Operant Conditioning and Pet Training

The species of the animals, their history, and their upbringing plays a vital role in personality development of the pet. The characteristic of a specific species cannot be generalized, although some habits can be common. It is therefore recommended that the characteristic of the individual animal should be studied before designing the training plan for it. But some basic principles can be applied along with the designed training plan. The training plan can be equipped with training equipments, reference training book, etc.

Operant condition is the most important and basic thing to concentrate upon during training. Operant condition explains the effect of the training technique on the behavior of the animal. For example, the pet will understand that if he uses the litter box properly it will get a treat. And he can avoid a punishment by not jumping on a sleeping person in the middle of the night. A human learns that if he works hard, he will be able to get good grades and if he touches the flame of a burning candle he will burn himself. All these are example of the outcome of operant conditioning.

The categories of operant conditioning are reinforcement and punishment. Reinforcement is the repeated force of behavior out of the animal using something. They are repetitive behavior, which can be positive or negative. Punishment is the consequence of a bad behavior, which shouldn?t be repeated again. Punishments can be either negative or positive, but they help to decrease the repetition of the behavior. They can be further divided as positive reinforcement, positive punishment, negative reinforcement and negative punishment.

Good behaviors are behaviors, which should be repeated again and again. And the result of the good behavior should also be good, which is known as a reward. For example, if the dog does an expected action upon hearing the command, it knows that it will get a treat as a reward in return. If the animal doesn?t pounce on the human and instead pounces on the toy, it should be rewarded with a pat or a hug. All these are known as positive enforcements.

Negative enforcements are repeated behaviors, which will stop something bad or which will help in getting rid of something. This term should not be confused with punishment. For example, if a dog is trained to bark upon sighting a stranger in the house, it will make the intruder run away, this is negative enforcement. The subject does something so as to stop the occurrence of something unpleasant.

Positive punishment is given when the animal does something bad very rarely which results in something undesirable. Since the animal is punished, the animal will learn from it and there will be lesser chance of repetition. For example, if the puppy is sprayed with water when it pounces on the human, this is positive punishment. The puppy will foresee the punishment before pouncing again.

When the animal does something and something good is snatched away from it, this is known as negative punishment. For example if the dog tries to snatch the food right out of the hand of the owner, it will not get any food.

These basic principles depict the learning traits of the animals. Based on these training techniques are developed. The owners can develop unique training programs for each of their pets, individually.

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Animal Languages

Animals to communicate with humans use animal language. The animal language is a modified version of early human language itself only that animals lack complexity and are less expressive. Great ape language is a means to communicate among apes such as bonobos, orangutans, chimpanzees, and gorillas. Humans communicate with these animals using sign language, lexigrams, yerkish and physical tokens. Jacques Vauclair, Francine Patterson and David Premack are well-known researchers in great ape language.

Humans have used sign language since a very long time. One of the important sign language used by humans is American Sign Language. Animals also use signs to express their feelings and for communication sake. Vocabulary words have been taken from American Sign Language to communicate with the apes. Lexigrams are symbols, which represent something. The symbols are laid down on a flat board called the lexigram board. The lexigram board has three panels with three hundred and eighty four keys. These boards are especially used to communicate with chimpanzees and bonobos. Yerkish also involves keyboard with punch keys, which have the lexigram symbols. It is actually an artificial language. Computer keyboards are also used to aid animals as most of them can be easily trained for keyboard operation.

Plastic tokens are also used for communication with apes. The apes select a specific token when they want to communicate something. The animal is given training to select the right token. Tokens have symbols or pictures. Not all the apes learn this method of communication properly. During the training, the animal is made to learn by rewarding them upon an achievement.

Although animals lack vocal cords and speech organs like humans, some animals have vocals of their own. Wild apes are known to talk to each other to make the other aware of a possible danger. Animal language does not have discreteness like human languages. In human languages, discrete units are combined together to make a new word with a meaning. So signs or sounds, in animal language, cannot be combined to form another sign or sound, which means something. But researchers have proved it that the animal language does meet certain requirements. But the validity is still disputed upon by many and that is the reason why animal language hasn’t been given the status of a true language.

People have questioned the practice of great ape language. The researchers try to understand whether the usage of this language aid the animals to solve the problem better. Also, whether the teaching experiences with a primate can be of use when human children are taught. This is because, there is without doubt a difference in the ability of the animal and a human, while they may be similar at some level. Some say that the apes do not actually understand the language, but instead do a clever trick to get a reward. Also some researches say that the signed gesture do not make a grammatically right sentence. The arbitrariness is sometimes missing, that is, there is no clear relationship between the signs or sounds.

Many animals have behaviors, which is similar what we speak. They can understand the language, they can also use it to reflect their thoughts and communicate with a human. Other than primates, animals such as sea lions and dolphins also use sign language and vocals to communicate with human.

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Pets for Seniors and Physically Handicapped

As people get too old, they find it difficult to even do daily chores at home. Such people especially, require a helping hand. Animals can be trained to become great domestic help. Along with helping they also can provide great companionship. The most preferable pets are dogs. Cats are kept as pets to provide company to people like senior citizens who are stressed out or are heart patients, blood pressure patients, so as to help them beat stress. Even exotic pets such as capuchin monkeys are trained for this purpose. Not only are they big help for senior citizens but as well as for the physically handicapped such as blind people and quadriplegics.

Service dogs are dogs are specially trained dogs for patients with disabilities. The hearing dog is a special kind of service dog which are trained to help the hearing impaired and deaf people. They help by alerting the disabled when it hears important sounds such as phone rings, doorbells, alarm clocks and smoke alarms. They are of great help not only within the house, but also outdoors. They alert the handler when someone calls out the person?s name, approaching sirens, and forklifts. Hearing dogs can be recognized by the bright orange leash and collar they are made to wear. Sometimes they even wear a jacket or a cape which can be of any color.

Some service dogs are also trained as mobility assistance dog to help a physically handicapped person. They are trained to open and close doors, pick up things, and even turn on and off the switches. Dogs with larger build are also trained to pull patients in wheelchairs. They do this with the help of a special harness which facilitates them to pull objects.

They are also trained as walker dogs, which are also nicknamed as living canes. They help patients with Parkinson?s disease and other disorders. They assist their owners with the help of their gait and also provide balance while walking. Incase the handler falls off, the dog helps to regain position by acting as a brace. All kinds of mobility assistance dogs are allowed in areas where pet aren?t allowed, like in public places and transportations.

Dogs are also trained for assisting people with Type 1 diabetes. They are service dogs trained to smell the odor changes in the body which helps to determine hypoglycemia or low blood glucose. Another type of service dogs is seizure response dog. They help patients with epilepsy or seizure disorder. They help to seek help in case of emergency, block the handler with absence seizures, pull dangerous objects away from the body, and wake up the unconscious patient. They are also trained to use a pre-programmed phone. They also provide physical and emotional support and also carry information about the patient?s medical condition.

Service dogs are also trained to help people with psychiatric disabilities such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, autism, and post traumatic stress disorder. They alert the handler to take medicines, and also help people having hallucinations, paranoia or alerting behaviors. They also act as a brace and help to retrieve objects. Dogs which help the visually impaired people or blind people are known as guide dogs. They help the handler to walk around obstacles. But the disadvantage here is that dogs are partially color blind. They cannot see red and green color, so they cannot help the blind with traffic signals. They even cannot be trained to interpret street signs. Guide horses are also employed to help people who are blind and who do not prefer guide dogs. The horses are miniature horses. Some people prefer horses because they live longer than the dogs. Some are also allergic or scared of dogs. But the advantage of keeping a guide dog is that they can live within the house, but the horse needs to be kept in a barn. Also horses cannot travel on public transportations like a dog.

Capuchin monkeys are also trained by some organizations. They help the quadriplegics or patients who have paralysis in all their four limbs. Initially they should be brought up with people with no disabilities and then after reaching a certain age; they can be given intense training and then transferred to the home of the quadriplegic. They can perform tasks such as opening bottles, microwaving food and they even wash the face of their owner. They are also very friendly animals and are safe for kids, too.

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Household Pets: Problems faced during Litter Box Training

Not all owners are good trainers, but all of them do put in effort to discipline their pets and face certain challenges. The biggest problem is faced during litter box training. If there is a problem with the pet, it should be handled with care and the habit should be positively reinforced on it. Basically, the point is that the training method should be fun for the owner as well as for the pet.

If the animal excretes outside the box, it meant that the pet has a disliking for the box. The disliking can happen if the litter box is small, unclean and filled with litter most of the times. The box should be cleaned regularly and disinfected; otherwise an unpleasant odor will fill the area. Care must be taken that disinfectant doesn?t have a scented smell. If the smell is too scented or strong, the owners can switch to air fresheners and cleaners that have a mild smell. Another reason for disliking the litter box is because of its texture. Most of the pets like litters boxes not made out of hard clay but made out of a more fine grained, soft material.

Any good pet store will have a wide range of litter box collection. The owners can choose the most suitable one depending on the nature of their pet. If there is adequate place at home, an alternative to the litter box can be found. A particular corner in your lawn can be filled with soil, sand or wood shavings. The wood shavings shouldn?t be of coca husk or cedar as it can be harmful for the animal. Another good option for litter is laying down chicken feed. And if size is a problem with the pet, the owner should obviously get a bigger one. Usually the size preference will develop when the animal is growing big in size.

Some animal have surface issues, that is, they prefer surfaces with a specific texture. The preferable surfaces are clothes, carpet, bed and anything soft along with using the litter box sometimes. Pets which have been declawed can also develop surface issues. For such animals, the litter box can be replaced with a towel. It would be lot better than the animal excreting in beddings and blankets. And if the animal has already soiled places other than the litter box, those places should be cleaned with an intense enzymatic odor remover, because if the animal smells its pee, it will be going to use the object or place again to pass.

Pets can even have location preferences. In this case they won?t care about the surface provided to them. This is a lesser problem, because the pet won?t ignore the litter box and the litter box can be placed in his preferred location. Usually the reason behind this preference is because of the place being too cold or hot, or cut off or too busy but some places are unacceptable, as it can be unhygienic for the other family members and also that place will be filled with odor from the pets excreta. If the pet has a fancy to use a particular room, the owner can keep the door shut for that particular room. It should be denied access to that area. If the area is open, it can be disinfected by a very strong smelling cleaner. Commercial repellants meant especially for the pets are available in the market. Scat mats can also be used to cover up that area.

Pets can be very fussy sometimes. Some won?t like to urinate and excrete in the same litter box. If this is the case, they should be provided with two different boxes. Owners must try to reward the animal with food or toys, when it uses the litter box properly. This gives it more encouragement. Sometimes the animal can even have a urine marking problem. This condition can be successfully treated with the help of medicines. These medicines are used to alter the behavior of the animal. A good vet can be consulted in this regard.

Even after all these efforts, if the pet still insists of using the same location for passing, an acrylic blanket which is easily washable can be sewn with a waterproof material at the other side and can be placed. Disposable housebreaking pads are also available at most of the pet stores. This is even easier as once it gets soiled it can be simply disposed.

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Sports Pet

Many animals are adopted and trained for the purpose of participating in sports. The animal can be completely or partially involved in the sport they are trained for. The most popular sports animals are dogs and horses. Some sports called the blood sports also exist which are very harsh and they put the life of the animal at risk. Many organizations are against such kind of cruelty and also it is against the law in many countries.

Animals were first domesticated for the purpose of hunting in the beginning. This necessity later turned into a sport, but the animals were still involved. This sport was meant for the rich people and the royal family, in the medieval period. Hunters rode horses and dogs accompanied them. The sport was sometimes dangerous when lions and other exotic animals were hunted. While the horses chased the animal, the dogs and hounds were trained to actually attack the animal. But now hunting is banned in almost all the countries.

The most common sports involving pets is horse riding. In some events a human rider mounts the horse and in others the horse competes without the human being. This modern sport is a derivative of the chariot race which was held in the Roman and ancient Greek times. Dogsled racing is another racing event involving dogs. It is a timed winter sport, where dogs are tied to sledges, which pull it, while the driver stands on the sledge. They need to run on a marked course and whichever team finishes first is declared as the winner.

Greyhound racing is also another animal sport. Actually, in the 1800s, greyhounds were brought from Europe to the United States to control the increasing hare population. Breeders then thought of involving this animal in racing and hence, this was how greyhound racing started. Also, there are camel races involving camels. But this race is sometimes objected because the riders in such races are small kids. Pigeon racing is a not so popular sport, involving trained racing pigeons. The pigeons are taken away from their loft and then they are made to race. Whoever reaches the home first wins the race. Beatle races are also popular in Asia.

Jousting sport was developed in the fourteen century, where knights ride on the back of the horse and compete with each other. Horses are also trained for the sport polo. There are two teams, which compete with each other. The competitor rides the horse and at the same time hits the ball with the help of mallets. The team, which makes the highest score, is the winning team. As the start of the twentieth century, polo involved elephants and it was considered as a royal sport back then. Pole bending involves a horse and a horse rider. The horse has to run on a serpentine path, which has six poles in one line. If the horse knocks down any of the pole, the rider and the horse are immediately disqualified.

Show jumping also involves horses. The horse has to jump over fences with the jockey on their back. Horse ballet is another sport involving horses. Dogs are given training to participate in sports such as dog agility, and sheepdog trails. Dogs also participate in dog shows. It is a competition where dogs of certain breed compete with each other. Things such as looks, intelligence, grace, etc, of the individual dog are considered. Sports involving animals, which are cruel are bullfighting, camel wrestling, cockfighting, and cow fighting.

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