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DOMINANCE THEORY
are we
throwing out the baby with the bathwater?
Item# 200620 -
$25.00 |
Produced by: Tawzer Dog Videos
Copyright: 2009
Taped in: Houston, TX IAACP Conference
Running time: 1 hr. 45 min
Includes document CD with power point hand-outs
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The notion that dogs necessarily invoke
dominance relationships when interacting with other dogs and people is
pervasive among dog trainers and laypeople alike. Dogs with behavior
problems are characterized as "dominant" to such an extent that,
regardless of the nature of the problem, owners are advised that they
need to be "alpha" and perform all the obligatory irrelevant or abusive
practices. Too many times, this leads to a rapid deterioration of the
human-animal bond. In response, there has been a backlash of protest
from a subset of trainers, rejecting the concept of dominance in its
entirety. I argue that this is rash. Dominance hierarchies do exist
among the majority of social animals and it behooves us to understand
how the dogs' ancestry has prepared them to live in social groups.
I review the complexity of dominance hierarchies
that exist in the animal kingdom. How social rules are decided upon
and enforced among dogs is hinted at in the limited studies of the
behavior of feral dogs. Unlike other species, most dogs' social groups
also consist of humans, so the question arises, how, if at all, do they
extend their social rules to include us? The objective of this talk is
to bring information to the table—information that can help us
understand dogs. I'd like to propose forging a new path—a path that
acknowledges dominance hierarchies in the dog but does not prompt us
into antagonistic relationships with them. Dominance theory is a highly
useful construct in the study of animal behavior; don't throw the baby
out with the bathwater! |
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Produced by: Tawzer Dog Videos
running time: 1 hr. 30 min.
copyright: 2009
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Dogs' mental capabilities have been
featured in Science and a host of popular media. Dogs were rarely
subjects for psychological research, thanks to their extensive
domestication. Now, dogs are the focus of work on cognition precisely
because of their history of co-existence with humans and they are
out-performing primates! A huge challenge
faced by psychological science is to discover the workings of the mind.
The human mind is certainly mysterious; imagine trying to puzzle through
an animal's mind when they are unable to relate their experiences to us.
The investigation of mental activity in animals is a relatively new and
fascinating science. We are just beginning to understand how animals
deal with information, for instance, how they perceive others in their
world, how they store and retrieve material from memory, how they judge
the passage of time, and how they make inferences. Over the past few
years, dogs have become a popular species for studying such mental
gymnastics as object permanence, rudimentary language acquisition, and
awareness of other's knowledge. While our knowledge of canine cognition
is limited, we do achieve occasional glimpses into the capabilities of
the dog's mind. For instance, research reveals that dogs are exquisitely
sensitive to our attentional focus and can adjust their behavior
accordingly - proving that dogs are indeed "sneaky." In fact, when it
comes to interpreting human gestures, dogs even outperform our close
primate cousins. This presentation will review the research on canine
cognition and together we will explore some serious questions. Does this
research have implications for how we train and interact with dogs?
Could these findings cause owners to attribute inaccurate cognitive
capabilities to their pet dogs and thus, alter their expectations to the
point that dogs' welfare is compromised?
Dr. Pamela Reid is a certified applied
animal behaviorist. She received her Ph.D. in Psychology with a
specialization in animal learning and behavior from the University of
Toronto. Pam is the Vice President of the ASPCA Animal Behavior Center.
At the ASPCA, Pam consults with pet owners, veterinarians, trainers,
legal professionals, and shelter personnel on animal behavior. She can
be reached at: 217-337-9734 |
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running time: 9.5 hr. approx.
copyright: 2007
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Aggression refers to a complex,
multi-dimensional set of behaviors. Dogs behave aggressively for
countless reasons, sometimes the behavior can be labeled as abnormal or
pathological but, in other forms, the behavior may be socially adaptive
and perfectly appropriate to a dog. so, not surprising, our attempts to
deal with aggressive behavior can meet with widely inconsistent results.
This seminar makes no promises of simple explanations, easy answers, or
guaranteed results. don't be deceived by such claims--if we're going to
advance our understanding of canine aggression, then we have to face up
to its intricacies. Denver, CO. (5 DVD's) |
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running time: 3.5 hr. approx.
copyright: 2007
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Cats pose a unique challenge to shelters.
Most cats find the shelter environment, with restrictive confinement and
exposure to unfamiliar animals and people, extremely stressful. During
this presentation, we review indicators of stress and learn how various
forms of enrichment can aid in reducing stress. We cover the limited
information available on evaluating feline temperament for decisions
regarding suitability for adoption and selecting appropriate placement.
Evaluations sometimes reveal problematic behavior -- behavior
modification and management can improve or even resolve certain issues
in the shelter environment. The techniques of positive reinforcement,
desensitization, and counter conditioning are demonstrated in the
context of shelter cases. Denver, CO |
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running time: 13 hr. approx.
copyright: 2004
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This is a two day course. Learn the fundamentals of how agility dogs learn and how best to teach them. Covered in this
course are the following: basic handling maneuvers; how to add a cue; how to switch signals; discrimination training;
left/right training; how do you teach discrimination; agility fundamentals; stopped or running contacts; rear end awareness;
basic jumping skills; weave poles; operant and classical conditioning.
Explore such topics as reward delivery, clicker
training, chaining, reinforcement schedules, and body awareness as they apply to agility training.
Learn when and how to add
cue words, how to fade prompts like jump bars and targets, and why you should use reward marks and no reward marks. See how
the methods of targeting and shaping are used to create speed and accuracy. Understand the nuances of using reinforcement to
build the perfect obstacle performance. Principles of Learning Theory, using the agility as a training backdrop. This is an
interactive lecture with group activities, training games, video and live demonstrations. Sequim, WA |
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running time:
copyright: 2003
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TWO DAY SEMINAR:
For the advanced trainer. Conditioned reinforcer, random reinforcer and no
reward mark. Answers to some of today’s burning issues. Novato, CA |
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running time: 3.5 hr.
copyright: 2003
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Dr. Reid presents a glimpse of ASPCA Behavior Center's Work:
desensitization and counter conditioning, response substitution, positive
and negative punishment and remedial socialization. Case studies of
socialized fearful dogs, dog aggressive dogs, dogs that resist handling,
dogs that guard resources, separation anxiety and cage aggressive dogs. Open Paw |
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EXCEL-ERATED LEARNING
Item# B1021 -
$16.95 |
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Learn the secrets to increase the speed and efficiency of dog training. Understanding how dogs learn makes training so much
easier and so much more enjoyable for you and your dog. The books explains how dogs learn and how best to teach them.
174 pages |
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