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Operant Conditioning vs. Pavlovian Conditioning



 
 
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Old December 15th 03, 07:41 PM
Leah
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Default Operant Conditioning vs. Pavlovian Conditioning

I just started Jean Donaldson's "Dogs Are From Neptune," and was a bit
surprised at what I read. I think I remember Marshall saying he was going to
take a break from the ng, but I hope he's here to comment on this.

For dogs with generalized fears, i.e., of men, she recommends Pavlovian
(classical?) conditioning. When men appear, the treats and praise come out -
no matter what behavior the dog is displaying. Men = open bar. No men = bar
closes. Even if the dog is displaying aggression.

I normally have the treats and praise stop when the dog acts out, and instead
try to refocus the dog on me.

Can we start a discussion on this? I'm very interested to hear what you guys
think. I'm sure the choice between methods must depend on the individual dog
and the individual circumstances, but I'd like to hear the pros and cons of
both methods.

There is one dog in a basic class, a young Aussie named Mocha, who occasionally
acts out at dogs near her. I've not been able to pinpoint the trigger (she's
only been to two classes so far), because otherwise she displays friendly,
though wary, interest. She's 6 months old and was not socialized. I can
refocus her on a dime by simply saying her name in a high, cheery voice, and
then asking her for a behavior. I'll have to watch her more carefully - my
guess is that she may be acting out whenever food appears. If so, maybe dog
close by should = open bar. But I also don't want to reinforce the acting out.

This is a tough one, because there are 10 dogs in the class. I can't always
keep my eye on one.

Bubbles, the shih tzu, is the only small dog in this class. Last week she was
very frightened of all the dogs and people, and we couldn't even get a sit out
of her. I asked mom to bring her to puppy play-time, and she did. By the end
of the session, she was playing with the other dogs and visiting the people
(she was fearful of strangers prior).

This week, with the confidence she gained in puppy play, she won the quickest
sit contest! :}

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Operant Conditioning vs. Pavlovian Conditioning Leah Dog behavior 61 December 20th 03 08:27 PM


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