This is the Universe as far as you and your dog are concerned. This map holds all the knowledge and experience of the Dog | Handler | Team nexus - every single bit of it. And you can draw it with a stick in the dirt.

These are not quadrants, they are domains. The right side of the map depicts the Ordered Domains of the Ideal World. All that exists in your mind that potentially can be brought into existence; things the Team nexus knows exist here in the realm of ideas. These are your Ideals, the tools used to navigate the world of Play. To  the left are the Unordered Domains of the Actual World; the here and now, where all play and interaction takes place. The Matrix is on the right, the actual world is on the left. Choose wisely.

The lower you go on the map the more concrete and factual things get and the higher you get the more abstract and tenuous things are. Movement around this map happens all the time. There are many movement patterns within Play+ Universe some of which will be explored later in this project. Simplicity is not always so simple and abstract does not mean difficult.

The Prehension-Intention Architecture in the Play+ Universe

Within the Play+ Universe, the Physical and Mental poles are conceptually organized into two realms: the Actual World and the Ideal World. The Physical and Mental poles serve as the ground and attention of the organism, guiding the acts of prehension and intention. This synergistic framework provides a philosophically robust and practically effective model for understanding and facilitating canine behavior and training.

Actual World: Physical Pole as Ground for Prehension

In the Actual World, the Physical Pole engages with immediate sensory experiences and serves as the ground for prehension—direct engagement with environmental stimuli.

• Corresponding Frameworks:

  • Classical Conditioning (Pavlov)
  • Pankseppian Affective Neuroscience's SEEKING
  • Flow Theory's task execution
  • McGilchrist's Right Hemisphere
  • JJ Gibson's Affordances and Primal Elements (Mental Action Capacities)
  • Enriched Marking (Pawsitive Vybe, 2023) - Inceptive Marker
  • Play+ modified Merleu-Ponty perceptual horizons: Ground
  • Modified Cynefin (Play+): Actual World

  

• Role in Training:

  • Initiates conditioned responses
  • Sets the sensory and behavioral context for interactions

• Cue-Trigger Process:

  • The Trigger actualizes at this pole, leading to concrete actions based on prehension.

Ideal World: Mental Pole as Attention for Intention

In the Ideal World, the Mental Pole focuses on the organism's attention, providing the framework for intentions that will guide actions and behaviors.

• Corresponding Frameworks:
  • Operant Conditioning (Skinner)
  • Pankseppian other affects (PLAY, PANIC/GRIEF, etc.)
  • Flow Theory's goal setting and engagement regulation
  • McGilchrist's Left Hemisphere
  • JJ Gibson's Physical Action Capacities and Ideal Skills (Pawsitive Vybe, 2023)
  • Enriched Marking (Pawsitive Vybe, 2023) - Expectant Marker
  • Play+ modified Merleu-Ponty perceptual horizons: Attention
  • Modified Cynefin (Play+): Ideal World
• Role in Training:
  • Facilitates creative problem-solving
  • Modulates emotional states and engagement levels
• Cue-Trigger Process:
  • The Cue serves as the intentional framework that informs and precedes acts of prehension.

Classical-Operant Integration in the Play+ Universe

Within the Play+ Universe, Classical and Operant Conditioning are seamlessly integrated into the overarching architecture of Prehension-Intention.

Classical Conditioning: Ground for Prehension

• Physical Pole Attributes:
  • Functions within the ground of the organism, facilitating associative learning.