Dog training

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The pointing dog, 1855

Dog training is human influence on a dog with the aim of enabling the dog to live a life with as little conflict as possible in human society and to enable it to perform the specific tasks expected of it. As a basis for a successful upbringing, it is necessary that there are clear ideas about what the dog should be able to do, that actions and tasks are always defined in the same way and habits are developed.

For services and other working dogs we speak rather of training. Standardized skills and abilities are imparted for the fulfillment of standardized tasks. In the case of family dogs, one speaks more of upbringing, also with the aim of achieving a desired behavior. Through upbringing and training, the dog's natural qualities and abilities are directed in certain directions and are deliberately promoted or inhibited. One goal is that the dog always shows the same desired behavior in certain situations or on hearing and / or visual signals.

For the education and training of dogs commercial offerings exist in dog schools and dog trainers . In Germany, people who professionally train or guide dog owners for other dogs must have a permit.

Proof of successful dog training

There are numerous attempts to test and certify the completion of a successful dog training. These include, for example, dog driving licenses , working dog tests and team tests. A generally recognized, standardized certificate is not included. Successful dog training - in the sense of social acceptance and as conflict-free coexistence as possible - requires appropriate knowledge and skills of the dog's caregivers. An attempt is made to check this with appropriate certificates of competence .

Behavioral learning model

A behavioristic learning model assumes that a dog has certain predispositions that cause certain instincts that control the dog's actions. Environmental stimuli affect the dog. A reaction takes place according to the constitution and character. With the appropriate intensity, the environmental stimulus leads to a change in behavior. The dog has learned to react to an external stimulus.

Based on the experience gained, the dog will show the same or similar behavior in the same situations. If the environmental conditions change, the dog can change its behavior again.

Conditioning

The dog learns to react to a certain stimulus with a certain reaction ( stimulus-reaction pattern , stimulus-response , trigger mechanism ). This process is known as stimulus generalization . A distinction is made between two forms of conditioning .

Classic conditioning

Ivan Petrovich Pavlov developed the classical conditioning model . The unconditional stimulus lining broke the dog's unconditional reaction salivation of ( essential because the organism has not found voluntary control has). Pavlov offered the food together with the sound of a bell. The result was that the originally neutral stimulus bell the reaction salivation could trigger. The unconditional response to salivation became a conditioned, conditional response.

What is very important about classical conditioning is that it can be used to teach the dog feelings and instinctual moods. In service and dog sports, this is used to ensure that the dog is active or can be activated even in stressful, possibly unpleasant situations.

A service dog handler who goes on patrol with his service dog can serve as an example. The service dog handler tightens the leash and brakes the dog. Then the bogus perpetrator appears in civilian clothes and is not recognizable as a helper, and fighting begins. After a few repetitions, the tight leash brings the dog into a state of mind that is appropriate for the upcoming confrontation. The indefinite stimulus of a tight leash originally led to the dog pulling harder or stopping it. But now the activation of the endocrine system takes place as a learned reaction. This can be generalized quite easily and does not need any further amplifiers. The tight leash as a stimulus to trigger the reaction ready to fight is now used when patrolling, searching areas and rooms for perpetrators and searching people and groups of people.

Operant or instrumental conditioning

→ Main article: Instrumental and operant conditioning

A randomly shown behavior of the dog will be shown more frequently or less frequently or no longer in the future through targeted reward or punishment of the dog. The consequence following the behavior activates or inhibits the corresponding behavior. Skills and techniques are taught with operant conditioning.

In operant conditioning, learning takes place through reward or punishment. The reward means that behavior will be shown more frequently in the future.

  • Positive reward, reinforcement comes with the addition of a pleasant consequence. Sit down - get the ball.
  • Negative reward, reinforcement occurs by switching off an unpleasant stimulus. Tap on the croup - sit down and the stimulus ceases.

The punishment means that behavior will be shown less frequently in the future. This does not always require a correction of the behavior. The mere fact that a behavior has no pleasurable, pleasant consequences results in a reduced probability of this behavior occurring.

  • Positive punishment, a certain act creates an unpleasant stimulus.
  • Negative punishment, a certain act results in the removal of a positive stimulus - not sitting down, not getting a ball.

Characteristics and predispositions of the dog

For the family, sport and service dog, the following characteristics and predispositions of the dog, formerly also called drive systems, drive areas or functional areas, are significant (see drive theory ).

Prey behavior

The prey behavior is assigned to the functional circle of food intake. The key stimulus that animates a dog to prey is movement. Prey always runs away from the dog in panic, is always on the move. Instinctively, i.e. automatically and without having to think about it, the dog will chase the prey, jump at it, bite and tear down the prey. If the dog bites too weakly, the prey can flee, if the dog bites hard, the prey animal's death reflex follows . If the dog lets go, the prey tries to flee again. The dog grabs again and shakes to death. The prey is carried, the prey instinct is satisfied because the instinctual goal has been achieved.

Prey behavior can be inhibited or encouraged through learning. However, it is subject to an action-specific and stimulus-specific (through habituation) fatigue. This can, for. B. for the service dog, be a disadvantage.

Prey behavior allows the dog to learn quickly. Prey behavior gives the dog security (whoever follows, has the initiative and dominates) and makes him quick.

Triggering stimulus: Movements
Instinctive behavior: Fixate, pursue, jump, bite and hold.
Instinctual goal: to carry prey, possess it, rest

Defense behavior

Defense behavior belongs to the functional group of aggressive behavior . Signs of defense behavior are threatening, fixing, aggressive defense and biting. The key stimulus for defense behavior is a psychological or physical threat to the dog or open aggression. The aim of the behavior is to generate avoidance behavior in the threatening person. A battle for damage should be avoided.

Defense behavior is not subject to stimulus-specific or action-specific fatigue, that is, it can be activated continuously. The motivation for military behavior is different. In the functional cycle of food intake, defensive behavior can appear as guarding and defending prey. In social areas, defense behavior serves to establish hierarchies, to preserve privileges, territorial claims or to defend oneself if the situation is hopeless.

Defense behavior is antagonistic to avoidance behavior. Both behaviors have the same key stimulus and may be a. depending on the self-confidence of the animal, the appearance of the threatening person, age, experience, environmental stimuli and critical and escape distance.

Avoidance behavior

Avoidance behavior is in contrast to defense behavior. It is also triggered by a psychological or physical threat and / or overt aggression as a key stimulus. The aim of this behavior is to ensure your own physical integrity. The dog wants to get to safety from threatening events or enemies. As behavior, the dog shows flight, looking for cover, crawling, the failure to start an action as well as humility and submission.

Avoidance behavior is also not subject to any stimulus or action-specific fatigue. It can be activated at any time. Avoidance behavior therefore plays an important role in subordination.

Basics of dog training

Successful upbringing is based on the application of a few rules. Dogs learn the fastest and safest through positive reinforcement, i.e. reward with treats, praise, play or petting immediately after carrying out an action requested by the owner. For example, a so-called bite sausage is a stimulating motivational object and is often used in training. It is very important that the reward (and also the punishment) happen immediately after the "deed", a two second delay is too long for the dog to be able to assign act and effect and to recognize a connection with its action. It is praised in a high, friendly voice, games or treats . Punishment is also done with the voice - in a tone that the dog can use to recognize our displeasure, but not by yelling at the animal. A suitable “punishment”, or better rebuke, is an energetic, sharp address and for example the words “ugh”, “off” or “no”.

The dog does not understand human language as language, but as a sequence of tones. He learns to link the corresponding tone sequences with a corresponding behavior. Therefore it is very important for the dog in the training phase that the commands are always given in the same form, i.e. always the same command word with the same tone of voice for a certain desired action. This should be practiced by everyone walking the dog. Dogs need a lot of repetition to consolidate what they have learned. Common opinions speak of 50 to 200 exercises per command (during the entire training period) before the newly learned sit down safely.

The duration of the individual training sections varies from dog to dog and depends on the age, nature, etc. of the respective dog. In order to avoid being overwhelmed, the training should start with several short units a day and gradually increase. It is also important to ensure that the dog remains motivated, i.e. that he enjoys learning. Extensive praise and reward (treats) after well-performed exercises are therefore very important.

If you introduce a new command that is not yet working properly, or if the owner or dog lose interest in the exercise, the exercise is ended with a command that the dog has mastered and then loosened by z. B. Play on so that the training units are remembered by the dog as a good experience.

Age dependency

According to a study in which owners of over 1,500 dogs were interviewed, the responsiveness to training, characterized as trainability and controllability, is greatest in dogs between the ages of 7 and 7.5 years. This corresponds to the fact that dogs, like humans, only learn to pay attention in the course of their lives.

Dog commands

There are different ways of giving commands to the dog. The most important two groups of these commands are

  • Visual signals - signals that the dog sees and reacts to
  • Audible signals - signals that the dog can hear

The following list shows the most common, but by no means all, spoken dog commands:

  • Seat: the dog should "sit down"
  • Down or stop , even place: In the place to lie down and stay the dog; the down or halt denotes the "ban" of the dog, which is common in hunting dog training, in response to an acoustic signal (whistle).
    The z. B. When the dog is chasing wild animals, when the signal is perceived, bow down with the head between the front paws. The down command is the most important command for the subordination of the dog in hunting dog training.
  • Stay: stay at the current location
  • Stand: This command is used to bring the dog to stand from a great distance. It is also used to let the dog stand out of the seat , seat or open heel.
  • Search wound ' or search wound' my dog: This command is used for hunting dogs to have a sweat trail (blood trail) worked out.
  • Search ahead: The hunting dog is asked to search for free.
  • Auf: Auf is used in the sense of “Let's go”. For example, if the dog is in the seat and the dog handler wants to start walking, the dog handler says “Up!” To cancel all of the previous commands, open makes sense. The exception is the so-called laying down , here the dog must not be called up, but must be picked up by the dog handler, e.g. B. by touching the head with the hand.
  • Ahead: The dog should move forward away from the handler, e.g. B. towards a specific goal.
  • Foot: is used to lead the dog next to you on the left side even without a leash.
  • Fetch: fetch something, fetch
  • From: to release what the dog has in its mouth
  • Here: come to the caller, possibly with a chair

In addition, there are a large number of commands / instructions in different languages ​​or consisting only of certain sounds that are used for specialized dog breeds (e.g. sled dogs ).

Often given instructions are replaced by clearly distinguishable signals with a dog whistle . Often a high-frequency whistle is used, which is very clearly perceptible for the dog, but hardly audible for humans and therefore not very disturbing.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Animal Welfare Act (Germany) : § 11 .
  2. ↑ Helmut Raiser: The protection dog. The training of working dogs for the protection service , page 9, Paul Parey Verlag 1981, ISBN 978-3-490-40312-4
  3. ↑ Helmut Raiser: The protection dog. The training of working dogs for the protection service , page 10, Paul Parey Verlag 1981, ISBN 978-3-490-40312-4
  4. ↑ Helmut Raiser: The protection dog. The training of working dogs for the protection service , page 11, Paul Parey Verlag 1981, ISBN 978-3-490-40312-4
  5. ↑ William J. Chopik, Jonathan R. Weaver: Old dog, new tricks: Age differences in dog personality traits, associations with human personality traits, and links to important outcomes . In: Journal of Research in Personality . February 2019, doi : 10.1016 / j.jrp.2019.01.005 ( elsevier.com [accessed on March 4, 2019]).
  6. ↑ Lisa J. Wallis, Friederike Range u. a .: Lifespan development of attentiveness in domestic dogs: drawing parallels with humans. In: Frontiers in Psychology. 5, 2014, doi : 10.3389 / fpsyg.2014.00071 .

Web links

Commons : Dog Training  - Collection of Pictures, Videos and Audio Files