Dog behavior training
the foundation

dog behavior

a little about reinforcement of behavior

the importance of
social reinforcement
and
communication

behavior problems

classical and operant conditioning

dog aggression, aggressive dog behavior and reactive dogs

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Classical and Operant Conditioning

Classical conditioning
Reflexes: Involuntary responses that deal primarily with smooth muscles.

Fear: A state that is primarily controlled by reflexes.

Eliciting stimulus: Stimulus that precedes a respondent behavior. An example of an eliciting stimulus, is a bright light that is shined into an animal's eyes. An example of the corresponding respondent behavior is the animal's pupils constricting.

Respondent behavior: Respondent behavior is part of an animal's inherited biological structure (such as a reflex), and is elicited by a preceding stimulus.

Respondent Conditioning: Respondent conditioning takes place when a stimulus that does not elicit a response (neutral stimulus) is presented at the same time or slightly before an eliciting stimulus. Respondent conditioning has occurred when a neutral stimuli becomes able to elicit the respondent.

Conditioned stimulus: When a previously neutral stimulus is able to elicit the respondent behavior, the new stimulus is called a conditioned stimulus.

Operant Behavior

Operant behavior: Voluntary behavior that operates on the environment. Operant behavior is how we teach new behaviors and how we increase the rates at which behaviors are performed.

Contingencies of reinforcement: What happens after the behavior will determine the strength of the operant behavior. The events that follow a behavior and make that behavior more probable in the future are called a reinforcer or reinforcing stimulus. Reinforcing stimuli, whether positive or negative, always make a behavior stronger and more likely to occur again.

Discriminating stimulus: Operants are preceded by discriminative stimuli that is said to control the operant behavior by setting the occasion for its reinforcement. Controlling stimuli only increases or decreases the probability that a response will occur.

The controlling stimuli never guarantee that an operant behavior will occur. With respondent behavior, presenting the eliciting stimuli almost always gets a response.

To make a neutral stimulus into a discriminative stimulus, only reinforce the operant behavior when the neutral stimulus has been presented and do not reinforce the behavior if the neutral stimuli has not been presented.

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