There is disagreement among clicker trainers on whether or not food should be delivered every time the clicker (conditioned reinforcer) is used. However, presenting a conditioned reinforcer without food can weaken the strength of the conditioned reinforcer and also disrupt its discriminative stimulus function. A within subjects reversal design was used with 2 dogs to compare the behavioral effects of continuous pairings (C+F condition) vs. intermittent pairings (C+C+F condition) of the clicker with food. Results show that the C+C+F condition affects the frequency, accuracy, topography, and intensity of the behavior, and increases noncompliance and other unwanted behaviors. This study adds to the literature by evaluating the effects of conditioned reinforcement in an applied setting using discrete trials without undergoing extinction.

<p>Through this project -“Projekt Pedadoggen”- I have tested dog training as a pedagogical resource at Daily activities. The study was made together with a group of persons with intellectual and neuropsychiatric disabilities, whose daily activities consist of running a day-care centre for dogs. Each participator of the project trained a dog towards a specific goal. This goal was individually formulated by each participator from his or her specific interest. The participators chose to set up a show, which was planned and performed by them selves. </p><p>At the end of the project the participators were interviewed about their experiences of taking part on the project. Together with notes from the training, these interviews were the foundation of the hermeneutic influenced analysis. The theoretical outpost touches job satisfaction, work-integrated learning and the role of the pedagogue. </p><p>The main conclusion is that dog training can create good conditions for personal development which favour both the work-integrated learning and the lifelong learning. The role of coaching creates opportunities for personal development, among other things by giving the participators opportunities to plan, to work towards a goal, to read and adjust another individual, to improvise, to learn about exercise psychology, etcetera. The training with dogs creates lots of opportunities for interaction, for examples between the participator and participator, between the participator and the dog, and between the participator and people outside the work place. A positive aspect which was stressed by the participators is their own job satisfaction as well as the job satisfaction of the dog. They also stressed the special friendship which can develop between human and dog.</p>

Through this project -“Projekt Pedadoggen”- I have tested dog training as a pedagogical resource at Daily activities. The study was made together with a group of persons with intellectual and neuropsychiatric disabilities, whose daily activities consist of running a day-care centre for dogs. Each participator of the project trained a dog towards a specific goal. This goal was individually formulated by each participator from his or her specific interest. The participators chose to set up a show, which was planned and performed by them selves. At the end of the project the participators were interviewed about their experiences of taking part on the project. Together with notes from the training, these interviews were the foundation of the hermeneutic influenced analysis. The theoretical outpost touches job satisfaction, work-integrated learning and the role of the pedagogue. The main conclusion is that dog training can create good conditions for personal development which favour both the work-integrated learning and the lifelong learning. The role of coaching creates opportunities for personal development, among other things by giving the participators opportunities to plan, to work towards a goal, to read and adjust another individual, to improvise, to learn about exercise psychology, etcetera. The training with dogs creates lots of opportunities for interaction, for examples between the participator and participator, between the participator and the dog, and between the participator and people outside the work place. A positive aspect which was stressed by the participators is their own job satisfaction as well as the job satisfaction of the dog. They also stressed the special friendship which can develop between human and dog.

Prison Animal Programs that bring inmates and dogs together consistently report improvements to inmates’ self-esteem, ability to empathize, and helping behaviors with no understanding of why these improvements occur. With similar improvement documented in relationship closeness literature, this research examines the felt inmate dog connection and self-reported closeness as a possible explanation for the three reported benefits. Introducing relationship closeness scales that substitute a dog for another person, 37 inmate handlers at three correctional facilities completed survey and interview questions measuring self-esteem, self-expansion, and self-other (dog) overlap.Research findings strongly support that inmate-dog connectivity is consistent with documented dyadic human connectivity to close family and friends. The self-reported connectivity between handler and dog is furthermore suggested to strongly influence the three areas of improvement with additional research recommended. Findings also suggest that working with dogs in prison initiates a healing or restorative process for both inmate handlers and the outside community.

This master thesis focuses on comparison of methodical, economical and legislative aspects of the issue of assistance dogs in the Czech Republic and Austria. The work consists of a theoretical and practical part. The theoretical part focuses on assistance dogs, their classification and use. Further, breeds suitable to be used as assistance dogs are presented as well as the methods of their training. Organizations specializing in this kind of training in the Czech Republic and in Austria are listed. The practical part presents the individual organizations, including their detailed description and semi-structured interviews with their members. Based on these interviews organized into data tables, the individual questions are presented and discussed separately to facilitate orientation in the topic. Further, owing to the material provided by the responding subjects, this part brings complex views of the individual organizations. The results of the research have revealed that the legislative aspects of the issue of assistance dogs do not substantially differ in the two countries but Austria has an extra asset in the mentality of its people. The financial aspects of this issue are more promising in Austria than in the Czech Republic. Further, the research has shown that the methods of training are similar in Austria and the Czech Republic and that in both countries the training is based on positive methods.

Dog trainers sometimes teach verbal cues by saying the cue as the dog is performing the desired behavior. However, there is disagreement about when to say the cue. In this study, a pet dog was trained to go to three different apparatus, the cue for each of which was given at a different time, in a multi-element design. The cue "hoop" was given just as the dog began to move to the hoop apparatus. The cue "carrier" was given as the dog was stepping into the carrier apparatus. The cue "platform" was given after the dog was sitting on the platform apparatus. To test if the dog had learned the cues, the trainer had the dog sit and gave the cue. During testing, if only the correct apparatus was present, the dog responded to all three cues. However, when all three apparatus were present, the dog only responded correctly to the "hoop" cue. This suggests that giving the cue just as the learner is beginning to perform the desired behavior is the most effective teaching method.

The influence of dog education on their behaviour in maturity was described and documented in this diploma thesis. The dog handling and relationship to other members of family and to other dogs were studied. Questionnaire investigation was made in the area of Trhové Sviny town. It was found, that not only the time of removing the puppies from their mother, but also the way of the care for the dog before the removing play important and primary role. The way and the degree of social cognition by the new owner and the knowledge in field of ethology and in dog communication signals of the new owner are important as well.