Dog Behavior Workshop 4

Let's start this one off talking about Opperant Conditioning. This theory was made famous by psychologist Dr. B.F. Skinner and deals with Antecedents, Behaviors and Consequences.

When trying to figure out quadrants, ask yourself these questions:

Who's behavior is being affected?

What is the antecedent?

What is the behavior?

What is the consequence?

What is the anticipated future behavior?

Now, what quadrant does it fit in? (+R -R +P-P)

Next let's talk about Counter Conditioning.

Counter Conditioning is when we teach a dog to associate a previously negative experience with something good. Ex: A dog afraid of people is fed tasty treats in their presence.

Desensitization:

Presents a stimulus at a low intensity level, then gradually the intensity is increased over time. This has been shown effective in treating dogs with thunderstorm anxiety and car sickness.

Behavior Shaping:

Breaking up large difficult tasks into smaller simpler ones. Sub steps become increasingly demanding.

Come back next time when we discuss the history of dog training!