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Animal Behavior

Day 1
Introduction
Animal behavior is the scientific study of an animal’s comparative psychology, ethology,
behavioral ecology, and sociobiology. Animals behave differently toward certain stimuli such as
noise, movement, mood, and other changes. If an antelope hears a noise nearby, it will stand as
still as it can and observe. If the noise gets closer, the antelope will scurry. While antelope
scurry, possums play dead when they feel they are in danger. Small animals’ reactions are
somewhat similar to the bigger animals’ reaction in that some small animals tend to hide and run
away, while some larger animals will try to fight back, or defend what is theirs. Dogs are an
excellent animal to observe their behavior. They are trainable animals, and one can notice the
behavior almost immediately.
The purpose of this experiment is to see how an animal responds to different techniques of
stimuli.

By the end of this lab the students will be able to

• Tell what different animal behaviors mean what.

• Understand how to get the same behavior with a signal.

The hypothesis is if a dog receives a treat when he/she does what the trainer wants it to do, then
he/she will repeat that motion in order to get the treat.

Day 2

Materials
Dog
Dog Treats (or anything the dog takes as a reward, such as a play toy, or the dog’s favorite
object)
Clicker
Leash
A quiet room

Safety Precautions
If the dog tends to get over excited, he/she will stand and may scratch or nibble in order to reach
the treat. Wear some sort of long sleeve shirt and pants in order to protect against scratching.
If the dog is not in an enclosed room, he/she could get away. Have your dog in a leash if
necessary.
Procedure
Part 1: Observation
In this part you will observe how the dog’s tail movement translates to what the dog feels.
1. Your dog will be doing different activities throughout the day. Each activity will receive
a certain tail motion. In chart Part 1 write down the activity the dog is doing and the
motion of the tail.
2. Repeat this four more times for the four different activities. Observe for when the dog is
playing, staring at a small animal, when it is relaxing, and when it seems like it is afraid
or uncomfortable.
3. Observe the pattern of the feelings and the tail movement.
If you want to learn about tail movements and what they mean, visit the website
http://perfectpuppycare.com/different-forms-of-tail-wagging/

Part 2: Training “Sit”


In this part you will teach your dog to learn and repeat the command “Sit” in a positive manner.
1. Have your dog, with a leash, in a quiet room free of as many distractions as possible.

2. Make sure the treats are easy to get to, for your sake. The clicker should be in your hands
when ready to start training. You want to make sure to click the clicker and give the treat
to the dog as soon as he/she does the right motion.
3. Get the dog’s undivided attention by enticing him/her with the treats, or the dog’s
favorite object. This means wag it in front of him/her and play with the dog with it for a
few minutes.
4. When you have his/her attention, the dog will be very excited. Wait for the dog to calm
down. Wait as long as you have to, eventually he/she will get bored and either sit or lay
down. If the dog starts walking away, hold his/her leash close to you and repeat step 3
and 4 until you have the dog’s attention.
5. Keep trying steps 3-4 until you get the response you want from the dog. When the dog
sits, click the clicker and reward him/her with the treat or the toy and a “Good boy/girl!”
Note: Sometimes the dog will stand upon hearing the click over the excitement. If this
happens, cross your arms, remain still and wait until the dog calms down, then click and
reward when he/she sits.
6. Repeat this process for 5 minutes, no more. A dog can only concentrate for a few
minutes. Play with the dog for a while, relax a little. Take him/her for a short walk, if
possible.
7. After resting, try the trick to see if he/she remembers. When you feel the dog knows the
motion by heart, you may now introduce a hand signal and verbal signals. Dogs respond
to body language better than verbal language, but are able to interpret both.
8. When the dog sits, hold your arm straight down at your side, raise your forearm and hand
from the elbow, palm up, above dogs head. Then say “Good boy/girl” and reward with
treat and a caress on his/her head.
9. Repeat step 8 several times until he seems to understand.
10. After this is accomplished, you may now introduce the verbal signal “Sit!” When doing
this, firmly and dominantly say it, but do not scream at the dog. Screaming at the dog will
cause him/her to get nervous and lose focus. Reward the dog, praise him/her.
11. Repeat step 10 until he/she understands.
12. You have now taught your dog to sit on command! Beware; the dog will want to receive
treats just for sitting, so he/she will repeat this even if you do not command. In order to
break this habit, continue working on the command, but randomly choose to give him
treats. For example, for the first two times, treat him, then the next two times don’t.
Tables

Part 1

Activity Tail Motion

Conclusion Questions

1. Different motions of the tail mean different things. When the dog’s tail is motionless and
hanging loosely, what does this tell you about how the dog is feeling?

2. What was the dependent variable that was tested in this experiment?

3. Define observational learning. How does this apply to this experiment?

4. Pavlov is a scientist that studied how dogs associate certain signals as what the signal is
trained. He measured the dog’s salivary response when he presented food for them. He
then rang a bell before he presented the food. At first the dog did not respond, but
eventually the dog learned to associate the ringing of the bell to the food, and responded
with the same salivary response as when presenting the food. How does the term classical
conditioning apply to how a dog learns?

5. Provide an example of a behavior that is strictly environmentally determined.

6. Define the sort of behavior that would qualify as learned behavior.

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