![\"\"](\"https:\/\/illis.se\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/12\/29686053_s.jpg\")
<\/a>Or your horse loads beautifully into the old trailer, but refuses to set hoof in the brand new one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Or your dog sits on cue anywhere but in the vet\u2019s office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This problem could be about either (or both) of two issues:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- You haven\u2019t successfully communicated to the animal what you want him to do<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The animal isn\u2019t motivated to do what you\u2019re asking<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
In order to successfully get behaviour in all contexts, you need to address both<\/em><\/strong> Communication and Motivation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
For instance, it might be that you haven\u2019t communicated<\/em> to the animal that the already-learned-behaviour pays off in the new environment: you may have to help him generalize from one context to another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Or, it might be that the new environment is full of aversives and\/or distractors that reduce his motivation<\/em> to comply with your request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s bring in the Yay-and-Nay balance to address how motivation impacts whether the animal goes along with what you\u2019re asking \u2013 or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/illis.se\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/12\/Yay-and-Nay-balance.png\")
<\/a>The Yay-and-Nay balance. Factors increasing the probability of the animal doing the behaviour (the Yay-side) are the reinforcers you\u2019re offering, and your relationship to that particular individual. Factors decreasing the probability of the animal performing the behaviour (the Nay-side) are distractors or aversive stimuli present in the current environment.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n This is actually a two-part blog post. And you\u2019re reading part 2, which gives some pointers about managing the Nay-side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Find out what to do about the Yay-side in part 1 of this blog post over at the Zoospensefull blog. Just click the button below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/illis.se\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/12\/Yay-side-image.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe Nay-side: distractors and aversives<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s assume that it\u2019s not a generalization (communication) problem, but rather a motivation problem that\u2019s causing the animal not to go along with what you want. What\u2019s leading the animal to balk \u2013 might there be a distractor, or an aversive stimulus, or five, in the environment?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Distractors are essentially reinforcers in the environment that compete for the animal\u2019s attention with whatever you\u2019re offering, and aversives are scary or uncomfortable things that the animal would rather avoid. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, there are two different types of factors that might reduce the animal’s motivation to go along with your wishes, and you need to handle them somewhat differently.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Below is an excerpt from my online course Getting Behaviour \u2013 the Foundations of Animal Training<\/em><\/a> (specifically, it\u2019s chapter 3 in Module 8). In this video, I discuss the learning and performance distinction, as well as what to do about those distractors and aversives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(toggle the CC-button to the lower right of the video to get subtitles)<\/p>\n\n\n\n