Jun 19, 2026 · 1 hr 15 min · 12 segments
Hunt tests in the US have been declining in participation especially in amateur entries. We take a look at what is causing this and explore some solutions and alternatives.
Jennifer HenionGuestSo t- talk a little bit about, um, like your training style and what positive really means, 'cause I think it has, you know, different meanings to different folks.
I mean, it is rewarding, but what positive reinforcement means to me is a conditioning, a behavioral conditioning system.
So we are shaping the behaviors that we want and then testing and proofing those behaviors, but we're testing and proofing in strategic ways that make the criteria that we want, the choices we want the dog to make, rewarding.
And so if the dog does make a choice or, uh, does a behavior that we don't want, such as if you think about water honesty.
So here in the United States, we want dogs to take a straight line through water even though there's a, an easy option to run around the water, right? And judges will set up tests like that to test, "Well, what's, what choice will the dog make in this scenario where they could easily run around the water," right?
So that's an example of how in positive reinforcement training we're going to, um, shape and test that choice to take the water instead of the land.
So if the dog does make the incorrect choice, we s- we set up the scenario so they can make that incorrect choice, but that they won't complete that behavior chain or be rewarded for that choice.
So, uh, the way we layer positive reinforcement training creates layers of success and layers of testing so that the dog is conditioned to make the choice that we do want.
Um, I would, I'll compare it, I guess, to some of the things that I do and see, I think, you, if you, you would associate the two.
Teaching a dog to stop on a whistle, right? So a lot of trainers use an e-collar, right, and blow the whistle, hit the button.
So t- talk a little bit about, um, like your training style and what positive really means, 'cause I think it has, you know, different meanings to different folks.
I mean, it is rewarding, but what positive reinforcement means to me is a conditioning, a behavioral conditioning system.
So we are shaping the behaviors that we want and then testing and proofing those behaviors, but we're testing and proofing in strategic ways that make the criteria that we want, the choices we want the dog to make, rewarding.
And so if the dog does make a choice or, uh, does a behavior that we don't want, such as if you think about water honesty.
So here in the United States, we want dogs to take a straight line through water even though there's a, an easy option to run around the water, right? And judges will set up tests like that to test, "Well, what's, what choice will the dog make in this scenario where they could easily run around the water," right?
So that's an example of how in positive reinforcement training we're going to, um, shape and test that choice to take the water instead of the land.
So if the dog does make the incorrect choice, we s- we set up the scenario so they can make that incorrect choice, but that they won't complete that behavior chain or be rewarded for that choice.
So, uh, the way we layer positive reinforcement training creates layers of success and layers of testing so that the dog is conditioned to make the choice that we do want.
Um, I would, I'll compare it, I guess, to some of the things that I do and see, I think, you, if you, you would associate the two.
Teaching a dog to stop on a whistle, right? So a lot of trainers use an e-collar, right, and blow the whistle, hit the button.
The rest of this transcript — segmented and speaker-labeled, so you land on the exact moment something was said
Search every transcript — by keyword, by phrase, or by meaning, across every show Radar indexes
Trends — what is surging across podcasts, measured against its own baseline
Alerts — when a name you follow appears in a newly indexed episode
No account is needed to search Radar.
