Our mood can change based on the emotional stimuli we experience. When you hear someone let out a hearty laugh, it’s only natural for you to chuckle as well. Conversely, seeing a great actor shine in a dramatic role can also drive us to tears.
The fact that we have strong reactions to emotional stimuli is no secret. However, learning that your dog or puppy can experience similar reactions may be surprising. The exact reactions they present depend on what type of emotional stimuli they perceive.
Understanding positive and negative stimuli for dogs is critical as this knowledge should be part of developing a training plan as well as part of helping your dog improve its emotional regulation.
Take this opportunity to learn more about emotional stimuli, valence, and their effects on our precious pets by reading on.
What Is Valence?
Valence refers to the emotional value that we assign to stimuli. The emotions we assign to the stimuli we encounter may be positive or negative, but they don’t always follow that dichotomy. Two people may perceive the same stimuli and assign varying intensities of positive emotion to it. You may also have a neutral reaction to a specific stimulus, and that would still be perfectly valid.
Other nuanced reactions to emotional stimuli include attraction and repulsion. Something that catches your attention may pique your interest or make you want to get away from it quickly.
These concepts relating to emotional valence in humans also apply to our pets. Your dog or puppy will present varied emotional reactions to the stimuli they encounter based upon (in part) the valence of their emotions in the presence of the stimulus. You must consider this during training, as part of your dog’s overall emotional regulation.
What Are Positive Stimuli for Dogs?
Many dogs show the strongest emotional reactions in the presence of something they like, such as food.
Once your dog hears the familiar sound of a can opening, they may rush to your side, anticipating a bowl full. They could have the same reaction to the sound of a plastic container opening or silverware hitting the side of their food bowl.
Another example of positive stimuli could be kind words from you or their trainer. When you use a cheerful tone of voice, your pet may respond positively as they have learned to associate it with a positive experience.
Our furry friends may also regard certain gestures and actions as positive stimuli. Belly rubs, head pats, and scratches often fall into that category. Thus our dogs have strong positive emotional reactions to them as well.
While the above are fairly common examples of positive canine stimuli, we must note that dogs have individual personalities. So the stimulus that draws the strongest positive emotions in your pet may not necessarily be food, praise, or even a belly rub. It could instead be the promise of playing a game or taking a walk outside.
Your job as a pet owner is to identify the strongest positive stimuli for your dog. Recognizing the things that your dog loves will help you train them better. Help improve your dog’s emotional regulation using their favorite things as reinforcements. Soon your dog will get the hang of what you’re doing and choose their actions to get those reinforcements.
What Are Negative Stimuli for Dogs?
As with positive stimuli, negative stimuli can also come in many forms. Your dog’s personality will dictate what they perceive to be negative stimuli, so it’s important to become familiar with the things that are negative stimuli for your dog.
Still, certain types of stimuli are perceived negatively by all dogs. For example, punishment as a form of stimuli (ie. scolding or striking a dog).
As a responsible pet owner, it is essential to help your dog learn to regulate its emotions. However, using punishment to achieve this goal is not recommended. There are many issues with using punishment as a training method. Therefore, it is best to avoid punishment and look for more positive and effective ways to train your furry friend.
An important problem with using punishment as a training method is the how your dog perceives it. Your dog likely would not connect you scolding them with your reason for doing so. Instead, they would more probably perceive the punishment as you randomly causing them harm.
According to PetMD, using negative stimuli for training may also affect how much your pet trusts you. They may start to lose trust in you now that you have displayed a capacity to harm them. Your pet may perceive you as a threat to their safety and respond to your abusive training approach with hostility.
Even if your dog doesn’t display reactions to your punishments immediately, your actions may still leave lasting damage. They may grow more anxious and fearful whenever you’re around.
How Should Valence Influence Your Approach to Canine Emotional Regulation?
Including your pet’s emotions is a vital part of training. Particularly when you use positive stimuli to reinforce your dog’s canine emotional regulation.
To train your dog, use positive stimuli to elicit the desired response. Then continue using positive reinforcement until you consistently get the desired behavior from your pet. If you need help with putting this into action, consider hiring a professional trainer.
Helping your dog build its emotional regulation doesn’t have to be a difficult ordeal. To make training easier, take into account their emotional responses (and their valence) and use positive reinforcement. This approach tends to yield better and longer-lasting results compared to using negative reinforcement (punishment). By using positive stimuli in training, your dog is more likely to become better behaved by choice and their trust in you will be even stronger.
Discover the power of valence in dog training! Visit our dog training page to learn effective techniques for helping your dog when encountering positive as well as negative stimuli, and unlock a happier, well-behaved pet today!
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