Training Principles and Learning Theory Lecture 1 VETS1023 How to Get Good Behaviour from Pets Dr Cam Day Animal Behaviour Veterinarian Cam Day Consulting Ph 07 32550022 Email drcam@pethealth.com.au www.pethealth.com.au For a copy of this PPT (including MP3 FILES) email to students@pethealth.com.au 1

Course Content Lecture 1 - Training Principles and Learning Theory Lecture 2 - Solving Behavioural Problems Lecture 3 - Dog Behavioural Problems Lecture 4 - Cat Behavioural Problems 2

Problem Behaviours A focus question - how can learning theory help with these problems? Attention Seeking-1 Attention Seeking Post Treatment Aggression- 1 Aggression-2 Barking Circling and another Circling-2 For the weird files 2 3 4 3

What does behaviour therapy entail? Just ask Four Questions to make behaviour improve Is it medical? Can the animal learn to be good? How will the behaviour be managed to create a solution Will medication be needed? For first year – we will concentrate on the question Can the Animal Learn to be Good 4

But Why is My Current Dog Different to My Last Dog? What makes a dog into a dog? Why do we have huge breeds like Danes and Mastiffs maturing to 120kg and tiny dogs like Chihuahuas maturing at 2kg? Modern day dogs are mostly mutant mutts! 5

Nature or Nurture. Ref Selecting and Raising a Perfect Pup on www Nature or Nurture? Ref Selecting and Raising a Perfect Pup on www.pethealth.com.au The behaviour of animals is determined by their genetic profile (Nature) and by life’s experiences after birth (Nurture). Genetic influences Life’s Experiences Innate B’s Breed Influences Environment Learning 6

Which has the biggest effect on your dogs behaviour? 7

Which has the biggest effect on your dogs behaviour? This is as good as each dog can be 8

How Animals Learn Refer to Changing Moods on pethealth.com.au What are the important principles of learning? Reinforcement Punishment Strengthens a Behaviour Weakens a behaviour 9

Reinforcement The more often a behaviour is reinforced, the more likely that behaviour will occur again. But – animals can reinforce unwanted behaviours There are two types of reinforcement Positive Reinforcement Negative Reinforcement 10

Punishment The more often a behaviour is punished, the less likely that behaviour will occur again. There are two types of punishment Negative Punishment Positive Punishment 11

Case Studies for Reinforcement Positive Reinforcement - where a behaviour is strengthened through the receipt of a reward when it performs the behaviour Example - Gizmo and the Postman Negative Reinforcement - where a behaviour is strengthened by the lessening or cessation of something unpleasant Example - Roxy and the Thunder Storm 12

Case Studies for Punishment Positive Punishment - where a behaviour is weakened by the occurrence of something unpleasant when the behaviour occurs Example - Fur Ball and the Vege Patch Negative Punishment - when a behaviour is weakened by lessening or cessation of something pleasant Example- Blossum jumping up 13

Let’s Look at How You Drive! Positive punishment of driving over speed limit Negative Reinforcement of driving under speed limit Both Positive and Negative Punishment of driving over speed limit and Negative Reinforcement of driving over the speed limit 14

Conditioning – a type of learning Conditioning – where an animal learns to respond in a certain way to a certain stimulus E.G. when you walk past a coffee shop, your mouth waters There are two types: Classical conditioning Operant Conditioning 15

Classical Conditioning Pavlovian Conditioning = Classical Conditioning An unconditioned stimulus (US) produces a unconditioned response (UR) which is reflex-like (usually involving the contraction of smooth muscle and is often an Innate behaviour) A neutral stimulus (NS) is then paired with the US until the NS alone triggers the same response. Neither reinforcement or punishment apply as the UR is not within conscious control 16

Classical Conditioning Unconditioned stimulus Unconditioned response Food Salivation Repeated conditioned Stimulus Bell 17

Operant Conditioning Operant conditioning is a form of learning. a behaviour is influenced by its effects If a behaviour is reinforced, it is likely to occur again = Operant conditioning Trial and error learning is equivalent to Operant conditioning When training an animal with rewards, we are mostly using Operant conditioning B F Skinner 18

A Task to consider When training a dog to walk to heel on lead, how could you employ positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment and/or negative punishment to create the ‘walking to heel’ behaviour?? 19