Deconstruction is meant to critically examine something, it asks whether our beliefs remain true in light of updated bodies of knowledge, seeks to expose truths that were supported by assumptions rather than facts, and rejects the idea of a universal truth applied equally to all. This is the process we are called to engage in as we unleash animal voices, to compare what they are now telling us with what we previously thought, and to reject the notion that R+ training methods are valuable to our learners until we have asked them and tested our assumptions.

In creating a communication system that includes joint attention, pointing, mands, tacts, intraverbals, and more, we enter into a conversation rather than just asking a closed-ended question. This means we are not casting our dogs out to face the big, overwhelming world alone and confused while we stand idly by, holding the leash and waiting to see what happens. Rather, we are creating out-of-context opportunities for them to safely explore all the options that interest them, and we are empowering them to communicate their chosen option when we are out in the real world.

My dog, Chloe, and I have been using the Behavior Analytic Approach to Relational Communication™ (BAARC) for about a year as of this writing (3.25.24). I was never skeptical of this approach; my background in learning and development had me 100% bought in from the first time I heard about BAARC. It fully aligned with everything I knew about how we learn and what matters in coping with (dis)stress. Nonetheless, I have been continually surprised - and often humbled - at what I have learned about Chloe’s preferences and needs from using BAARC with her.

One of the goals of B.A.A.R.C.™ that will never cease to amaze me, is how it empowers animals to get creative in generating new ways of communicating with us, and persist in solving problems with the resources available to them. The unparalleled access I get to my dog’s intelligence is not only a source of constant fascination and admiration, but enriching to both of our lives. It also frees me from much of the guilt and shame I would have previously felt, if I was left to discover that I had forgotten his bowl and wondered how long he may have wanted it but didn’t have it there. Instead, knowing that my animals are empowered to not only tell me what their needs are, but to persist until they are fulfilled helps me to take the best care of them possible, while allowing myself grace for my mistakes knowing the negative impacts are buffered, we are not perfect, and we don’t have to be.

Learner centered training is not literally beyond operant conditioning, but it does take the concept and apply it in innovate, interdisciplinary ways that transform our lives with our pets.

When we begin with the question of motivation, we tap into more powerful options for behavior change that benefit both us and our learners.

…if choice and agency are truly our goals, they should be an inherent part of a learning process that provides exploration of many right answers, does not pre-determine a single path to learning, and that holds functional relevance for the learner.

Andragogy is a learning theory that according to the oxford languages dictiorary efers to the method and practice of teaching adult learners; adult education. What does it have to do with dog training? A lot!

If frustration is the byproduct of an inability to produce a particular effect, then agency is the pathway to change, progress, and fulfillment…

Matching Law describes a behavioral principle linking the probability of a particular behavioral option being performed to its relative rate of reinforcement. This is the premise by which differential reinforcement aids the process of extinguishing other behaviors…