Vocabulary

Question 1

Antecedent

Answer 1

any stimulus present in the environment before the behavior occurs.

Anything the dog notices can be an antecedent/cue.

Verbal cues can be antecedents

Question 2

Behavior

Answer 2

refers to any action or response a dog exhibits

Question 3

Consequence

Answer 3

This is what happens to your dog immediately after the behavior

Question 4

Stimulus Generalization

Answer 4

When a dog learns a behavior in one situation and is able to preform the same behavior in a different situation

i.e. When a dog can sit in a living room he can also be cued to sit outside

Similar stimuli elicit a similar behavioral response.

Question 5

Stimulus Discrimination

Answer 5

Refers to the dog only responding to a specific stimulus and not others that may be similar

i.e. A dog with stimulus discrimination will sit when given the cue to sit and does not sit when given the cue for down

Border Collie knows over 1000 words and can correctly find and retrieve each toy by name

Question 6

Deprivation

Answer 6

Nothing in life is free

At the core deprivation is depriving a dog something he loves in order to modify his behavior.

i.e. keep puppy crated, depriving him of access to the whole house, until he learns where to potty.

Compassion and respect are key if using

Question 7

What’s the difference between Deprivation and negative reinforcement?

Answer 7

Deprivation creates the motivation for a behavior to occur, while negative reinforcement is the process of removing an aversive stimulus to encourage that behavior.

Question 8

Flooding

Answer 8

Immersing the dog in “scary” stimulus

controversial approach

Question 9

Habituation

Answer 9

Most common form of learning

A form of non-associative learning that occurs when an animal gets use to or ignores a stimulus. No reward or punishment. The dog becomes use to stimulus that is presented repeatedly without change

i.e. new baby cries dog barks overtime the dog no longer barks when baby cries

Question 10

Desensitization

Answer 10

Gradual exposure to stimulus using positive reinforcement

Dog remains under threshold of fear/anxiety

Typically used with counter conditioning

A form of Habituation

Question 11

Sensitization

Answer 11

Opposite of Desensitization

Amplified to a stimulus

In dog training, “sensitization” is never intentionally used as it refers to a process where a dog becomes increasingly reactive to a stimulus with repeated exposure, essentially making the dog more fearful or anxious about something

Question 12

Primary Reinforcer

Answer 12

Generally anything that is biologically important to the dog such as food, water, sleep, touch, pleasure, access to mates or even eliminating

aka unconditioned reinforcers

Question 13

Secondary Reinforcers
click click Ring Ring

Answer 13

Any stimulus that becomes rewarding that is paired with the primary or other reinforcing stimulus

i.e. sound of clicker predicts food = food primary clicker secondary

Question 14

Cue

Answer 14

A type of stimulus that has been deliberately trained to elicit a specific response

i.e. verbal, hand signals, flashing light could be a cue for a deaf dog, olfactory, etc.

Question 15

Stimulus Control

Answer 15

When a dog offers the behavior as soon as the cue is given.

When a dog can both generalize and discriminate cues, meaning they can respond appropriately to similar stimuli while also distinguishing between different cues, they are said to have “stimulus control” over their behavior; essentially, they are reliably performing a behavior based on specific cues in their environment.

Question 16

Blocking

Answer 16

Blocking- a cue the dog knows blocks the dog from the ability to learn a new cue for the same behavior

i.e. when you try to teach your dog a new cue (like saying “spin”) at the same time as an already established cue (like a hand gesture for spin), causing the dog to primarily respond to the familiar hand signal and ignore the new verbal cue “spin” because it’s overshadowed by the stronger, previously learned cue.

Blocking occurs when you present two cues simultaneously, leading the dog to focus on the more salient cue and ignore the other.

Question 17

Salience

Answer 17

the quality of being particularly noticeable or important; prominence.

Question 18

Overshadowing

Answer 18

Similar to blocking

Training a dog to sit and every time you smile, the smile is a non verbal cue which becomes more salient meaning it overshadows the verbal cue

Question 19

Extinction

Answer 19

The disappearance of a previously learned behavior.

In operant conditioning it is the lack of reinforcement

In classical conditioning it is when the CS loses value if presented frequently w/o reinforcement

i.e.
Jumping up: If a dog jumps up on people for attention and is not petted, the dog will eventually stop jumping up

Begging at the table:
If a dog begs for food during meals but the owner consistently ignores the behavior and doesn’t give any food, the begging behavior will likely decrease over time.

Pulling on the leash:
If a dog pulls on the leash during walks but the owner stops walking and waits until the dog relaxes before continuing, the pulling behavior can be reduced through extinction.

Question 20

Learned Irrelevance

Answer 20

Similar to habituation however with learned irrelevance the dog stops responding to a previously learned stimulus or cue. This happens when the stimulus/cue was not sufficiently rewarded

Question 21

Spontaneous Recovery

Answer 21

The return of a previously learned extinguished response following a period of rest.

It is a sign that extinction is working! It’s a little test so be prepared to pass by continuing to withhold the reward. If not you will have placed your dog on a variable schedule of reinforcement. The dog will play its odds.

i.e. If you successfully train your dog to sit on command, then stop reinforcing the behavior for a while, causing the “sit” response to fade away; however, after a period of time without practicing, you give the “sit” command again, and the dog suddenly sits, even though the behavior was seemingly extinguished previously.

Question 22

Capturing

Answer 22

Wait for the dog to spontaneously offer the behavior and reward

i.e. Can’t learn down- start waiting for them to lay down on their own and reward it

Time consuming

Question 23

Modeling
(clay)

Answer 23

Physically manipulating a dog into a position

Viewed as averse to the dog also if you are doing the work for the dog, pushing them into a sit, they aren’t thinking.

Question 24

Shaping
(successive)

Answer 24

More complicated behaviors

Reward successive approximation of the target behavior

Can make the dog a more independent thinker and offer more behaviors to see which earns a reward

Time consuming

i.e. An example of shaping in dog training would be teaching a dog to lie down on a mat by first rewarding them for simply placing one paw on the mat, then gradually increasing the criteria to require more paws on the mat until they are fully lying down, essentially building the behavior step-by-step through positive reinforcement; this is a great way to teach complex behaviors that a dog might not naturally perform

Question 25

Luring

Answer 25

"The body follows the nose" Similar to prompting. Luring is easy and generally works quickly but you don't want the dog to become dependent on the lure. Luring is a dog training technique that uses treats to guide a dog into a desired position. It's a simple way to teach basic commands like "sit" and "down".

Question 26

Prompting

Answer 26

A technique that offers a little help to get the dog to perform a desired behavior. Prompts can be a light touch, visual or auditory Be careful the dog doesn't think the prompt is part of the cue i.e. Food lures: Using a treat to lure a dog into a desired position Hand signals: Pointing to the floor to indicate that you want your dog to lie down Physical touch: Gently touching a dog's back to encourage it to sit Voice cues: Using the word "sit" to prompt a dog to sit Wall or fence: Using a wall or fence to help a dog learn to back up

Question 27

Extinction Burst?

Answer 27

The phenomena of behavior temporarily or briefly getting worse, not better, when a previously rewarded behavior is not rewarded.

Question 28

Behavior Strength includes?

Answer 28

Frequency Duration Intensity

Question 29

What is a Legacy Trainer?

Answer 29

In dog training, a "legacy staff" or dog trainer with a "legacy" experience, often refers to a trainer who has extensive experience and knowledge, often having trained or handled a large number of dogs in various behavioral issues and levels of training, often with a certification or advanced experience in the field

Question 30

No reward marker

Answer 30

Sometimes called an extinction marker; a no reward marker is a way of letting your dog know they have gone a bit wrong. It's the opposite of a reward cue that is used to reinforce a good choice, such as a treat or praise

Question 31

Cue Transfer

Answer 31

where the behavior is first taught with one cue (e.g., hand signal), and then transferred to another cue (verbal)

Question 32

Displacement Behaviors

Answer 32

Displacement behaviors in dogs are incongruent or out-of-context behaviors that occur when a dog is experiencing internal conflict, stress, anxiety, or arousal — but doesn’t know how to respond. These behaviors are typically normal actions (like grooming, sniffing, yawning), but they appear in situations where they seem out of place. Common Displacement Behaviors in Dogs: Yawning (when not tired) Lip licking (in absence of food) Scratching or grooming Sniffing the ground Shaking off (like shaking water off, even when dry) Pacing or sudden movement Avoidance of eye contact Sudden interest in non-relevant stimuli (e.g., random sniffing or turning away) Why Do Dogs Show Displacement Behaviors? To self-soothe or de-escalate internal stress. As a way to "displace" or redirect their emotional tension into a different behavior. Sometimes as a calming signal in social situations to reduce conflict with other dogs or people.

Question 33

What's the difference between a displacement behavior and a calming signal

Answer 33

Very similar but Displacement= Purpose: Stress relief or emotional regulation (often involuntary). "holding it together" Calming=Purpose: To de-escalate a situation or show non-threatening intent.

Question 34

Agonistic Behavior

Answer 34

Conflict Resolution- Goal is the dogs need a way to avoid or resolve social or competitive disputes w/o injury Behaviors used in response to social conflict or competitive encounters examples- avoidance, appeasement, submission, THREATS of aggression- air snap/lunging/growling, etc. but no contact made although they could have, Offensive threats/aggression- willing to inflict injury, Defensive threats-actions are based on fear, Conflicted or mixed motivation for threats/aggression- shift back and forth can be unpredictable to manage,

Question 35

Dominance

Answer 35

This is not a personality trait or emotion but a reaction to a social situation. Dominance is a relationship-based concept that describes the access to or control over a resource between two individuals. It is not a personality trait, but rather a social relationship that is context-specific and fluid. It's about resource control, not about a dog trying to "be the boss" or "take over the household." Dominance is not fixed — a dog may be dominant in one situation (e.g., access to a toy), but not in another (e.g., access to food). True dominance relationships are stable, subtle, and rarely involve aggression in well-socialized dogs.

Question 36

Poisoned Cue

Answer 36

How Does a Cue Become Poisoned? A cue becomes poisoned when: The dog is sometimes rewarded for responding, but other times experiences something unpleasant. The dog is unsure whether responding will lead to something good or bad, causing hesitation or avoidance. Over time, the cue loses its reliability because the dog no longer trusts that responding will be beneficial. Example of a Poisoned Cue: If a dog is called using "come", and sometimes gets treats and praise but other times gets scolded or punished (e.g., smacked on the nose, leashed for something unpleasant), the dog may begin to ignore or avoid the cue. The dog doesn’t just ignore it out of defiance—it has learned that "come" is unpredictable and potentially aversive.

Question 37

Superstitious Behavior

Answer 37

It's all about dogs making incorrect associations between their behavior and an outcome, usually due to accidental reinforcement. Why It Matters for Trainers: Superstitious behaviors can complicate training or make cues unclear. They can be cute, quirky, or frustrating, depending on the context. It’s a reminder of how timing is everything in reinforcement—rewards need to follow the desired behavior immediately to avoid reinforcing something unintended.