Edited to add - Simon Gadbois rewards occasionally, it's not that he ditches rewards completely it just becomes very infrequent.
I think the waters have gotten a little muddied along the way here, hang on and I'll see if I can clarify what I was getting at.jacksdad wrote: I think the bar for something crossing over from "simply" being HIGHLY enjoyable and creating a desire to repeat and addiction is a bit higher than you maybe are worrying it might be.
I'm not worried about accidentally creating an addiction, I'm quoting myself here please forgive me but I just can't face typing it again.
Quotes from the link above (http://www.helpguide.org/harvard/addict ... _brain.htm)This SPARCS conference made me far more aware of the effect training can have on a dogs brain chemistry and I found myself a little uncomfortable about the idea of creating an addict (which I personally do believe is possible, probably not with all dogs but I've met some training addicted Jackers* as well as the more bidable breeds). I found myself wondering how much this would increase a dogs stress levels and ability to "switch off". If I felt that applying this mechanisim of addiction would benefit Honey I would be remiss in not using it in my own training but as I said my greatest desire is to reduce her stress not add to it.
For many years, experts believed that only alcohol and powerful drugs could cause addiction. Neuroimaging technologies and more recent research, however, have shown that certain pleasurable activities, such as gambling, shopping, and sex, can also co-opt the brain.
Scientists once believed that the experience of pleasure alone was enough to prompt people to continue seeking an addictive substance or activity. But more recent research suggests that the situation is more complicated. Dopamine not only contributes to the experience of pleasure, but also plays a role in learning and memory—two key elements in the transition from liking something to becoming addicted to it.
The reward circuit in the brain includes areas involved with motivation and memory as well as with pleasure. Addictive substances and behaviors stimulate the same circuit—and then overload it.
I would guess that low reward clicker training would be akin to gambling for a dog.
Also speaking as a gamer I have very little interest in games that are "too easy" and in the last few years all video games I play are now started on the hardest difficulty level (increased tolerance). Often times the more difficult the game the greater the "buzz" and the longer you will find yourself playing it. In the past before I understood what was happening I would become addicted to certain games and play them well past the point of it being "fun" anymore. I no longer have this problem as I will stop once I'm "gamed out".
As a result of these adaptations, dopamine has less impact on the brain’s reward center. People who develop an addiction typically find that, in time, the desired substance no longer gives them as much pleasure. They have to take more of it to obtain the same dopamine “high” because their brains have adapted—an effect known as tolerance.
I do have some ideas as to how I could go about creating an addict dog but I've used up my brain budget for the momentAt this point, compulsion takes over. The pleasure associated with an addictive drug or behavior subsides—and yet the memory of the desired effect and the need to recreate it (the wanting) persists. It’s as though the normal machinery of motivation is no longer functioning.
I'll have to come back to it.
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