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A joint research project was undertaken by the Australian Customs Service (Customs),Royal Guide Dogs Associations of Australia (RGDAA) and The University of Melbourne. The aims were to establish a breeding program for Drug Detector Dogs(Detector Dogs) and to further improve the RGDAA breeding program. Behavioural studies were conducted on the RGDAA breeding population of Labradors(Guide Dog population) and a ‘trial’ breeding population was established by Customs during the research (Detector Dog population). We defined traits important for success as a Detector Dog and designed an aptitude test (CRR test) to measure the traits. We found some sex differences for individual traits within the combined Guide Dog and Detector Dog populations. However, no sex difference was observed in terms of overall performance. Within the Detector Dog population, dogs selected to start a Detector Dog training course performed significantly better on the CRR test than dogs not selected to start a course. (For complete abstract open document)

This thesis studies the performance of search dogs trained to locate the live scent (live only dogs) and compares their performance to that of search dogs trained to locate either live or cadaver scent depending on the verbal cue given by the handler (cross-trained dogs).

This study evaluated the effects of programming a variability contingency on one object and the generalization of variability across other objects and contingencies when the defining features of the variable responses were topographical differences. A dog's interactions with five different objects were measured under both ANY (where any physical contact with the object would be reinforced on a fixed ratio schedule) and the VAR contingencies (where only the novel responses per trial would be reinforced). The ANY contingency produced stereotyped responding of behavior with all objects. When one of the dog-object interactions was changed to the VAR contingency, a marked decrease in stereotypic behavior and an increase in novel responses in the form of topographical combinations were observed across both contingencies.

Accidental behavior chains are a common problem in dog training. Many handlers inadvertently reinforce undesirable behaviors. The behavior analytic literature already contains articles describing methods of breaking chains; however, those methods either are not used in dog training for practical purposes or are ineffective in dog training. This experiment investigated two ways to break a behavior chain, including extending the chain and introducing a delay into the chain. The results of extending the chain showed that it is possible to decrease the target behavior using this method, but it was not eliminated in this study. Adding a delay into the behavior chain resulted in a quick elimination of the target behavior.

Livestock guarding dogs (LSGDs) have been used for centuries to reduce depredation on livestock and more recently, to facilitate the conservation of threatened predator species. Conservation NGOs (non-government organisations) in southern Africa promote the use of Anatolian Shepherds as LSGDs. However, livestock farmers in Botswana have been using a variety of different breeds for this purpose, including the local mixed-breed “Tswana” dogs. Postal, telephonic and face-to-face interview questionnaires were administered to 108 livestock farmers in Botswana to gauge how their LSGDs were being used, in order to determine what factors contributed to the success and affordability of these dogs. Eighty-three percent of farmers had LSGDs which equaled or decreased livestock depredations on their farms, with an average reduction in livestock depredation of 75 percent per year. This equated to an average saving of US$2,017 annually per farm. The costs of purchasing (average US$27) and maintaining the 198 LSGDs in my study (average US$169/LSGD/year) were very low compared to other countries and helped contribute to the high profits obtained by farmers (average US$1,497/farm or US$789/LSGD). A unique investigation of different breeds was possible due to the diverse array of breeds in the sample (Anatolian Shepherds, Cross Breeds, Tswana dogs, Greyhounds and Pitbulls), with the crossbreed dogs (Crosses and Tswana LSGDs) performing the best. LSGDs that reduced depredation and had minimal behavioural problems were the most likely to incite positive changes in their owners in regards to attitudes towards predators. Sixty six percent of farmers stated that they were more tolerant of predators since obtaining a LSGD, and 51 percent reported that they were less likely to kill predators since obtaining a LSGD. My results indicate that successful, well-behaved LSGDs are a cost-effective tool that has the ability to increase farm productivity and improve predator-farmer conflicts in Botswana. The methods recommended in my thesis, in particular the benefits of using local breeds of dog as LSGDs, can be implemented on farming practices the world over to assist farming productivity and to promote conservation efforts.

The current study investigated the impact of delivering a jackpot on response rate and response allocation in two domestic dogs. For the purpose of this research, a jackpot was defined as a one-time, within-session increase in the magnitude of reinforcement. Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of delivering a jackpot in both single-operant and concurrent schedule procedures. Experiment 1 investigated the impact of a one-time, within-session increase in the magnitude of reinforcement on response rate in a single-operant procedure. Results of Experiment 1 showed no clear change in response rate after the delivery of the jackpot. Experiment 2 investigated the impact of a one-time, within-session increase in the magnitude of reinforcement on response allocation in a concurrent schedule procedure. Results of Experiment 2 showed an increase in response allocation to the jackpotted contingency in both subjects. These results suggest that a jackpot, as defined here, has no effect in single-operant procedures while having an effect in concurrent schedule procedures. These effects are similar to those reported in the magnitude of reinforcement literature.

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.

The current study investigated concept formation in domestic dogs, specifically that of a toy concept. The dog's differential responding (retrieval vs. non-retrieval) to two sets of stimuli suggested a toy concept. Differential responding occurred from the very first trial, indicating that the concept had been formed in the natural environment, not during the experiment. It was hypothesized that a common response may be responsible for the emergence of the class in the natural environment. The results demonstrated that it was possible to expand the class by adding previously non-retrieved objects to the toy class through a common response. It was also shown that the toy concept passed the more stringent criterion (transfer of function test) required validating it as a concept.

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.