A Learning Theory On Dogs Essay

In the video titled Learned helplessness (PsychYogi, 2014), Martin Seligman conducted a study in which he took three groups of dogs and put them in harnesses. He gave each group a lever that would either stop a charge that electrocuted the dogs, or do nothing. Group one was the control group and did not get electrocuted. The dogs in groups two and three were the experimental groups. Group two had control over the electric shocks and could stop them with the lever. Group three also received the shocks every time group two did, except group three had no control over their own lever. Every time group two pushed their lever to stop the shocks, group three’s shocks also stopped. Group three never knew when their shocks would stop. The dogs in group two learned that the lever would stop the shocks, so the more times they were shocked, the less time it took them to push the lever. Group three was the only group to have symptoms of depression due to learned helplessness (Psychyogi, 2014).

as food and treats. When the dogs saw their food bowls and smelt their food which was served by

Out of the three stories, “The Flowers”, “The Dogs Could Teach Me”, and “The Sniper”, “The Dogs Could Teach Me” by Gary Paulsen, applied the best use of descriptive language. Paulsen demonstrates incredible word choice to really help the reader understand the pain he is feeling throughout the story. This gut wrenching, action packed story is all shown very well by the use of description that Gary presented, to the point where he made the reader feel like he was in the main character's shoes. In the story, the main character could not control his dog sled as he was sledding over ice and snow when he soon shot off the edge of a canyon.

Training your dog is the most important part of canine companionship. A happy dog is one who has structure and boundaries. Dogs are pack animals, and as such, they need guidance in the behavior that you expect from them. If you don't follow through in this leadership role, then the dog will naturally feel as if it is his place to do so. A dog that understands that you are the leader will naturally be easier to train.

I choose my Dog college because this is one of the pieces I am most proud of. I created this piece by printing a black and white picture of my dog. Then I cut the picture into pieces. I cut the pieces according to the different shading and hues in the original picture. Then I matched pieces of fabric with the different shades and textures of the dog picture. For example, around the nose the fur is smoother than the fur on the ears so I used a type of material that reflects this smoothness. Then I glued the pieces on a piece of cardboard, putting them together like a puzzle. I also found a ring from a piece of drape and used it for the dog’s tag.

Learned helplessness is used to explain the failure to avoid aversive stimuli in a controllable situation after experiencing an unavoidable aversive situation because the organisms learned that the avoidance of the aversive situation is not affected by their actions (Seligman & Maier, 1967). Overmier and Seligman (1967) also suggest that this phenomenon is seen when a subject that is revealed frequently to an unavoidable stressor will develop an observable sign in which it displays lowered ability to escape the same stressor when it is delivered in cases where escape is available. The major application of this theory is used to understand depression in humans. Learned helplessness was actually discovered accidentally. It was found out when

To comprehend the nature of learned helplessness, one needs to be familiar with Seligman’s experiment in the laboratory

As the owner of three unique pups, I know that dogs’ variances are numerous. Any one who owns a dog knows that it has a mind of its own, and therefore a unique personality. Having had many dogs throughout my life, I have found that dogs fit into three classifications.

Learning theory can be summarized as behaviour which shows us how animals and people respond to a stimulus. This is incredibly important due to the direct impact it has on many features of daily life and how we implement this into our practices, from the way education systems are structured to the way we train dogs. The concepts of Classical Conditioning (a concept first established by Ivan Pavlov in the 1980’s) and Operant conditioning (founded by B.F Skinner around the 1920’s) can provide psychologists

It is often said that a dog is a man’s best friend. In the last 14,000 years, dogs have accompanied man by helping him hunt, guard, and protect. In our modern world, dogs help us combat in war, search-and-rescue, guide the blind, deaf, discapacitated, rehabilitate patients in therapy, aid law enforcement, and are part of our family as beloved pets (Coren). Although canine superstars such as Lassie, Old Yeller, and Rin Tin Tin portray the perfect dog we all want in our lives, these ideals are far from the truth. Many first-time dog owners expect dogs to know behaviors such as how to walk on a leash, not bite, not destroy the house, and in addition to many others. In reality, dogs must be trained on what their handler wants them to do. It is

The domestic dog has to be one of the most unique animals that the human had ever bred. All dogs were formed differently and for separate reasons; whether it be for their looks or for their personal attributes, the dog has been evolved around humans and yet many breeds were created by humans themselves. I also believe that having a dog is a necessity to having a balanced life, just how Cesar Millan was quoted on the Brainy Quote web page “The dog can only become what's in your bubble. The dog is imitating the energy that is in your bubble. You are the source, the feast of energy. If you feel anxious, the dog becomes anxious with you. If you become nervous, the dog wakes up nervous with you”. Your dog runs off of your actions and emotions

Classical conditioning is often associated with physiologist Ivan Pavlov’s experiment with the salivating dog (Hutchinson, 2015). This experiment focused on conditioning the dog to associate food with the bell while salivating, and eventually salivates when the bell is rung even without the presence of food. Operant conditioning theory is changed behavior as the result of a reinforcement (Hutchinson, 2015). In our society, we associate positive reinforcements with compliments, smiles, high-fives in order to encourage a behavior more. Negative reinforcement involves jail, detention, and grounding, and this is to stop a behavior from continuing. A cognitive social learning theory states that behavior can be learned through observations, beliefs, expectations, and imitation of others (Hutchinson, 2015). A major difference between cognitive social learning theory and the others, is a lack of manipulation to encourage the individual to follow through with a behavior. Rather, cognitive social learning theories suggest that a change in thinking can ultimately result in a change in behavior (Hutchinson, 2015).

because using dogs in experiment, noticed that if dogs had been through classical conditioning experiments, could not be used in avoidance experiments

The German Shepherd is not only one of the world's most popular companion dogs, but also probably the most widely used breed for service work. The development of the German Shepherd Dog, along with a number of existing breeds, helped pioneer the modern use of dogs for service and community work that we can see today. For a breed of dog that has only been officially recognised for just over 100 years, it has made an outstanding contribution to mankind worldwide.

In 1903 a Russian physiologist by the name of Ivan Pavlov first developed an experiential model of learning called Classical Conditioning (Lautenheiser 1999). An example if Classical Conditioning would be ringing a bell when it is time for your pet to eat. The pet hears the bell and over time is conditioned that when the bell rings its dinner time thus begins to salivate, and eventually learns to be conditioned to responding to the bell in a specific manner. The bases was that neutral stimulus would be put together with an excitatory one and over time the neutral stimulus would, at some point down the line elicit the response that was associated with the original unlearned response. Pavlov later added an element known as the nonexcitatory, conditioned stimulus which is but together with an unconditioned stimulus (Lautenheiser 1999).