While some aspects of associative learning may seem complex at first, the overall principle is very easy  to understand.  All forms of associative learning are based on the simple idea that when two ‘things’ are  paired together in a consistent manner the first ‘thing’, which we will call stimulus, comes to stand for  the second ‘thing’, which we will call behaviour – you can view this as a cause (stimulus) and effect  (behaviour) relationship. Associative Learning in Humans An example of this in humans is our association between turning on the tap and water coming out of the  tap.  We have learnt this association through our everyday experience of taps - when we turn a tap on,  water will come out and we can fill the kettle and make a cuppa.  But (and be honest here) when the  water is shut off at the mains and we are consciously aware that there is no water, how many times in  this situation have you gone to the tap turned it on and then briefly stood confused as to why no water is  coming out? The answer (if you are anything like me) is a number of times throughout the day. Our ability to learn associatively does not just extent to taps.  When you become an experienced driver  you no longer have to consciously think about your actions when driving the car.  When we see a car  breaking in front of us, the red break lights provide the stimulus which makes us automatically apply our  own breaks.  We learn habits (both good and bad) associatively to, for example having a glass of wine in the evening.  The evening becomes the stimulus which triggers the behaviour of pouring the wine.  Or having a  cigarette with your morning coffee or eating a pudding after dinner. Obviously humans don’t just rely on the principles of associative learning.  We have a conscious element  to our behaviour, i.e. we can plan for tomorrow, dread the visit to the dentist next week and lie awake  worrying about all we did not achieve during the day.  The ability to do these things will certainly have  effects on our behaviour.  We may set the alarm 30 minutes earlier to do the washing up with did not do  the night before, or we may get a little over zealous with brushing and flossing in the week leading to the  dental appointment.  Dogs certainly don’t do this - in fact there is no conclusive evidence that any animal, other than the  human animal, has the ability to ‘think’ like this.  Associative Learning in Dogs (and other animals) For animals it is all about learning associatively and for dogs learning is a combination of associative  principles and trial and error behaviour.  Pretty much all canine behaviour can be understood through the principles of associative learning; from barking at the postman to behaving aggressively towards another  dog.  We also train our dogs to sit, stay and perform tricks by teaching them the association between  stimulus words such as sit and the behaviour of sitting.  It is not only important to understand the principles of associative learning when training a dog, but we  MUST understand how to apply them correctly.  The biggest mistake made by humans is to attribute a  human-like mind to a dog.  Dogs don’t ‘think’ or even view the world or the concept of time as humans do.  While you can explain to a child that they are not getting sweets at the weekend because they stole  Mummy’s lipstick and smudged it all over the walls on Monday, you certainly cannot explain this to a dog.   In fact once ‘the deed is done’ a dog has already mentally moved on and trying to explain to a dog that  chewing a shoe while you nipped to the shops was naughty is simply impossible.    My aim is to teach you the owner all you need to know about the principles of associative  learning and how to correctly utilise them when it comes to training your dog.  I teach you the  importance of establishing a consistent stimulus-behaviour relationship; explain the  relationships your dog has already established simply by paying attention to their  environment and most importantly teach you how to break habitual behaviours by using a  canine version of cognitive behavioural therapy.