The Trouble with Gundogs

CHAPTER 2
The Learning Process in Dogs

It is very helpful to understand how we learn, and how dogs learn. For this reason I begin with the physiology of learning. Please read this more than once so that you gain a really strong hold on it. It is very important.

THE PHYSIOLOGY OF LEARNING

Learning is the establishment of long-term memory. The physiology of learning is how we physically learn. Researchers have discovered certain proteins in the brain that make long-term memory possible. These proteins and others are associated with learning, and they exist in the brain not only of dogs, but of humans and other animals too. When a physical activity is performed, electrical activity is created in the brain. This electrical activity stimulates the special proteins, and they in turn assist in the laying down of connections or what we might call 'pathways' between the brain cells. These pathways are the basis of long-term memory. The pathways are made more concrete and lasting by two things: Repetition of the activity, and Rest afterwards.

Any memory is made more lasting by these two things. They may be good memories or bad ones. So if, for example, a dog spots a deer and chases it across a couple of fields and into a wood, it will tire him so that when he gives up on the deer, he will need a rest. If this sequence is allowed to take place again, you have the two elements that help to make a strong, lasting memory: Repetition and Rest. In the case where the dog is successful in catching and killing the deer, we can also add the element of Pleasure. Repetition, Rest plus Pleasure without Unpleasant Physical Consequences equals a really worthwhile event in a dog's mind. Therefore in training, we must do our utmost to ensure that what a dog learns is what we want him to learn. We must not permit the repetition of activities we do not want a dog to remember. We must prevent undesirable pathways being laid down in his brain. We must not allow him to indulge in activities we do not want to become habits. Habits are hard to break. Some habits are impossible to break.

If your dog succeeds in doing something you do not like, be sure that as soon as possible, you do some concentrated, positive training in a confined area for about six minutes. Give him time to calm down first, of course, and make sure you have control of your temper. You must deal with the dog fairly and in a way that will make him enjoy the training. You can be lavish with treats. Be sure to finish on a good note, and then put him away in a quiet place for at least an hour. Let a 'good' activity be the one he remembers.

Dogs cannot learn in abstract ways as we do. They do not attend lectures, listen to the radio, read or watch television. Dogs learn through physical association. That association may be pleasant or unpleasant. It could be fun, soothing or delicious on the one hand; on the other it could be frightening, painful or embarrassing. Because of this, we must use methods that a dog easily understands. The best ways are those that he learned from his mother in his early life, and this is covered in the next section.

It is also true that an extreme event in an animal's life can result in the very quick or even immediate grasp of a concept. If an experience is very pleasurable, such as chasing a deer, or very frightening or painful, such as being shocked by an electric fence, it will not need many or any repetitions for the long-term memory of the event to be formed. A sharp lesson will work better than all the nagging in the world. Similarly, an especially enjoyable experience will stick in his mind. So make sure his pleasant experiences fit in with your plans, and that his disobedience meets with meaningful correction.

CANINE PSYCHOLOGY

Some people treat dogs like children. Some treat them as equals. Others treat them with roughness and brutality. Some spell dog backwards.

The association between man and dog is very old and based on how each can be of benefit to the other. Dogs find ways of gaining a place in our lives. They work out what we like and dislike in order to gain what they want from us. They show us affection and amuse us, warn us and guard us, bring things to us. We like the feel of them and the look of them. Their superior senses, athleticism and stamina provide a wonderful extension to our abilities.

Training could be defined as the methods by which we harness their talents so that they are of use to us.

What we humans learn in our early days is what we learn most thoroughly, remember most clearly. We are born with human instincts. We tend to be brought up by, and taught by humans. We learn how to learn in human ways. That sticks with us.

It is much the same for dogs. They are born with canine instincts, and their first learning is usually from their mother, who is a dog. They learn how to learn in canine ways. That sticks with them.

When we wish to communicate with dogs, we do not have a common language. It is not even like trying to communicate with a human foreigner who does not speak our language. We have to find other ways to get our ideas across. We must try to understand the canine ways of teaching and learning. We need methods and we need 'tools'.

Observing dogs' interactions with each other can teach us much about how they may react to and interact with us. Watch a bitch with her puppies and you will see how she disciplines or encourages them. Watch how two dogs, strangers to each other, establish who is to be the superior dog in their relationship. This varies according to age, sex and whether either dog is a natural leader. Watch young dogs at play, or a bitch in season with other bitches, and then with a dog. You will see many signs and signals - some are easily understood, others are very subtle. Time spent watching dogs is time well spent if we are to succeed in building a good working relationship with them, if we want to discover the 'tools' that will work best in a training programme.

Making it seem a reward when we give a dog his food, spending time stroking, grooming and fussing him, all the while talking to him in a friendly, praising sort of voice - these things give a dog the physical association with our kind voice. Thus we have a 'tool', our pleasant voice, and we can use this 'tool' to convey to the dog when we are pleased with him in a training situation. If he complies with a command and we say 'Good dog' he thinks, 'When I hear that tone, it usually feels or tastes nice. I must remember what I have to do to reach the "Good dog" part.'

Equally, we need a tool, a physical association, to tell the dog when we are not pleased and to deter him from actions we do not want. He needs to learn what our cross voice means, physically.

In the wild pack system, the nicest physical association a dog might encounter would be to be licked clean and dry by his mother as a puppy, to have a wound or infection licked by a peer, or perhaps to enjoy some mutual grooming. The best they can expect as a reward for good behaviour as an adult would be to be ignored, something to be grateful for but not much of a 'tool' to help in training, looking at it from a human point of view.

The physical corrections or punishments to which a dog would respond best are those that he would have learnt in his early days from his mother or other adult. More correctly, these should be called 'demonstrations of dominance'. Like us, what dogs learn when they are young is what sticks with them, so it is important that what your dog learns in the early stages is what you want him to remember.

The earliest lessons a dog learns are about dominance and submission so that he fits into the hierarchy of the pack. As most of us know, dogs in the wild live in a pack system. There is presently a popular belief that the pack structure is a myth, but there is too much anecdotal evidence showing that it exists. In my opinion it cannot be denied or ignored.

Over the thousands of generations of dogs, the pack leaders have developed several stylised behaviours that are designed to embarrass and sometimes hurt, but not harm, 'naughty' pack members, to 'put them in their place'. They do not wish to harm them because they need their help and cooperation. It is not just the leaders that use these behaviours - adults of lesser standing will use them on youngsters and puppies.

The stylised behaviours, or punishments as we might call them, consist of displays and acts of dominance. The displays of dominance include the superior dog holding himself stiffly erect, especially his head. His tail will go up and may vibrate slightly. He will walk with a stifflegged gait. He will look directly at the offending pack member or members, and he may growl threateningly. The acts of dominance are usually extremely swiftly administered - usually a short, sharp bite and shake of the insubordinate dog's scruff. With persistent offenders, this may be repeated several times with increasing severity, and blood may be drawn - but seldom is any real damage done, either physical or psychological. Over the generations, dogs have come not only to know when and how to administer these punishments, but also, if they are the recipients, to understand and therefore not to fear them. They will also know how to respond to them in order to show their submission and end the punishment.

We are speaking here of dogs that are members of the same pack, dogs that know each other. With intruders, there may be nothing stylised about it, and blood may flow! But even in such situations, if the intruder acts in a submissive way, he will...