1. Operant Conditioning of Canis lupis familiaris
That is, clicker training the domestic dog!

2. This course is 3-fold
To learn and understand basic learning theory including:
Classical conditioning
Operant conditioning
Modern Behavior Analysis
To understand the behavior of the domestic canine:
Behavioral signaling and communication
Development of the species and the individual dog
Social behavior of the domestic dog, including dog to dog and dog to human interactions
To apply basic learning theory through applied behavior analysis (ABA) to:
Teach basic obedience skills
remediate behavioral issues
prepare shelter dogs for adoption

3. How do we do this? Begin with an overview of learning theory
Learn the techniques of positive reinforcement based teaching and Clicker training
Begin to interact with our dogs and apply our lecture-based and readings-based knowledge as we assist our dogs in becoming adoption ready!

4. Let’s start with some basic theory!
Classical vs. Operant Conditioning

5. Clicker training is based on the Science of Operant Conditioning
Emerged from area of psychology called Behavior Analysis
Experimental Analysis of Behavior
Applied Behavior Analysis
Both study how living organisms learn about contingencies. ABC’s of behavior.
Antecedents: what is/are the setting condition(s)?
Behavior: what behavior is emitted?
Consequences: what consequences maintain the response?

6. Defining learning A learned behavior is predictable
Learning is…….
A relatively permanent change in behavior not due to maturation but to experience and/or practice.
A learned behavior is predictable
For our class we will concentrate on 2 kinds of learning
Classical conditioning is pairing a predictive stimulus with a predicted event:
CSUSUR CR
You respond because a stimulus signals an upcoming event
Do NOT have to respond
Operant conditioning: Pairing a consequence with a behavior
RC
Can add a predictive stimulus: S+: R C
Animal MUST engage in the response in order to receive the consequence

7. Pavlov’s Contribution
Ivan Pavlov
Russian physiologist: Studied salivation
1901: discovered and wrote about classical conditioning
Found that his dogs reacted to both his presence and the time of day for feeding/experimentation
Research emerged out of this observation:
Measured amount of salivation during baseline:
Present food to dogs
Measure slobber
Then added a predictive stimulus: a Bell
Presented the BellFood
Measured slobber to see if dogs would begin to slobber to the bell

8. Labeled each part of these events:
Unconditioned stimulus or US:
The stimulus that automatically elicited the behavior (usually innate)
E.g., the food elicited the slobber
Unconditioned response or UR
The behavior that is automatically elicited
Unlearned; often reflexive
Conditioned stimulus or CS:
The stimulus that predicts the US
Is a learned (thus conditioned) stimulus
Conditioned response or CR:
The behavior that occurs to the CS
Often very similar to the unconditioned response
Occurs because the CS predicts the US

9. Classical Conditioning Procedure

10. Order of presentation is very important!

11. The CR does not just suddenly
Appear, rather it takes several trials
Or sessions to learn the connection
Between the CS and the US

12. Several important characteristics
The CR is not always identical to the UR….and even can be opposite. This is called a compensatory response.
The CR gets stronger with more pairings.
The CR gets weaker if you stop the CS-US pairings…this is called extinction
If similar settings occur to the original CS-US setting, even an extinguished CR may reappear: This is called spontaneous recovery.
An extinguished CR can be more easily relearned than a new CS-US pairing
A CR will generalize to similar CSs, but one can also learn to discriminate to a particular CS.

13. How can we use CC? The Clicker: Behavior Adjustment Therapy (BAT)
Dog performs correct behavior
We click
Dog gets a treat
Clicker becomes associated with food: Click predicts treat!
Behavior Adjustment Therapy (BAT)
Really just systematic desensitization
Dog associates other dogs or persons with emotional distress
We REPLACE the emotional distress with positive event
OLD learning: OTHER DOG Bad things
Bark, lunge, emotional distress
We replace this: OTHER DOG Treat/pets/good things

14. Operant Conditioning: The Law of Effect
Thorndike (1911): Animal Intelligence
Experimented with cats in a puzzle box
Put cats in the box
Cats had to figure out how to pull/push/move lever to get out; when out got reward
The cats got faster and faster with each trial
Law of Effect emerged from this research:
When a response is followed by a satisfying state of affairs, that response will increase in frequency.

15. Skinner’s version of Law of Effect
Had two problems with Thorndike’s law:
Defining “satisfying state of affairs”
Defining “increase” in behavior
Rewrote the law to be more specific: When a response is followed by a reinforcer, the probability of occurrence of that response will increase.
Used words reinforcer and punisher
Idea of reinforcer is strengthening of relation between a response (R) and a reinforce (Sr)

16. Skinner’s version of Law of Effect
Defined reinforcement and punishment:
A reinforcer is any stimulus which increases the probability of a response when delivered contingently
A punisher is any stimulus which decreases the probability of a response when delivered contingently
Also noted could deliver reinforcers and punishers in TWO ways:
Add something: positive or +
Take away something: negative or -

17. Reinforcers vs. Punishers Positive vs. Negative
Reinforcer = rate of response INCREASES
Punisher = rate of response DECREASES
Positive: something is ADDED to environment
Negative: something is TAKEN AWAY from environment
Can make a 4x4 contingency table

19. Several important characteristics
The R gets stronger with R-Sr pairings.
The R gets weaker if you stop the R-Sr pairings…BUT it will increase in intensity before it weakens
Transitory increase in the rate or responding
Extinction induced aggression
If similar settings occur to the original R-Sr setting, even an extinguished R may reappear: This is called spontaneous recovery.
An extinguished R can be more easily relearned than a new CS-US pairing

20. More parameters: Generalization can occur: Discrimination can occur
Operant response may occur in situations similar to the one in which originally trained
Can learn to behavior in many similar settings
Discrimination can occur
Operant response can be trained to very specific stimuli
Only exhibit response under specific situations
Can use a cue to teach animal:
S+ or SD : contingency in place
S- or S : contingency not in place
Thus: SD: RSr

21. Schedules of Reinforcement:
Continuous reinforcement:
Reinforce every single time the animal performs the response
Use for teaching the animal the contingency
Problem: Satiation
Solution: only reinforce occasionally: PARTIAL Sr
Partial reinforcement
Can reinforce occasionally based on time
Can reinforce occasionally based on amount
Can make it predictable or unpredictable

22. Partial Reinforcement Schedules
Fixed Ratio: every nth response is reinforced
Fixed interval: the first response after x amount of time is reinforced
Variable ratio: on average of every nth response is reinforced
Variable interval: the first response after an average of x amount of time is reinforced

23. Variable ratio and variable interval
Cumulative records

24. Why is all this important?
We will be teaching dogs basic obedience and leisure skills
We will be using operant conditioning, and more specifically, clicker training and TAGteach
Clicker training is the use of a marker to tell the dog when it does the right behavior
You watch for the behavior
You click when the behavior occurs
You REWARD (always) following the click

25. Clicker Training
With clicker training there are several important concepts:
We use clicker training to shape new behaviors
More than one behavior may occur in order to get the click
We will wean the dog off the clicker using the schedules of reinforcement

26. Dogs!
We will have some “resident” lab dogs that will help us learn techniques
YOU will be working primarily with rescue dogs (ages 8 weeks to elderly)
We have an exciting opportunity to work with Pet Central Helps on Wiley Drive
YOUR job is to prepare these dogs for adoption!

27. Three important class components:
During Tuesday lectures we will:
Learn the theory of operant conditioning
Learn about our organism: the domestic dog
During our labs :
We will apply our information that we learn in the classroom with each other and with the dogs.
We will have some “resident dogs” that we can use for teaching advanced behaviors
Deaf and deaf/blind dogs for a challenge
Rescue dogs to apply our basic skills
Are you ready to do this?