Habituation vs Sensitisation..

[Beanwood]

This is the latest from a blog I follow...and a subject that I find very interesting. Of course, we can address habituation with puppies, and the importance of this is undeniable. It is also becoming clear that there is probably a genetic component to why some dogs become sensitised and why some dogs dismiss novel sounds/sights after a few exposures.

There are a few facebook groups I follow, and, on one it became apparent that a few dogs from the same line ([parents/siblings) had become sensitised to a certain sound. I did wonder if any of them had put two and two together.... and consider adding a few more "robust" dogs to their lines.

Getting Used To Things (Or Not): Habituation Vs. Sensitization

 

[Oberon]

It’s a very interesting subject. I was pondering this the other day on a walk...this issue of when exposure to a stimulus will lead to habituation and when it will lead to sensitisation. It’s not just a matter of the intensity of the stimulus. That is, it’s not enough to say that a little stimulus (or a below threshold stimulus) will lead to habituation while a ‘too big’ one will lead to sensitisation. What determines ‘the threshold’ for a dog, below which something is ok and above which it’s not? No idea, but it’s certainly a fascinating issue.

 

[Peartree]

We had a very interesting conversation about this when training on Thursday. It was raining hard so we were looking for something to do whilst waiting for it to stop.

We ended up looking up the definitions of the words so that we all understood exactly what we were talking about.

It came out of a conversation about how gundogs need to be able to switch off about some things ie squirrels, but chase game on a shoot and not on a walk.

Tricky? One of the dogs on the shoot wouldn’t pick runners as she had told it to leave alone the pheasants in the garden and would only retrieve the birds if they were dead when he got to them.

 

[snowbunny]

Tricky? One of the dogs on the shoot wouldn’t pick runners as she had told it to leave alone the pheasants in the garden and would only retrieve the birds if they were dead when he got to them.

Surely that comes down to cue discrimination? The dog should leave unless instructed to retrieve. I'm making an assumption that even on a shoot, dogs don't go off after runners without being cued to do so.

Habituation vs sensitisation is something that I am very interested about, considering how much time I have to spend desensitising W&S to certain stimuli. It's so difficult to separate what part comes down to genetic predisposition and what is environmental as they are so interlinked, but I certainly do believe that you can be genetically predisposed to oversensitivity. A dog who is genetically wired for oversensitivity will only demonstrate it if they are placed in an environment where they are exposed to whatever will trigger them.

 

[Beanwood]

Surely that comes down to cue discrimination? The dog should leave unless instructed to retrieve. I'm making an assumption that even on a shoot, dogs don't go off after runners without being cued to do so.

My thoughts entirely. A dog should drop (sit) and wait on cue of the shot, as typically more than one bird will fall.
Benson waits to retrieve a tennis ball, for example, I don't allow him to just run out, in tempting circumstances I also use my stop whistle as an additional cue.
We have suddenly a lot of pheasants in our garden and paddock, this is new. So, initially I simply didn't allow Bramble outside, then when she was used to seeing them, just popped her in a sit, with a lot of treats and my stop whistle.

 

[Boogie]

I only know from a Guide Dogs perspective and I know they are bred, and selected, to not be predisposed to sensitivity. But a small percentage still become reactive/sensitive due to environmental issues.

Along with the breeding many, many hours are spent on habituation, every day until they begin work. We have a very long list of things we need to continually expose our pups to. This starts gradually but, by Spencer’s age, it’s everything on the list. He must do buses, trains and trams at least three times a week as his 0wner won’t be able to drive. So I like venues that have a lot in one go - stairs, open stairs, lifts, busy areas, strange surfaces, children, dogs, animals, prams, traffic, you name it.

 

[snowbunny]

So I like venues that have a lot in one go - stairs, open stairs, lifts, busy areas, strange surfaces, children, dogs, animals, prams, traffic, you name it.

And this sort of place, to a dog like Willow or Shadow would be devastating!

 

[Boogie]

And this sort of place, to a dog like Willow or Shadow would be devastating!

Tatze wouldn’t cope either. I don’t think she’d be devastated, but she’d be very unsure. She’s used to everything in the countryside, but not the town.
.

 

[SwampDonkey]

The only thing Rory can't do is open stairs he doesn't like heights, I find living where I do and the constant exposure to stuff really helps. I sometimes think it would be nice to live in the country but realise my dogs are more adaptable because of the urban life. I think he needs more work on cafes and pubs though

 

[Stacia]

Back to pheasants! Dog should only collect runners if they have been shot and a dog should get to know of the scent of the shot and possibly blood on the pheasant they must collect. I imagine this has to be learned behaviour if the dog has been stopped on birds away from a shoot. Rourke would pick runners and yet if we see a pheasant while walking, he will put it up and then come straight back to me without chasing. I think he taught himself the difference

 

[Peartree]

Back to pheasants! Dog should only collect runners if they have been shot and a dog should get to know of the scent of the shot and possibly blood on the pheasant they must collect. I imagine this has to be learned behaviour if the dog has been stopped on birds away from a shoot. Rourke would pick runners and yet if we see a pheasant while walking, he will put it up and then come straight back to me without chasing. I think he taught himself the difference

I think I wrote my post without really being clear about what we were talking about. Of course, the dogs are not sent without being cued to retrieve , some of the dogs were struggling with picking up the birds that were still definitely alive. Their hesitation allowed the bird to get up and leg it, and boy, can they run. The dog would not chase the bird as they had been told, ignore all live birds and do not chase!

So the dog was habituated to birds and had no interest in them as had not been allowed to ever chase. This caused confusion for the dog when told he could chase.

I don’t have the problem with Bing so that resulted in him being put on all runners as he certainly will pick live birds and chase although he decided to leave the Canada goose which was still alive for me to dispatch!! He couldn’t carry it either as it was absolutely massive, so he does have some sense when it comes to birds.

 

[Beanwood]

the Canada goose which was still alive for me to dispatch!!

Now that makes me feel sad. I am sorry but can't imagine anyone in the group would be able to cull a goose cleanly.

 

[Peartree]

Now that makes me feel sad. I am sorry but can't imagine anyone in the group would be able to cull a goose cleanly.

Well, now you know that if you are on that shoot, you might have to deal with a goose! I don’t see how if it’s shot, giving it a whack on the back of the head to speed up the process of dying is any thing but humane?