Desensitization and Counterconditioning in Dogs
Two owners take the same advice for the same problem. Both expose their dog to the thing it fears, gradually, repeatedly, with food. After six weeks one dog is calmer. The other is…
July 25, 2026
unterHUNDs Research
Learning and training
Training works when it follows how learning works. These reviews cover reinforcement and extinction, the role of prediction error, why aversive methods carry costs that outlast their effect, and what changes when emotion rather than knowledge is the obstacle.
These articles are written in English and aimed at trainers, behaviour consultants and veterinary professionals. Deutschsprachige Beiträge findest du im Hunderatgeber.
Learned Helplessness in Dogs: Control, Suppression, Recovery
A dog stops trying. It no longer offers behaviors during shaping, no longer investigates novelty, no longer attempts a problem it once solved. To an owner it may look like calm, or…
June 14, 2026
Reinforcement Schedules in Dogs: Learning and Maintenance
Two dogs receive exactly the same treat for exactly the same behavior. One gets it every time; the other gets it unpredictably, on average every fourth repetition. After a few week…
June 1, 2026
Social Learning in Dogs: Observation and Demonstration
A dog watches another dog work out a puzzle and solves it faster afterwards. A puppy hangs back from a novel object until its owner approaches it calmly. A dog trained on a particu…
May 31, 2026
Extinction in Dog Behavior: Why Learned Behavior Disappears – and Returns
A dog that stopped jumping on visitors weeks ago jumps on the first guest after a quiet fortnight. A dog that had made peace with the vacuum cleaner hides from it again after two w…
April 28, 2026
Prediction Error in Dogs: The Core Mechanism of Learning and Behavior Change
A treat that arrives when none was expected teaches more than the same treat delivered on schedule. A reward that fails to arrive when the dog was certain of it produces something…
April 28, 2026
Dopamine in Dogs: Reward, Motivation and Learning
Why does a dog offer a flawless sit for a visible treat and ignore the same cue when a squirrel crosses the path? Why do some dogs seem to seek out training sessions while others d…
April 16, 2026
Learned Behavior vs. Emotional Response: Why Dog Training Sometimes Fails
A dog that sits reliably in the living room lunges and barks at a passing dog on the street. A dog that holds a long down at home trembles and hides when visitors arrive. A dog tra…
April 7, 2026
The Fallout of Aversives: Neurobiological Consequences of Punishment in Dogs
In canine training and behavioral medicine, few topics are as polarizing as the use of aversive methods. Their defenders point to rapid, visible suppression of unwanted behavior; t…
March 17, 2026
Aversive Training Methods in Dogs: Neurological Effects, Stress Responses and Long-Term Welfare Risks
The use of punishment and aversive tools in dog training – shock collars, prong and choke chains, harsh physical corrections, intimidation – has been argued over on scientific and…
March 7, 2026
The Neurology of Dog Behavior: How the Brain Shapes Learning and Training
A dog's behavior is not random. It emerges from the interplay of neural, hormonal, and experience-based processes, and over the past two decades neuroscience has begun to make part…
December 15, 2025