Psychology Applied to Animal Training

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Psychology Applied to Animal Training

• Stanley Coren

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History

• Dogs
• Cats
• Horse, donkeys, mules, elephants

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Psychological Research on Animal Learning

• Intelligence
• Consciousness
• Thought
• Spirit
• Soul
• All were questioned

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Darwin

• Darwin disagreed
• Soon after animal research began
• In the beginning the research was not done for
  animals

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Edward Thorndike

• The first research done for the sake of animals
  was by
• Traced progress as they learned sequences of
  their actions

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Edward Thorndike

• He created the law of exercise
• Also the law of effect any act when in a given
  situation produces satisfaction becomes
  associated with that situation,

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B.F. Skinner

• Rewarding in animal training
• Pick key get food pellet
• Shaping

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Genetics and Animal Training

• If an animal has a genetic predisposition toward
  certain types of useful behavior
• You wont have to shape that behavior
• Just reward

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Genetics and Animal Training

• Sheep dogs
• Genetically predisposed to do what they do they
  need only to learn a few simple commands

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Genetics and Animal Training

• Sometimes an animals genetics will not allow them
  to

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Dog Training and Human Welfare

• Dogs on guard
• Training
• Watch dog
• Guard dog
• Attack dog

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Dog Training and Human Welfare

• An attack dog is only trained properly
• Proper attack dog training costs

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Dog Training and Human Welfare

• Dogs of war
• Large dogs (220-280 lbs)
• Taught to
• Some fitted with armor and lance on back and
  trained

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Dog Training and Human Welfare

• WWI and WWII
• Sentry and guard duties
• Messenger services
• Search and rescue operations
• Suicide troops
• Walk into camps
• Continued into

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Dog Training and Human Welfare

• Canine Search and Rescue

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Dog Training and Human Welfare

• Bloodhounds and other hound breeds are good for
  tracking because
• When agility and speed are important the natural
  talents of

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Dog Training and Human Welfare

• Canine Chemical Detection

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Dog Training and Human Welfare

• Drugs
• Dogs trained
• Sniff the air to
• Sometimes from
• Each detection dog

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Dog Training and Human Welfare

• Dogs as assistance animals
• Seeing Eye Dogs
• 1916
• German Shepards
• Labs and Golden Retrievers

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Guide Dog Training Success

• Two psychologists
• J. Paul Scott
• John Fuller

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Critical Periods of a Dogs Life

• 21 days after birth
• 4-7 weeks after birth
• 7-12 weeks
• 13-16 weeks

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Other Assistance Dogs

• Hearing impaired
• Physically disabled
• Psychological Aids
• Seizure alerting dogs
• Several minutes before
• Gets owner to a safe location
• Expose medical emergencies tags
• Signal for help (push buttons)

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Future Animal Training Tools