Dog trainers, have you experienced latent learning in your dogs?

I have seen it many times, both in horses and in dogs.

It's like the animal sits back after the training, thinks about things, and then figures them out before the next session.

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It has nothing to do with "frustration". I don't get frustrated or angry when I am training, and I don't push the animal to the point of frustration. Sometimes an animal just needs some time to think things over, and put the pieces of the puzzle together.

Latent Behavior

I'm doing basic obedience right now. My trainer hasn't once handled my dog. He has shown me how to handle my dog by using his own dog but that's about it. The reasoning is that I need to learn how to do these basic corrections and what not myself. Learn more https://tr.im/NonZz

I have never considered sending my dog away for training. I guess I haven't found that much of a problem with him to even think about it.

Again, it may also have to do with the level of training you are looking for etc. No idea lol. I'm not a trainer. I think a first time dog owner needs to learn simple commands and how to handle their dog themselves as well.

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I agree with schmemdog here. It depends on the schedule of reinforcement you use too. The best reinforcement schedule (with least latency between acts of the desired behavior) is variable interval because he/she does not know when to expect reinforcement. It could be every 2 times he/she does the desired behavior or every 5 times or every 30 times, etc. You do not want to use fixed ratio or fixed interval because the behavior will drop off drastically right after recieving the reinforcement and then pick up right before the next reinforcement. You got me thinking! I like this question!

The answer is in your commentary. If your try to get a point across, and it ends up in frustration from you, then you send that energy to the dog. How you feel goes right to the dog. You walk away, and probably calm down, when you go back, the dog gets it. Calm, and confident energy is what a dog will trust. They don't follow anger, frustration, nervousness, tenseness or anxious energy. It isn't as mysterious as you think. A human that stays calm, but is determined to succeed, will get their point across. Dogs are natural followers, and want to be calm/submissive, and when they are, they relax, and are responsive to training. Remember they will "mirror" your energy.

It is ignorant to think your energy is not a factor. Dogs live in the moment, they don't think, they react. There is nothing human about them or any other animal.

Most definitely. Many of us in the competition obedience field find that giving an overloaded dog a break gives them a chance to assimilate what we were working on and when coming back to it the dog "gets it". Happens all the time.

EDIT'

Notice the ones not understanding your question are people that use force training methods. Interesting, is it not?

My dogs receive what I call training vacations all the time. They just need a break. I find that a few days/weeks vacation brings on a better attitude for learning. My theory is that it takes some time for the information in short term memory to be analyzed by the animal's brain. This information is then placed into long term memory. Many teachers see a change in children after a 3-4 day vacation also. The children come back and are ready to learn new concepts based on the old ones that are now stored in their long term memory.

I was trying to train my dog to do the drop on recall. I did this in small steps but he still did not get the concept. Both he and i were becoming very frustrated with the exercise. I had to go out of town for 2 weeks. When I came back BAM he had putt all the parts together. He now has a lovely DOR. Several of my students have had the same thing occur in got outs and article,

Yes I exploit this for all that it's worth.

Eh, not really. See, the way this works is in phases..first the dog learns a behavior, then the dog learns that it has NO choice in performing that behavior, it WILL do it, then the dog will get proofed on that behavior and for TOP trainers and training, the dog will be made to look good while performing that behavior, even though it may not like it.

As you can see, there is not much wiggle room in there, the dog is very busy learning and absorbing what works and how to better its own situation. Of course 33 plus years later, its very possible that something did happen somewhere, but, I cant think it right now.

It is so difficult to determine whether the dog has received some form of reinforcement, my dogs get a kick out of just about everything. I really doubt that there are many things that aren't reinforced in some way.

One thing I have done in the past, before a puppy class if there is a particularly nervous puppy, I will get them to come in early. I let the puppy wander around the room until the others arrive. I do find that once they have done this they are more likely to venture out from under the owners chair. I don't think this is strictly latent learning though.

I know that dogs do take in extra information from the environment though. They notice everything, and not all of it is rewarding. So they definitely do latent learning. I just think it would be hard to isolate the behaviour.

Exploit it ? Why?

Dogs also use insight in figuring out a problems. Some are quite complex.

Dogs ain't dumb.

Can you explain "latent learning" for those who don't know what it is?