Date of Award
12-2003
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Dr. Lisa Baker
Second Advisor
Dr. Richard Malott
Third Advisor
Dr. Jack Michael
Access Setting
Masters Thesis-Open Access
Abstract
Contemporary professional applied animal behavior management employs a diagnostic and treatment approach for unwanted pet behavior that incorporates ethology-based causal factors. As in behavior therapy for humans, behavioral assessment includes descriptive functional analysis when possible to determine relevant contingency variables. But this information is then considered in the context of an appropriate motivational classification, such as social or prey-directed motivation or fear-motivated, and treatments are designed accordingly. A different view is that behavior can be treated effectively without a presumption of the motivation through analysis of the manifestation of the behavior itself. This study sought to evaluate the efficacy of an intervention designed without consideration of behavioral classification to reduce the frequency and duration of on-leash lunging in dogs. The intervention utilized a combination of response-cost, negative reinforcement of an incompatible behavior (DRI), and positive reinforcement of other behavior (DRO). Results of the study showed that the intervention produced at least some decrease in both the frequency and duration of evoked lunging in 8 of 9 subjects tested, indicating that motivational classification may not always be a necessary component of treatment of behavior problems in dogs.
Recommended Citation
Sobie, Jennifer L., "Response Cost in the Treatment of Lunging in Dogs" (2003). Masters Theses. 4759.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/4759