http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSyurPPXhB8
Using a buckle collar and a leash in a fixed position, watch carefully how the puppy learns to make eye contact without auditory input.
Articulating my physical position and fixing the leash length in opposition to the puppy’s movements allows the pup the opportunity to discover when the primary reinforcer will appear.
The “dancing hands” actually was a result of pocket lint, but remarkably, it taught the puppy not to trust it’s presence as an indicator of reinforcement.
The presence and absence of leash pressure in dog training acts as both positive punisher (the dog cannot escape or avoid it) and negative reinforcement (the pup stops struggling and the leash pressure disappears), either simultaneously or transitioning seamlessly one from the other, depending on how the pup reacts to my movement and the resultant consequence that the presence of the leash provides.
Eye contact is the only behavior that is quickly rewarded. Although the pup refuses to forsake the pocket and the hand entirely, he learns in about two minutes that eye contact is the path to gratification.
