Dog Psychology Library
Understand how dogs think, learn, feel, and form associations through clear, practical canine psychology explanations.
50 terms found
Learning
Luring
Luring uses food, a toy, or another target to guide a dog into a position or movement.
Communication
Marker Training
Marker training uses a consistent word, sound, or click to identify the exact moment a dog performs the desired behavior.
Learning
Negative Punishment
Removing access to something the dog values after a behavior with the intention of making that behavior less likely.
Learning
Negative Reinforcement
Removing or reducing something unpleasant after a behavior so that behavior becomes more likely.
Learning
Operant Conditioning
Learning in which consequences influence whether a behavior becomes more or less likely.
Mental State
Overarousal
A level of activation that exceeds the dog’s current ability to think clearly, respond, or regulate behavior.
Learning
Positive Punishment
Adding an unpleasant consequence after a behavior with the intention of making that behavior less likely.
Learning
Positive Reinforcement
Adding something the dog values after a behavior so that behavior becomes more likely in the future.
Learning Conditions
Predictability
The degree to which a dog can anticipate what happens next based on stable patterns and signals.
Motivation
Premack Principle
Using a more probable or preferred activity to reinforce a less probable behavior.
Thinking
Problem Solving
Using observation, experimentation, memory, and choice to reach an outcome.
Mental State
Recovery
The process of returning toward a normal emotional, physical, and behavioral baseline after activation.
Learning
Reinforcement
Any consequence that increases the likelihood a behavior will happen again.
Learning
Reinforcement History
The accumulated pattern of outcomes that has strengthened or weakened a behavior over time.
Learning
Reinforcement Schedules
The pattern that determines when reinforcement is delivered, such as every response or occasional responses.
Thinking
Sensitization
An increased response after repeated or intense exposure, especially when the experience is stressful.
Learning
Shaping
Shaping teaches a behavior by reinforcing small, achievable steps that gradually move toward the final goal.
Relationships
Social Learning
Learning by observing or interacting with people, dogs, or other animals.
Motivation
Social Motivation
The value a dog places on attention, touch, play, proximity, or interaction with people or other dogs.
Emotions
Stress
The body and brain’s response to physical, emotional, or environmental demands.
Mental State
Threshold
The point where emotional intensity becomes too high for effective learning or reliable responses.
Learning Conditions
Timing
How closely feedback or consequences follow a behavior, affecting what the dog connects to the outcome.
Motivation
Toy Motivation
The degree to which play or access to a toy functions as a valuable outcome.
Mental State
Trigger
A person, animal, object, sound, movement, location, or event that changes a dog’s emotional or behavioral state.