GARDEN ROUTE | KAROO NEWS - Dogs learn in different ways. As a result, we often talk about conditioning instead of training dogs.
To define this term, one could say that conditioning is a process that causes changes in an organism's body in reaction to stimuli resulting from experience. There are two forms of conditioning, classical conditioning, and operant conditioning.
Local K9 behaviourist and trainer George van Huyssteen explains:
In classical conditioning or Pavlovian conditioning, one stimulus can be paired with another. In Pavlov's experiment, for example, dogs were conditioned to associate the sound of a bell with treats or food. By repeatedly pairing the bell with food, conditioning occurred, and the sound of a bell elicited drooling in the dogs.
In operant conditioning, however, the dogs learn that actions have consequences. Should we teach a dog to sit, the dog will learn that when he hears the cue "sit", he needs to put his rear-end on the ground to get a treat, for instance.
This we call positive reinforcement training. Should the dog not sit, we withhold the treat, and that is called negative punishment. There are four quadrants in operant conditioning: positive punishment, negative punishment, positive reinforcement, and negative reinforcement.
When a dog becomes fearful
Should a dog become fearful for some reason, many things happen within its sympathetic nervous system. In the brain, there are two almond-shaped structures called the amygdalae. When receiving a signal from the dog's senses, the amygdalae send signals on to the rest of the body and the dog prepares itself for the imminent danger.
Furthermore, the amygdalae connect directly to the hypothalamus and brain stem. These areas respond to his fear and anxiety, and further prepare the dog's cognitive and motor systems for survival. Neurotransmitters are released in the brain, and the dog is inhibited by its fear system.
When a dog readies himself for the imminent danger, his heart rate will increase, his respiratory rate will increase, blood pressure will rise, blood flow to his muscles will increase to allow quick action, its appetite and digestion will decrease, blood sugar will increase to provide energy, its senses will heighten, pupils will become dilated and it will experience partial cognitive reduction.
Does fear inhibit learning in dogs?
Yes, fear is needed to ensure survival, but the opposite is also true. Dogs that are fearful in training classes mostly have trouble performing operant behaviours like sitting or lying down. In many cases, they don't respond to food as their attention is more on the scary environment than on the lovely piece of biltong in the owner's hand.
What can be done?
Avoid reinforcing the fearful behaviour. Fearful dogs are still capable of learning, just not in the way we would like them to. For example, they might not respond to us asking them to sit down or to lie down, but because they are in their 5F or fear system, they might quickly learn escaping behaviours like pulling on the leash in an attempt to escape the "danger", they might learn to hide behind the owner, or they revert to aggressive behaviour. Because rehearsing these behaviours help the dog feel better emotionally, the behaviour is being reinforced all the time and will worsen.
Lore I Haug, a veterinary behaviourist, sums it up very well. While extreme levels of fear can interfere with effective learning, the notion that fear blocks all learning is inaccurate. Fearful animals still learn effective lessons about escape behaviour or aggression, particularly if these behaviours resolve the situation that triggered the fearful response.
If fear abolished learning, fear would be a maladaptive trait in the wild.
So, when training your dog, look for the signs. For example, if your dog is unresponsive to positive reinforcement (treats, toys, praise), it is possible that it is in a fearful state and not being naughty or spiteful.
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