Errorless Learning Explained: Do Dogs Need Failiure to Learn? |#117

️ Kynotalk #117: Dr. Stewart Hilliard returns for a short,
focused episode sparked by a thoughtful YouTube
comment—challenging a common narrative in dog training:
“positive-only,” errors in training, and whether sport/Agility
dogs are truly trained without pressure.Stewart adds nuance: what
errorless learning actually means, where the concept comes from
(Skinner and colleagues), and why “errors” are often an artifact
of imperfect teaching procedures rather than an unavoidable part
of learning. At the same time, he explains why building
resilience—and teaching dogs to work through
frustration/adversity—still matters, not just in sport, but in
everyday life and high-demand working contexts.A key segment
dives into omission cues / Pavlovian inhibitors: why a cue that
predicts “you won’t get it” carries its own emotional valence,
how it affects performance, and why timing and information are
critical—especially for highly motivated dogs and
discrimination-heavy sports like Agility.Finally, you explore the
practical question: Can you train purely “positive-only”? Stewart
frames it around goals, dog type, time pressure, trainer skill,
and context—landing on a pragmatic takeaway: fewer tribes, more
good mechanics and responsibility. Your turn: How do you handle
errors—prevent them, accept them, or use them strategically? And
where do omission cues show up in your training?Chapters00:00
Introduction and context of the discussion03:38 Positive training
methods and the criticism of them06:31 Nuance in dog training and
the role of errors09:38 Errorless learning and why it
matters12:53 Resilience in dog training15:47 Challenges in
training and why they matter18:39 The role of signals in dog
training21:46 Psychological processes in training24:59 Pavlovian
inhibition and emotional valence27:13 Challenges in dog training
and constructive learning30:22 Agility and how dogs cope with
errors34:24 Frustration theory and resilience in dog
training38:42 Positive and negative reinforcement in dog
training42:32 Limits and possibilities in dog trainingFind
Stewart and Kynology https://kynology.org/
https://youtube.com/@Kynology?si=JRbwg7nzggmC4KDz
https://www.facebook.com/stewart.hilliard.33
https://www.instagram.com/kkynology/More about Kynotec
https://www.kynotec.at https://www.facebook.com/kynotec
https://www.instagram.com/kynotec/channel/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/kynotec/————————————— If you
have any comments about our podcast, please send us an email at
office@kynotec.at or contact us on Facebook or Instagram.We’d
love it if you subscribed to the show — and even better, if you
shared the podcast with your friends and colleagues.Please leave
us feedback and a rating in the app you’re using.Thank you!
#Kynotalk #Kynotec #DogTrainingPodcast #Hundetrainer #AgilityDog
#MarkerTraining #ClickerTraining #BehaviorScience #CanineBehavior
#FrustrationTolerance #ErrorlessLearning #StimulusControl
#trainingtips