You Can't Reinforce Fear

[Oko]

I'm subscribed to quite a few dog channels on youtube and today a video popped up in my subscriptions, by Emily Larlham/Kikopup, that I thought was really interesting and worthy of sharing. The dogs I live with are pretty easy going and haven't had major issues with anything, so I hadn't thought much about the whole 'is comforting a dog when it's scared okay' issue.

 

ETA: Forgot to say, I'm not trying to say 'drop what you're doing and comfort your dog regardless of the situation'. Obviously, you know your dog better than anyone, and if it doesn't need reassurance, that's great. However, the point I'm trying to make is that it's not inherently bad to comfort a scared dog.

 

However, I know border collies can be prone to sound sensitivity and other fear-based problems, so I thought this might be an interesting video for some people on the forum, and I think it's a good one to share because it's one of those dog training myths you hear a lot. Yes, she has a mohawk, haha.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOhpr3NO3TY

 

And Patricia McConnell's blog post on the subject:

http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/you-cant-reinforce-fear-dogs-and-thunderstorms

 

-Oko

[TEC]

...However, I know border collies can be prone to sound sensitivity and other fear-based problems, so I thought this might be an interesting video for some people on the forum, and I think it's a good one to share because it's one of those dog training myths you hear a lot...

 

 

Reinforcement is a consequence, provided either by reward or withdrawing an aversive, which follows a behavior making it more probable the behavior will occur with greater frequency. Reinforcement is a tool of operant conditioning which deals with behavior, therefore by definition one can't reinforce the pure emotion of fear.

 

We don't observe the emotion of fear itself in animals, only the behaviors attributed to fear.

 

I believe it's overly academic, and not practical, to talk about a person's inability to reinforce fear. McConnell, who is cited in the video, in her book "For the Love of a Dog", Ballantine Books(2006), has a chapter on classical conditioning in reference to canine fear. She gives examples of dreadfully traumatizing events increasing fear, as well as preventing/reducing fear by linking an under-threshold request with reward. While not strictly a form of "reinforcement", fear can be increased, and by classical counter-conditioning it can be prevented/reduced.

 

Completely aside from behaviors associated with fear, many believe it to be an underlying emotion. May be that in a strict technical/academic sense an involuntary emotion cannot be operantly reinforced, or made more likely, through positive reward or withdrawing an aversive.

 

On the other hand, seems to me that in event a dog is repetitively rewarded by such things as food or petting when he/she, for example, hides in a basement corner at the sound of thunder, or quits stockwork upon sensing distant gun shots or loud machinery, it becomes more likely that the dog's behavior of hiding/quitting will occur. Rather than accept hiding/quitting, a person can try to reduce fearful behavior using classical conditioning.

 

My border collie begins to look apprehensive and her stockwork somewhat deteriorates before I can sense distant thunder or shooting. I can almost always successfully predict that the troubling sounds will soon become audible to me. Rather than add reward or remove aversives when her work falls-off, it has worked for me to insist that she continue moving sheep as long as is reasonable under the circumstances. Consequently, I believe there has been a gradual improvement in her noise phobia, and she has been able to work longer and better in presence of thunder/shooting. I hadn't previously thought about the exact theoretical foundation. Linking reward of moving sheep with under-threshold fearful circumstance evidently provides noise phobia counter-conditioning. I personally do not understand how my border collie could have realized progress had I rewarded or comforted her upon quitting sheep and running to my side. -- Kind regards, TEC

[mbc1963]

I understand the theory about reinforcing behaviors. I do think that we can reinforce bad behaviors - in humans and dogs. Say, a child is overtired in the store and has a tantrum. Mom can take the child out and put her in a situation where she can get some rest and resort herself - OR mom can buy her candy at the first sign of grumbling, and then continue to buy candy until she has trained a child in the equation "tantrum = candy." Watch "Supernanny" and you see kids who have been very clearly trained that bad behaviors get results they want.

 

BUT... a kid having a learned tantrum is different from a kid having an overtired, overstimulated, or I-feel-sick tantrum. Dealing successfully with the "real" tantrum means putting the kid in a situation where she can succeed and where her needs are met.

 

My dog, with 100% certainty, will be calm and restful during a t-storm IF he's allowed to lie touching me. If he's not, he paces and barks incessantly. I'd say that by letting him get the physical contact, I'm somehow meeting his needs (for comfort, yes)... and that I'm preventing the "tantrum." If I can make him calm during a stressful situation, why not? The fear comes with or without me - I'd say I've just reinforced his knowledge that there's a safe place to go and cope with a stressful event. Over seven years, his reaction to thunderstorms has decreased a great deal - it hasn't increased.

 

I do agree with McConnell that human emotions and dog emotions come from the same mammalian brain type. Allowing for comforting to humans, while not allowing it for dogs, seems kind of backwards.

[waffles]

My border collie begins to look apprehensive and her stockwork somewhat deteriorates before I can sense distant thunder or shooting. I can almost always successfully predict that the troubling sounds will soon become audible to me. Rather than add reward or remove aversives when her work falls-off, it has worked for me to insist that she continue moving sheep as long as is reasonable under the circumstances. Consequently, I believe there has been a gradual improvement in her noise phobia, and she has been able to work longer and better in presence of thunder/shooting. I hadn't previously thought about the exact theoretical foundation. Linking reward of moving sheep with under-threshold fearful circumstance evidently provides noise phobia counter-conditioning. I personally do not understand how my border collie could have realized progress had I rewarded or comforted her upon quitting sheep and running to my side. -- Kind regards, TEC

 

Exactly what I have done. My boy has a fear of fireworks, which has gotten better in the past 2 years by only putting his thundershirt on and allowing him to go where he wants (bathroom or crate typically), otherwise we do nothing to comfort him (he doesn't seem to want it anyways, won't take treats either).

 

The fireworks fear has developed into a mild fear of other similar noises (gun shots, loud banging/popping/cracking) and he does what he would do during fireworks when we are outside-wants to run back to the house or car. A few times now we have been out hiking when we heard gunshots and some type of machinery that was banging metal. Instead of allowing him to run back to the house (it wasn't fireworks and he wasn't 100% fearful, just mildly) I made him continue on our walk. And...within a minute or two of continuing our walk, he was acting completely normal and I was able to let him back off leash without him wanting to go back.

 

I too, find that making my boy work through mild fear has helped a lot. If a thousand fireworks were going off, we would run home but if I think he can work through it, then I will try. I don't believe that feeding my dog treats (at that point it would just be bribery)or petting him is going to help. I either let him work through it on his own (by hiding in the bathroom or crate, and we do have a thundershirt) or I try to help him work through it by moving forward. We have done it lots of times while on leashed walks as well, keeping him moving forward and only that (no treats or baby voices) has helped a lot.

[rushdoggie]

otherwise we do nothing to comfort him (he doesn't seem to want it anyways, won't take treats either).

 

And I think that is the key. I have had 2 dogs terrified of fireworks (because its a freaking war zone here for a week). One wanted to go hide and be left alone, and one wants to be comforted.

 

I think not comforting the dog who finds solace by curling up next to be and being quietly talked to and occasionally petted would be quite inhumane.

 

Do I baby talk her and get all emotional? No, of course not. Dogs can feed off of that sort of thing. Do I insist the dog who prefers to curl up in the back of a crate or in the bathroom sit on my lap? Of course not, he would hate that and it might make his stress worse. But I would never force my girl to get away from me and not provide her with comforting support.

[Root Beer]

I discovered this premise quite by accident, many years ago, when Speedy, who has an underlying fearful temperament, was becoming more and more fearful when I operated under the premise that I must avoid reinforcing him when he was fearful. When I finally threw caution to the wind and tried reinforcing him when he was fearful, we found our way, at last, to the path that eventually led to near normalcy for him.

 

I have operated off the principle that fear is not increased when the dog is reinforced in the midst of a fear response and I have seen that result in confidence time and time again.

 

My only issue is with people who try to admonish me for reinforcing my own dog in those instances. I've had some out and out battles with a few people over it. The notion that letting the dog "get away with" being fearful (as if the dog desires to experience fear and is going out of his or her way to become fearful) will result in greater fear is very deep seated with some.

 

Also, it is important to recognize that reinforcement is not "coddling". It is a way of expressing to the dog, in a clear way, "you are all right". With Speedy that was best done either with treats, or by removing him from the situation, or - sometimes - redirecting him to a certain activity. With Dean, it is removing him from the situation to put him in a safe place (primarily, the car with his "Through a Dog's Ear" music playing. I also use toy play with him, but only when he is WAY WAY under threshold at the "huh - is this something I need to worry about" stage. Tessa, on the other hand, actually finds being petted and happy talked reinforcing, so I do use that with her. I also use treats and safe places with her. (Although I use less and less of all of that with her because she has worked through almost all of her fears). On the other hand, happy talking Dean will actually make him more panicked, so I don't do that.

 

I am glad that this is getting "out there" and that people are starting to really think about it.

 

Not having to worry about reinforcing fear is another one of those concepts that I have found to be absolutely liberating, and very, very fruitful.

[jvw]

I allow my sound phobic dog to go to his hidey hole when we are inside. When we are outside and there is a loud noise that bothers him I do comfort him. Because his tendancy is to bolt away in those situations I taught him to run to me for comfort. If the noise is likely to continue I get him inside as soon as possible so he can go to his hidey hole.

 

That is what has worked for us. I have given up on trying to desensitize him to the fearful sounds. He is much more manageable now that he trusts me to get him to where HE feels safe.

 

FWIW

Jennifer

[waffles]

My only issue is with people who try to admonish me for reinforcing my own dog in those instances. I've had some out and out battles with a few people over it. The notion that letting the dog "get away with" being fearful (as if the dog desires to experience fear and is going out of his or her way to become fearful) will result in greater fear is very deep seated with some.

 

 

 

I have seen people drag dogs out of their hiding spot and force them to be in a room with strangers because they thought the dog was 'misbehaving' by being fearful. The dog was scared, they didn't listen and forced him out. If the dog wants to hide, let him. If they want to snuggle up to you for comfort, let them. I think the idea of reinforcing fear comes from people who do coddle the dog when the dog is way under threshold and never allowing the dog to experience the situation. Sometimes the dog is fully capable of 'facing their fears' (like when Levi was afraid of manholes or he was afraid to go into a metal crate because of the noise the pan made, with some treats he overcame those 'fears') and sometimes you need to retreat/allow the dog to do what it finds comforting (like running all the way home when fireworks start going off nearby because he is way over threshold at that point).

[jinksd1]

I'm no expert, but my experience has taught me some things. I fully believe that I accidentally "taught" one of my dogs to be more fearful of storms and fireworks when she was young. Of course, I was young, too, and didn't understand that's what I was doing. All I knew was that I could tell she was scared, so I comforted her every time. As she got older, she seemed to become even more fearful, and she developed some terrible behaviors in seeking comfort from me, which really didn't seem to help her feel more calm anyways.

 

I've found that what seems to work much better is to act completely normal and nonchalant when my dog shows fear of an item or noise, starting in puppyhood or whenever the fear starts. I don't rush to comfort. She can be near me and maybe even in contact with my leg or something, but I don't pet her or croon comforting words, and she can't climb on me or get under my legs or basically do anything that I wouldn't normally allow her to do (without my command). Those behaviors would result in a normal correction ("off", "get out of there", etc.) delivered in a normal tone. I think it calms the fear to some degree to see that I'm acting as if nothing abnormal is happening and that I don't seem to be concerned. They really do look to us as their leaders and feed off of our energy.

 

Now for a recent exception to that. When I used the food processor for the first time, it scared the crap out of Nox. She was only about 9 weeks old. She was fearful but still curious about the thing making all the racket. So I picked her up, let her sniff it, and dipped a finger in the food in it and let her taste it. Then I turned it on for just a moment while she was near it, then stopped it and let her sniff it and have another taste. Then I put her down and went about my business as if everything was normal. She's never shown the slightest fear of it since then, and I use it weekly while she's hanging out in the kitchen with me (which she does whenever I'm cooking). I don't think that would have worked with every dog and in every circumstance, but I had a feeling it would work that time, and it did.

[Urban Borders]

YES, THIS. Such an important concept, and I don't know how many people have asked me this question. To understand this, you have to understand the difference between operant and classical conditioning. Operant conditioning occurs when you reinforce a VOLUNTARY behavior, thereby increasing the likelihood it will occur again. Hence, how you teach your dog to do good things (like sit) or unintentionally teach them bad things, like beg for food. Classical conditioning, in contrast, operates by creating an involuntary response to a stimulus; that response, assuming dogs' brains work like ours do (since our limbic systems are pretty much identical, we can assume that), creates an emotional context for the stimulus.

 

When a dog is afraid of something, it's response (running away, freezing, sniffing about, or aggressing) is NOT voluntary. You cannot reward fear, nor can you reinforce a fearful behavior (again, because it is not voluntary. Situation just does not compute). All you can do is try to change the involuntary, emotional response to the stimulus (by classical conditioning), or, if the dog's reaction is sufficiently mild, create a response substitution that is more deeply engrained than an involuntary fear response. I always use the following example: when you see a spider, and you are deathly afraid of spiders, you freak out. You may run away, you may stay completely still, you may aggress towards the spider and wack it with your shoe. But if I hand you a candy bar every time you see a spider, you will start to perceive spiders as not so terrible, because they are the heralds of candy bars. Maybe you will eventually even come to have a positive emotional response to spiders, and will no longer aggress towards them :-)

 

Only caveat is, that dogs often don't find human solace (hugging, etcetera) to be all that rewarding. If you have a dog that is displaying an obvious fear response, telling him that "it's okay" or petting him is going to be relatively worthless, and he may think you are getting upset (which will make him more anxious). Pull out the cheese or the tennis ball instead, or seek help if necessary.