SATS and other training methods
Many ask, what can SATS offer that is new and different? There are many fine trainers and training programs already in use.
SATS is compatible with most training systems. You simply add the bridges (signals that tell your animal it is “right” or “on the way to being right”), the information (from bridges and words we have taught), and use targets to trace behaviors for the animals to show them what you want them to do.
Many have compared SATS (short for the Syn Alia Training System) to Clicker Training, and are wondering what the differences are.
Some important differences are listed below. There are others.
The originator of Clicker Training, is Karen Pryor, circa 1991. She published rules of Clicker Training to define that method. They included a rule : “treat after every click”
The originator of SATS is Kayce Cover, circa 1990, with a manual copyrighted after testing, in 1991. SATS says vary all reinforcers and do NOT feed after every bridge (a click is just one kind of bridge).
Clicker uses a Terminal Bridge (the Clicker), which tells the animal the instant he has “it” right.
SATS uses a Terminal Bridge (TB) AND an Intermediate Bridge (IB), which tells the animal he is on the right path - so it encourages him, AND it helps to guide him straight into success, and the TB. Think of the game “hot and cold”, only turbo-charged! So, SATS gives more kinds of information, more frequent information, and therefore more support. SATS bridges are verbal, so you don’t have to buy anything, never forget your bridger, it does not break or get dirty, AND you can modulate the bridge, giving differential reinforcement using the IB. (Differential Reinforcement is when you show the animal that some things get more reinforcement than others, helping it home into the optimal action.)
Clicker allows the animal to use trial and error to figure out what the trainer/owner wants. Now, some people combine food-luring with Clicker Training, so that they can lead the animal to success with food. For some people, this leads to problems with animals fixated on food, and refusing to work without food, and requiring better and better food treats.
SATS uses food and many other reinforcers (like stroking, toys, freedom), but it does NOT use “trial and error” or “luring”. Instead, the animal is taught to touch a target, and the target is used to trace the behavior, so the animal can see exactly what the task is (or can see the piece of the task). Sometimes the animal receives food, but the emphasis is on getting the information to the animal fluently, to keep his interest. Experienced SATS animals will often work for long stretches with no food. They also tend to be very focused on the information. We steer away from frustration and over-excitement.
In Clicker Training, the behavior is not named or cued until after it has been “finished” (done correctly) by the animal.
In SATS, we name things for the animals as we teach them. We name each skill as the animal is learning it. We name events, people, activities, animals, locations, etc. We also teach concepts, like “left versus right”. We can then combine the words which we have taught to the animals, and use them to create new behaviors in new situations, often without additional training. We can also use these words to give the animals information to help them cope with things that might otherwise be stressful or scary. For example, we can say, “Look left, boy on bike!” so that the animal does not get startled by the sudden passing of a boy on a bike.
In SATS we teach by explaining to the animal what is happening and what we will be doing. We show them what we need them to do. We do not wait for them to figure out what we want. We do not generally see the animals get frustrated and they are usually quickly successful. They are usually calm and focussed during training, and speed up once they have mastered the idea/behavior. They do not generally “offer behaviors” (produce uncued behavior to try to elicit a response from the trainer).
Which is right for you and your animal? You decide! If you catch the SATS bug, look further and experiment, because there is much, much more to explore in the world of SATS. And remember, with most training methods, you don’t need to choose one over the other, you can simply add SATS to the things you already do.
Comments
Pingback from Syn Alia » Welcome
Time: 14 January, 2008, 3:53 pm
[…] This is an incredibly fair, fast, efficient and fun way to teach others. More on key concepts abd Compare with other methods […]
Comment from Sharon Normandin
Time: 16 January, 2008, 6:26 pm
This is excellent! Great explanation of the differences. I also like the fact that you CAN add SATS to your current trainer’s toolbox, and choose which method might be the most useful for a particular behaviour, or a particular animal.
I do like the fact that in free shaping with a clicker, the animal offers behaviours and tries to “play the game” to see what it is that you want; I think it keeps him mentally on his toes.
However, there is a lot to be said for NOT wasting a lot of time and energy in offering random behaviours. I also think that SATS eliminates one problem, often encountered with shaping, of creating unwanted chain behaviours.
Great article!
Comment from Sue Ketland
Time: 17 January, 2008, 5:05 pm
Excellent article.
My clickers have been gathering dust in a drawer somewhere for over four years now. SATS changed my approach to animal training and communication in a way that cannot be explained. This technique is the way forward in everything that we do with animals. I can’t wait for the rest of the world to get it!!!!
Comment from Sylvia Diamond
Time: 13 April, 2009, 2:54 pm
I like the idea that one communicates with the animal directly.
And yes, dogs do understand what we say to them much more than we were taught previously both in dog training and in psyshology classes. Most of us have experienced this, but did not realize how much they do understand.
I have used the clicker and have found it helpful, but I am not sure that it takes into account how much language animals understand. Some of us used it because we learned in experimental psych that animals react to rewards not that they understand what we want of them until they hit the right choice.
I also love the tb for the recall-one can really speed the dog’s response by the rhythm and pitch of the tb.
Comment from Sylvia Diamond
Time: 13 April, 2009, 2:56 pm
Sorry, I meant to sag ib for the recall. I hit the wrong key
Comment from dayton cummings
Time: 12 July, 2009, 4:05 pm
i really don’t see the difference in this and clicker training except you don’t use a clicker and you and extra levels(like your tb and ib). With clicker training the sound is just a marker you could use your voice in the same way. instead of a clicker you could say “yes” or “good”. from what i have read you are just adding more commands that you will have to fade out later. i myself use many different methods of training and am always open to new things, but like i said you seem to adding unnecessary steps that later will have to be gotten rid of later.
Comment from Kayce
Time: 12 July, 2009, 6:26 pm
to Dayton Cummings,
I replied via email:
“You are correct. You do not see the differences.
I explained some of them in the article: http://synalia.com/about-sats/sats-and-other-training-methods/
Maybe that will help.
Good luck,
Kayce Cover”
However, I now see you were at the page of this article. I described other significant differences which you don’t list. You may note from the comments from others who are actually using this method that they see big differences. Maybe it will be helpful to give their words consideration.
If I describe something and you don’t see it, it doesn’t leave us much to talk about. If you see and disagree, then at least we could talk. I can only say that I, and others, see large, important differences.
Best wishes,
Kayce Cover
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Time: 10 May, 2010, 9:07 am
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Comment from Cinder Wilkinson
Time: 18 June, 2010, 11:19 pm
When reading through your introduction, I noticed that you list some things as differences from Clicker Training, which actually aren’t different at all. Clicker trainers do add names of objects and cues when we start training, sometimes not immediately, but early in the process. We also teach concepts like “Left” and “Right”, and very long behavior chains which don’t require reinforcement in the middle of the chain. We also use many different reinforcers, like petting, toys, “life rewards” (freedom, outdoor time, chasing a squirrel, etc.) to reinforce behaviors we are training. The only clicker trainers who get stuck using more and more food, are the ones who aren’t doing it correctly. I think you have some interesting ideas, but I don’t think they are much different than clicker training.
Comment from Kayce
Time: 24 June, 2010, 12:02 pm
Hi Cinder,
Good for you for reading the materials so carefully and making the comparison.
The things I list were not part of clicker training initially and many were discouraged in the “clicker training rules”. Begs the question, why are good trainers evolving to be more and more simply Bridge and Target trainers? That is, after all, the tradition that clicker training came from, but fails to be. Clicker training is a subset of Bridge and Target training, at least if targets are used. Otherwise, it is a subset of operant conditioning.
You may actually be a SATS trainer more than a clicker trainer and simply not realize where your practices really came from. I hope you’ll investigate further.
Regards,
Kayce
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