Extinction Bursts: Why Dog Behaviour Gets Worse Before It Changes (And What To Do About It!)
About this episode
This episode explains the concept of extinction bursts in dog behavior and provides strategies for effective training.
If you’ve ever felt like your dog’s behaviour is getting worse just as you start training properly… this episode will completely change how you see that moment. Because what most people interpret as regression or stubbornness is often something very different... It’s an extinction burst. And understanding this phenomenon properly is one of the most important shifts you can make if you want to create real, lasting behaviour change in your dog. In this episode, we go far beyond the basic definition and unpack what’s actually happening inside your dog’s learning system when behaviour escalates, why this moment is so critical, and how so many well-meaning owners accidentally reinforce the very behaviours they’re trying to reduce… without even realising it. We explore the science of reinforcement history, prediction error, and behavioural persistence, and (most importantly!) translate all of that into clear, practical strategies you can apply in your everyday training. In this episode, you’ll learn: What an extinction burst actually is Why behaviour often intensifies before it improves - and what that really means How reinforcement history and intermittent reinforcement make…
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