoning behind it. Do I think that makes them a poor instructor? Yes. But do they still get results if their clients follow their directions? Also yes.

[@andreasmith6964]

We are

[@vikkihunt4067]

Thanks! This is the best explanation of classical and operant condition I’ve ever heard. My college prof in Psych 101 spent an entire month to explain what you just explained in 45 minutes,! Awesome!!

[@hamiltondogtraining]

Thanks for the support!

[@micheleohs3999]

Thanks for your videos! I'm a retired special education teacher, and want you to know I think you are a very gifted teacher! Such great information that I can put to use immediately!

[@hamiltondogtraining]

Thank you!

[@akhalyakathiresan1782]

00:00 Introduction 2:19 Classical Conditioning 5:50 Operant Conditioning 11:21 3 term contingency & Operant Conditioning continues 38:55 Why not just “reinforcement”? Why both “reinforcement “ and “punishment “ are essential? 40:39 Genetics 42:05 Learned Behaviour I’m grateful to have found this video. You cleared a lot of doubts I had and I learned a lot of new things. Thank you 🙏

[@user-vg5ik4sf6v]

You are such an intelligent young man and talented teacher! Please don't ever change as your channel grows.

[@janel4582]

A highly intelligent, easily understandable explanation of a complex subject. Respect!

[@afreeworld]

Third time coming back to this amazing video!!! Thank you!

[@user-qx6os8hy3p]

Me too. Lol

[@teiis]

Thank you SO MUCH for teaching the foundation that dog owners need to understand. Amazing and clear explanation of how our dogs work. Appreciate this a lot ❤

[@themanabroad7800]

I fucking love your channel. As a dog trainer myself, I’d say that you explain the theory better than most. Absolutely excellently done and very well articulated with great examples.

[@mollasima3251]

Hands down, most valuable video on KZbin about this subject.

[@youngprince716]

What a good video. 👍 I've got a psych background, and I can tell you're going to kill it, if you aren't already. Smart. Young. Hard working. Generous; good for you man. Well delivered video. Thank you.

[@Haagsebluf]

Great explanation of these concepts! And I can relate to the walk in the park at night,.. whahaha I love that sharpness !!

[@Yetundeyoungblood]

Hands down the BEST lecture I’ve sat for in months! I’ve never thanked someone on KZbin before with $ but I couldn’t reward you enough for this clean and engaging explanation of a complicated topic 🙌🏾! I wish you success in all your endeavors.

[@hamiltondogtraining]

Thanks for the support!

[@zsahe21]

Truly excellent presentation. Thanks again from around the globe.

[@Abaumanii]

Thank you so much for your videos. I had my dog undergo rehab after he bit me. But the trainor didnt explain to me why my dog has that attitude. Thank you for making me understand my pup!

[@lauracollins5298]

Many are only using force with ecollar or positive only and don't have the skills, knowledge or interest in being the best they can be. I have noticed the trainers I like are all good with ALl dogs with all issues and have a strong desire to share what they know with owners to help DOGS have their best lives. They LOVE dogs and are committed to helping dogs. It is not a career just to gather income. They have a passion to share success and aren't concerned about others' reactions to their methods.

[@germanshepparddogsandthenu5653]

dude....y are the best....i knew that there was another way to train beside just positive reinforcement ...treats garb....many ruined dogs and lost money....then i have to take them home after alote of money spent to a dog dangerous chasing cars lunging at people and more...and every time using a prong and more people talking bad to me.....thank yo for teaching the truth......it has been a lonely road to love my high prey drive large GSD from pound where most of these dogs end.....God bless you

[@ABfenix]

A thousand thanks, I saved the video on my favourites to go back to it as I am sure I will need to rewatch it. This was amazing... I now understand my dogs better. Loved the example you made with the 100$ vs 5$, it makes it so much easier to understand the behaviour. Also when you talked about how a change in the enviroment can affect a dog depending on their genetics, my dog is an English Cocker Spaniel and he is constantly growling when he sees something different (e.g. workers dressed in orange or yellow colors, a bag or any object in the middle of the street, a sign that was not there before, etc.) now I get it! It was frustrating to not understand why he was doing that but it makes so much sense now! I cannot thank you enough, you are truly appreciated.

[@peks4924]

Thanks for the free training class 👍🏼👊🏼

[@melissadominguez]

Thank you! You just explained my dog in this video, the genetics part was so eye opening. You have amazing teaching skills!

[@randallaguilarcarrillo8547]

This video is so helpful thanks for taking the time and sharing all this amazing information, I am really learning a lot from you 😊

[@MortenCopenhagen]

Well explained. Thanks.

[@maxi5784]

You are so young so good …. Watching your content from Thailand 🇹🇭

[@kryzak123]

Holy crap that was a comprehensive and well taught lesson! Thank you!

[@csrnibbler9912]

Another great explanation of a crucial topic for dog training. Thank you.

[@seamusg8911]

Very good. You give a much better understanding of dog training.

[@isabellcheung7894]

I've been watching a lot of professional dog trainers on KZbin to train my Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, Eiger. She learns quickly, but she's not consistent. She gets overly excited and reactive towards my partner when he comes home from work trip and his mom when she visits us, despite all the training methods I've tried. However, she's good at not chasing birds, squirrels, and cars. She sometimes scares off other dogs with her excessive excitement. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong until I found Hamilton Dog Training on KZbin. It's been life-changing for me. I'm going to step back and retrain her. Thank you for sharing your amazing dog training methods. I hope you would make a video comparing the Halti lead/gentle leader and the prong collar one day. Is there a possibility we can use Halti instead of prong collar? I have both but I have been only using the Halti lead. Due to the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog breed's ability to pull loads of 3,000 pounds or more. I'm concerned that the prong collar might injure her during training.

[@rebeccachokly767]

I have been looking far and wide for a video like this. +P and -R were confusing to me until you broke it down. Awesome information!

[@TheHatorihanzoe]

These are really great 👍 I don't see much of these in KZbin. Keep it up!

[@MaxandMe]

BEST. VIDEO. EVER. ❤️🐾 THANK YOU 🙏 😊

[@weezybennett]

Much appreciated information. I am 66 yrs old and have a pack of 4, newest addition is a male SPOO currently 4 months. Older dogs, I have 2 female bouvier/ standard poodles aged 7 and 5, also was gifted a female 6 yr old Australian terrier that was living wild until trapped and domesticated at 1yr of age. Terrier is a survivor and has been with us 2 yrs, and has influenced my other females to be hunters, ( rodents mainly). I am going to start by asking my other family members to listen to your Healthy Relationship video in an appeal to provide the dogs more consistency. As you can see there is much to be done, and I thank you ahead of time for your well articulated training videos.

[@frohsmohswainaksfst]

I ❤ your explanations!!! Me and also Fluffy are very grateful!

[@omarsoloriodeleon6333]

Thanks for the Masterclass. For my APBT Barking in the porch is the most Positive Reinforcement . And I guess fighting a Dog she doesn't Like also... :(

[@BushmanBove]

Generally very good the only thing wrong was to imply -R was not aversive but of course it is & has to be by nature to work.

[@hamiltondogtraining]

Correct

[@michaelvan9566]

Thank you!

[@P.K.-666]

Thank you for this. I think I'm ready.

[@anotherepisode1994]

You did an awesome job of explaining these concepts! Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[@eem980]

Thanks for this well prepared, articulate and informative class on the principles of dog training! I have learned a lot and will be applying it as continue to work with my doggo.. 🙏🏼

[@learninglucy]

Thank you! So helpful.

[@emanuelebosco594]

thank you very much for those contents!

[@danesdale8460]

Absolutely brilliant explanations and you have a great style of teaching the knowledge you have accumulated. Looking forward to more videos.

[@Galaxsqwee]

Great info for all dog owners :D

[@Michael_oliveri]

Absolutely priceless lesson dude, thank you so much for putting this out there!

[@williamwang9887]

This is the best video and possibly the only video I need to learn dog training. Watching videos with demonstrations may be useful and productive for some people but they always left me wondering why on earth that certain method works or doesn't work. After watching so many videos I think I've got a pretty good idea on how dog learn and think. However this video here, cleared all my confusions and solidified the fundamentals of dog training. I don't need to worry about "what" to do because dogs are different and the situations can be different. As long as I know the "how"s and "why"s behind the "what"s, everything becomes easy and clear.

[@curiousm1nds]

Excellent info here! Thank you!

[@isabellerousselle1107]

Thank you so much for this amazing information! Your are an awesome dog trainer.

[@hoopsaugust]

Very clear explanations, great instruction

[@kevinh82]

I love your videos so much, literally the best ive found online and i wish i could purchase your full online training course, but it's just too over my budget T_T

[@wendee7276]

What an incredible teacher!

[@adrianamastrangelo_]

Muchas gracias por los videos! Exelente❤

[@akikoyoshida5074]

Great video to start the traits of thought regarding dog training. Every dog is different, every situation is different. Just to make adjustments from here by being creative depending on the dog & situations. Thank you for your easy to understand explanation.

[@koru6610]

Excellent teaching video. Really impressive.

[@dianel858]

You are a very good teacher. Thank you very much. I hope I can be equally a good student. Lots to learn. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@alfreditoab48]

Great video! 💪🏼

[@madpuri]

Thanks!

[@blackrobin-sq1gm]

Thank you!! Im 14 and i have 2 mini dachshunds. One of them is my sisters but i take care of him basically. Its really hard to train my dog when i have two of them.

[@jayo8621]

best dog training content on youtube!

[@evehatton559]

Easily described easily worded, excellant to reinforce any training i did years ago but THINK i remember and can do, i have a pro active dog, i so understand more. Good luck in your future. ❤

[@jeffreygavidi4039]

Thanks

[@brittanystorey9460]

Thank you for this, your dog sounds like my dog, she is a herding corgi, high reactivity to environment & sounds. She chases lights, and snow, and loud sounds bother her, new counter top objects are of interest to her. She barks at thunder too. 😅 we have lots of work to do.

[@AdventureOf2]

Thank you bro

[@kyleemerton126]

Thanks for your videos they are great! I’m finding it hard to see training tips for puppies under a year of age. I just don’t want to push him to much on the negative side just yet. But also don’t want to let him get away with certain undesirable behaviours. Thanks

[@jeanwadl8881]

Thank you for this excellent video! I've been searching KZbin videos that will help us train our 2 year old Boxer/pit mix from the Cleveland APL. This video makes so much sense with what we already have experienced with her. I look forward to watching them all. Any suggestions which video to watch next?

[@gman0o0]

Thanks for the great content once again. Is it possible to cover either resource guarding against other dogs/strangers or barking/aggressive when meeting new people? Got my dog to about 60 -70 percent of where I would like her to be...90lb lab retriever mixed with Coonhound and Chesapeake bay retriever! Looks like a Doberman so she scares people off making my training difficult around strangers

[@nailz4325]

Miles...... you da man

[@seoule88]

U rock sir!

[@mateocarregno]

you are gooodd..!!!

[@briantorres99]

AMAZING

[@CCOREY5]

Damn this is good!

[@joshuamejia9642]

Hello Miles and HDT been loving the videos I wonder if you maybe can cover how to gain a strays trust or how to train a stray my dog which I’ve had for about a year now is a stray and he’s knows calls but isn’t responsive to recalls and is instead reactive and gets defensive sometimes i tell him to stop and sometimes he will settle down when I go up to him but other times he does get territorial and will pick soemthing up off the ground and run around and bark back when he does this I ignore it because I don’t want him to think I’m playing or threatening him furthermore, anything would help thanks keep up the good work p.s he is a husky and so is my 1st dog but she’s well trained but I’d also like to work on perfect recalls with her without treats or double calls thanks again!!

[@primalperry5667]

Love how you explained positive and negative reinforcement and punishments. I had known that already but it's a concept that's a bit weird and I failed to teach my wife the other day, she couldn't wrap her head around how I was trying to explain it. I did not know the good and bad about each quadrant and adding that was super helpful and really leveled up my understanding which will in turn help how I'm reinforcing and punishing. I tend to just grab treats or not when we go for walks and training sessions so that I'm forced to switch up reinforcers but it's great to understand HOW those reinforcers and punishments really work. Wow, hearing you talk about your pup not liking when something is out of place... That's my boy, he's super reactive about it and not chill at all yet. Any weird sounds in the house cause a bark or two, followed by sort of quietly huffing for the next few minutes. I watch a TON of dog training videos every day, I'm learning as much as I can. I've spent thousands on a few training programs but still battling reactivity, relationship, and obedience a little. Working the obedience seems to help most things a lot, and gives tools and options for dealing with most life situations. I struggle a lot when the motivation to pull and try to go after something comes into play. I need more of that obligation work, pretty sure I'm doing it wrong or at least poorly.

[@andreafabietti756]

if u stop the video exactly at 44:09 u'll see a perfect representation of my dogs face when i call him by his name

[@pembepatiklipati]

Hi your videos taught me alot. Could you pls make a video about the problems when we have a second dog? I am not talking about introducing them. There are many videos about it. My main problem is when i try to create boundaries for my puupy, my elder dog gets the command and it confuses him. Should i choose different words for my puppy or do you have any other suggestions? Thank you😊

[@Thediydog]

A good example of genetics...I have an American Eskimo dog. He's very aware of the environment and things that are out of place. I was watching the Westminster dog show judging for the American Eskimos. There was a piece of tape on the floor of the ring. Every single Eskie that walked by tried to check out that piece of tape. Some of the handlers noticed and made sure to hold the lead tight on their dogs. Those dogs still gave that tape some serious side-eye. Really made me understand a bit about where my dog is coming from.

[@jirehpsalm2806]

I’m getting a puppy in 3 days would love some videos on puppy training

[@alisamodin9032]

How is it going with your puppy?? What kind did you get?

[@lynnhamilton2567]

You are so amazing! Please help me train my small-7#-dog. I’m afraid to use a prong leash or pressure collar since his neck/throat is so fragile. I want to sign up for the program but I’m afraid it may not address the issue of small dogs.

[@MrJanes-cl5sj]

you are a special talent son. I would wish you well but I know you will do well regardless.

[@lucaslasala8428]

Admiro tu talento. Muchas gracias por el contenido.

[@miammaij5630]

Hi , I like your vids and would like to recommend some to my German friends. Is there a possibility that you could set up subtitles in German? Thanks and cheers B.

[@j0shXH]

Do you have any puppy training programs available?

[@watchmoivies123]

I was looking for a tug and saw you on amazon but lost the page.. What one did you like? Thanks

[@user-ex4cn4uf6t]

Hey I was wondering do you live in Canada saskatoon? If you do I was wondering if you could train my dog who has fear reactivity? And I was also wondering what your prices are?

[@estateprofessionals]

What is going on in my puppy’s mind when she is fearful of humans? She seems to be born just a bit fearful/cautious of people. How do you deal with that?

[@martingoodright2791]

I have this Problem with my cats and our new rescue dog, we got him at 6 months he's now 10months he is very reactive around our cats not aggressive but over excited we have tried introducing him over time on a lead and does settle but after a 6-8 weeks of this he still chases them, I then conditioned him on the e collar and he is a different dog but I hen the e collar is off he goes back to chasing them so all I think he has learnt is to respect the e collar, clearly this is not a great place to be but I'm unsure what to do from here ,he is a large dog at 40kg and he is a Mastiff cross so has a high prey drive. I'm ordering a prong collar to condition him with then train him with that but will this help him make the right decisions with the cats or an I missing something, I'm worried my cats are stressed with him but I'm not giving up and wish to work through it but need so pointers as I maybe be missing something. Any help with this would be of great help.

[@kingof554]

For the algorithm 😁

[@TheTinyOrc]

my bully’s neck seems really strong so I don’t think leash pressure works for him. He just doesn’t listen when there is. +R of dog in the street. He goes maniac mode 28:56

[@erebus_chaosson]

Difference between +P and - R is the difference between discomfort and pain . Both teaches subtly different things .

[@myrielnikolaou4734]

Recently I have tried to adopt an adult dog that have been trained in a not positive way. I should kick him while he was pushing , or when he was aggressively interacting with other animals. I gave up because I couldn’t kick the dog my back has been destroyed and I was scared if he got triggered with any movement and eventually attack my child(we had a bad incident) My question is Can a dog be re trained in a positive way?

[@jayo8621]

Not only did I learn a ton about how dogs think (seriously!) the bonus came in the form of learning a brand new word.... Witholdining! (lol)

[@dogenthusiast7445]

This can’t be a coincidence! You learned and took from the goat! That’s crazy💀

[@kaeten838]

Lots of good tips but please, please find positive reinforcements other than chasing wildlife. Thanks.

[@Luckynina597]

Bruh this is a copy of shield k9’s video. Unfortunately this only focuses on operant conditioning which is NOT how dogs learn. It is simply how they respond to stimuli. There are many many other learning theories that apply to dogs but unfortunately most trainers focus on operant and classical conditioning even though academia has long left behaviourism in the past where it belongs.

[@alisonvandyke2946]

Not A bad video. My main concern is that you state that you have to use punishment in the example of dog chasing cars. That is untrue. Why would you use punishment for a dog that has been bred to herd for thousands of years and then punish that behavior. The dog is chasing cars because this is his way of satisfying the genetic predisposition. Maybe try finding a similar activity to satisfy the genetic predisposition of herding. You don’t need to punish.

[@rubenbruynesteyn6897]

If you satisfy your dogs genetic predisposition the dog is still the same. Just tired. I don't want my collie to chase cars EVER. Not when she bursts with energy and not when she is tired. You assume that herders chase the wrong things because they are bored? That's not how it works.

[@hamiltondogtraining]

If your goal is to eliminate the behavior of car chasing, giving them an outlet to satisfy their drive elsewhere will not stop the behavior of car chasing. If your dog has high prey drive and chases squirrels, playing fetch and giving them a drive outlet will not stop them from chasing squirrels. Dogs will continue repeating reinforcing behaviors and stop repeating punishing behaviors. You absolutely should punish the behavior of car chasing.

[@jasonford6595]

How does finding a similar activity actually work in a real life context of a dog chasing a car? You're just going to be there and request an alternative behavior every time a car passes by?? How is that even practical? Therein lies the problem with punishment free methods. They aren't practical. It's more humane to eliminate the unwanted behavior.

[@zsahe21]

Yea, let's give the dog the chance to do what is natural to him, get himself killed. Wonderful. The pinnacle of training.

[@alisonvandyke2946]

@@hamiltondogtraining its apparent that you have not trained a lot of dogs. I recently had a border collie where i did not take him near the road so he would not rehearse the behavior. I then put the dog on long line and let him chase a big rubber ball around in a large field. I then started a countercounditioning program. I did not do any punishment. He is not chasing cars anymore

[@andreafabietti756]

this video is cool but my dog is different, this is whats in his brain: 😴😴

[@eriknissen4004]

Love this. Literally the best explanation of this on KZbin. Keep the content coming!!

[@mannycepriano7585]

Outstanding information and presentation style. You are a rising star! Keep it up!

[@felicitylovell6940]

Thanks