Dogs are not just animals that respond to stimuli in a primitive and innate way. All the behaviors they perform are learned, in one way or another. They are conscious animals, with high learning capacities and complex emotions. Therefore, it is normal for them to suffer behavioral problems, due to misinformation or mishandling of it.
Before adopting it is essential that we inform ourselves about the behavior of dogs, guided by up-to-date scientific methods that do not harm these animals so sensitive in any way.
In this article on our site we will explain what is cognitive emotional training in dogs and how, through knowledge about the nature of our pet, we can help it to be happy.
Differences between ethology, education and training
When faced with a problem with our dog's behavior, we must know what kind of professional to turn to There is a totally erroneous popular belief that says that trainers are out of fashion and now it is usual to visit an ethologist. This, in addition to being uncertain, can cause us a waste of time, resources and that our dog does not improve.
To know where to go, we must know what each of these canine behavior professionals does:
- Canine ethologist: ethologists are veterinarians or behavioral biologists that study the behavior of an animal in its natural environment and deal, above all, with the instinctual behaviors, usually treating behavioral disorders in dogs based on canine ethology.
- Canine education: a canine educator is responsible for facilitating the integration and interaction of the dog with human society and its family, teaching basic rules of conduct The dog, from birth, receives education from his mother to know, for example, where he can go and where not. Once we separate the puppy from its mother and take it home, the education is on us.
- Dog Training: Dog trainers teach the dog to perform certain behaviorsand postures, quickly and accurately, when given a command. Also, try to get the dog to learn other rules, allowing him to participate in sports activities, competitions or work.
Canine Cognitive Training
There are many different types of training that we will see briefly later. In this article we focus on cognitive training of dogs This method was designed by guide dog psychologist, Bruce Johnston, who tried to teach dogs through a understandable learning for them.
Today, this method is considered a valid training not only for guide dogs, but for any dog that lives with humans, since with this training you work in such a way that the dogacts out of affection for his tutor and not for a reward, be it food, a toy or fear of the tutor.
In addition, the training seeks understanding on the part of the dog, since this is an animal with emotional capacities because they feel emotions, with cognitive capacities because they think, with social capacities since they are able to establish relationships and with communication capacities, the dog is designed to receive and send information.
This type of training, at first, does start with the positive reinforcement of food until you learn what we want to convey. Once he understands the concept, that reinforcement is withdrawn, which is substituted by affection If he fulfills the order correctly, he receives affection, if not, we must show an angry expression, Be careful, only one expression, no fuss, no vocalizations or physical damage. The dog, facially, also shows moods.
The exercises that are worked on the most in this type of training are:
The walks
When we go for a walk with a dog we go out for him, not for us. The strap should never be tight, something that causes, for example, flexi straps, or tied around the neck, always a harness. The length of the leash should be about 3 meters long so that the dog can go wherever he wants (as long as there is no danger) and smell all the walls, streetlights, plants and trees that you want and we will follow you.
Issues such as dominance or submission have no place here, because dominance only occurs within the same species and before a resource and it is very rare to observe it, so the dog can go in front of us, behind or wherever it wants.
In guide dogs, at a certain point, the type of leash is changed, through specific training, since they will have to be an extension of another person in the future, but always through affection.
Smell exercises
A happy and balanced dog should always have an active sense of smell. For this, daily tasks of environmental enrichment of smell are carried out. For example, offering him his food divided into small mounds inside crumpled up newspaper, or inside an egg carton, or taking him to the park and throwing his food on a lawn.
This ensures hours of entertainment and work with the nose, which will greatly relax the dog, keeping his brain very active. Offering a dog food in a bowl is very boring, he doesn't have to do anything to get it, it's just there. In dogs with anxiety at me altime, they will devour the bowl in ten seconds and those with a light appetite will have the bowl always full. Therefore, food should always be offered in such a way that the dog has to work a little with his sense of smell and mind.
Later it can be taught the "search" command, essential for guide dogs.
Games
Playing with our dog is essential to create a positive bond. There are many toys to play with our dog, always keeping in mind his interests and priorities.
Games like tug-of-war do not encourage aggressiveness or any kind of predatory instinct. It is a game and, as such, it can be practiced, keeping in mind that the dog must win 90 percent of the time, otherwise he will lose interest. It is important that guide dogs are taught the commands "search" and "release" within the games.
Socialization
Dog socialization is a stage of puppy development in which he learns to communicate with other dogs, humans and other animals. Here they learn the behaviors and guidelines necessary for other dogs and humans to understand them, such as calm signals, play signals, introduction to a new dog and other behaviors.
It is not necessary for our dog to meet hundreds of dogs during this stage. As long as he knows two or three balanced dogsand that they know how to behave properly as dogs is enough
At this point we should also think that there are dogs that, due to their physical characteristics, will have more difficulties in communicating with other dogs. These are the dogs with the cropped tail, since many of the emotions they need to show they do with this tip, the dogs with long hair on the face that hides their facial expression from other dogs and brachycephalic dogs that, in addition to having very prominent eyes, due to the physiognomy of their nose, tend to appear directly in front, without giving a detour to the anal area of the other dog.
We must remember that cognitive emotional dog training, as its name suggests, is a training. For it to work, the dog must be properly trained or in process. For example, it is very important to work on self-control, such as waiting calmly for us to give him his food or leaving the house relaxed, regardless of whether he leaves before or after us.
Other types of training
Throughout history our way of relating to dogs has evolved according to our needs and the purpose we seek. Thus, there are other types of training, some of them totally obsolete.
Traditional training
It was created by Colonel Konrad Most and William R. Koehler before the first world war, in the year 1906. The method was developed without any scientific basis. Choke, electric, or spike collars were used, all as part of negative reinforcement. Other types of physical punishment were also used, such as pulling or hitting the ribs if the dog pulled on the leash.
All of these methods are either banned in many countries or end up with an emotionally unstable and heavily traumatized animal. Although many trainers consider it an effective method, in fact, we can see some of these techniques today on some television programs, disguised as "alpha-roll".
Positive Training
This technique is based on the studies of psychologist E. Thorndike Where animals (dogs and cats) learned with operant conditioning to through a positive reinforcer (a reward). The problem with this technique is that it does not treat animals as beings loaded with emotional connotations, more like mere robots that respond to a stimulus, and it is not like that.
Timing training
This technique is combined with the use of the "clicker". It is based on a synchrony between a given command and the animal's response. If you get it right, you will be rewarded It is used to teach basic commands for dogs such as "sit", "lying down", etc.
Training by lure guide attraction
Also known as "Luring". The dog is guided with a lure (food or toy), until the given order is carried out. The dog should focus on the reinforcer or lure and ignore all other stimuli.
Training by capture
This method consists of rewarding the dog when it by chance performs some behavior that seems desirable to us. For example, lying down, dropping an object that we don't want him to pick up, etc.
Training by molding, modeling or modeling
In the first case, the dog is guided until he performs the behavior we want, for example lying down, we reward him until he performs it. In modeling, we gently push the dog to lie down and in modeling, the dog learns by imitating another dog.
Extinction training
Consists of preventing the dog from performing behaviors that we do not want. We stop reinforcing the behavior by avoiding paying attention to the dog when he does it or reinforcing it in an indirect way, for example through squabbling or a simple “no.”
Training by counterconditioning
This technique is used to change certain negative emotional states that have arisen due to trauma. It is always accompanied by systematic desensitization It consists of gradually bringing the dog closer to the focus of the negative state and rewarding it with food when it relaxes.
"Tellintong TTouch" Training
Created and Developed by Linda Tellington–Jones, Trainer. It consists of unusual movements and touches that help the dog to relax. It fosters the bond between the guardian and her dog, increases the dog's self-esteem, never with negative reinforcement and totally ignoring the false belief of "dominance-submission".
Factors influencing canine education and training
All dogs can improve their behavior, some more easily and quickly, others will need months or even years of therapy, support and love.
Some of the factors that can influence the process are:
- The breed: The physical characteristics of the breed may prevent the dog from communicating properly. Something very recurrent in brachycephalic dogs.
- Temperament and character: temperament has a strong genetic base, but it is character that is molded and shaped according to the experiences that a dog experiences throughout his life and that prevails over temperament.
- Sensory limitations: a dog with vision, hearing or smell problems, that does not correctly understand the emotions of its guardian or with some physical problem, they will work worse than other dogs and will need more training time.
- Sterilization: in very few cases aggressiveness problems are linked to non-sterilization. In any case, this sterilization should be done early and not when the animal is already an adult. Most of the aggressiveness problems are caused by the environment or related to incorrect education.
In the event of any education, training or behavioral problem we must go to the correct specialist.
