This document discusses how a dog's behavior is driven by underlying emotions like fear, pleasure, and frustration. It explains that to change problem behaviors, one needs to change the emotion driving it by replacing negative emotions with more positive ones through training. The document advocates for using positive reinforcement to increase behaviors by providing pleasure, rather than positive punishment which increases fear and can make behaviors worse. It concludes that dogs will repeat behaviors that bring them pleasure or relief from negative stimuli through training.

1. I Second That Emotion
Carolyn Menteith DipCABT, KCAI

2. We need to know why what we do works….

3. Dogs feel emotions!

4. It isn’t enough to think “what is he doing?”
You need to think “how is he feeling?”

5. Behaviour is just a symptom of
an emotion

6. Noise phobia
Behaviour = panting, panic,
denning, shaking etc
Emotion = fear (of noises)

7. Separation related behaviours
Behaviour = Panting, panic, vocalisation ,loss of toilet training,
destruction, self mutilation etc
Emotion = fear (of being alone)

8. Dog to dog aggression
Behaviour = reactivity, lunging,
barking, attacks etc
Emotions = fear (of strange
dogs), relief (when they go away)
or frustration

9. Dog to human aggression
Behaviour = stiffening, growling, barking, lunging, snapping, biting etc
Emotion = fear (of strange people or of what they might do)

10. Squirrel chasing
Behaviour = running after small animal
Emotion = Pleasure!

11. Counter surfing
Behaviour = stealing forbidden food
Emotion = pleasure!

12. Dogs do things that give them pleasure
- even if we would rather they didn’t!

13. If we want to change any behaviour, we need to
change the emotion that drives that behaviour
Suppressing the behaviour doesn’t change the
emotion

14. To change behaviours, we can take fear and
frustration, and work to replace those emotions with
relief and pleasure

15. We can also take pleasure-driven ‘problem behaviours’,
and teach the dog how to get even more pleasure a more
acceptable way!

16. Training…
Four ‘outcomes’ will make a difference to future behaviours

17. Plus nothing at all…!

18. R+, P+, R- & P-
Definitions:
Anything that is reinforced will be repeated
Anything that is punished will happen less often
Positive and negative are just adding or taking away something

19. Positive reinforcement = pleasure = a behaviour that will
be repeated!
The more pleasure, the more likely it is to be repeated…

20. Positive punishment = fear = the behaviour will happen
less often

21. P+ works…
We used it in schools for years until we became more
progressive! Self-preservation says avoid what is dangerous…

22. Problems with P+
• increase fear in that situation
• decrease the dog’s ability to learn
• increase an avoidance or aggressive response
• cause confusion
We don’t know the fallout of P+ until it comes back to bite us!

23. The ‘negatives’…
R- and P-
R- = the bad stuff stops = relief
P- = the good stuff stops = frustration

24. When in doubt, ask “would I rather do that behaviour out of
fear of punishment, or would I rather do it because it gives me
pleasure?”

25. Carolyn Menteith
ICAWC 2015
www.dogtalk.co.uk
All photos used with permission where I could find owners - but apologies for any that slipped
through the net which I am happy to remove!