I Second That EmotionCarolyn Menteith DipCABT, KCAI

We need to know why what we do works….

Dogs feel emotions!

It isn’t enough to think “what is he doing?”

You need to think “how is he feeling?”

Behaviour is just a symptom of an emotion

Noise phobiaBehaviour = panting, panic,

denning, shaking etc

Emotion = fear (of noises)

Separation related behavioursBehaviour = Panting, panic, vocalisation ,loss of toilet

training, destruction, self mutilation etc

Emotion = fear (of being alone)

Dog to dog aggression

Behaviour = reactivity, lunging, barking, attacks etc

Emotions = fear (of strange dogs), relief (when they go

away) or frustration

Dog to human aggressionBehaviour = stiffening, growling, barking, lunging, snapping,

biting etc

Emotion = fear (of strange people or of what they might do)

Squirrel chasingBehaviour = running after small animal

Emotion = Pleasure!

Counter surfing

Behaviour = stealing forbidden foodEmotion = pleasure!

Dogs do things that give them pleasure - even if we would rather

they didn’t!

If we want to change any behaviour, we need to change the emotion that drives that

behaviour

Suppressing the behaviour doesn’t change the emotion

To change behaviours, we can take fear and frustration, and work to replace those

emotions with relief and pleasure

We can also take pleasure-driven ‘problem behaviours’, and teach the dog how to get even

more pleasure a more acceptable way!

Training…

Four ‘outcomes’ will make a difference to future behaviours

Plus nothing at all…!

R+, P+, R- & P-

Definitions:

Anything that is reinforced will be repeatedAnything that is punished will happen less often

Positive and negative are just adding or taking away something

Positive reinforcement = pleasure = a behaviour that will be repeated!

The more pleasure, the more likely it is to be repeated…

Positive punishment = fear = the behaviour will happen less often

P+ works…

We used it in schools for years until we became more progressive! Self-preservation says avoid what is dangerous…

Problems with P+

• increase fear in that situation• decrease the dog’s ability to learn• increase an avoidance or aggressive response• cause confusion

We don’t know the fallout of P+ until it comes back to bite us!

The ‘negatives’…

R- and P-

R- = the bad stuff stops = reliefP- = the good stuff stops = frustration

When in doubt, ask “would I rather do that behaviour out of fear of punishment, or would I rather do it

because it gives me pleasure?”

Carolyn Menteith

ICAWC 2015

www.dogtalk.co.uk

All photos used with permission where I could find owners - but apologies for any that slipped through the net which I am happy to remove!