Positive Reinforcement and Dog Training IV: Little Dogs vs Big Dogs
In this week’s edition of the series on positive reinforcement and dog training, I investigate whether small dogs are treated differently than large dogs.
By Zazie Todd, PhD
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One of the nice things about this study is the impressively
large sample size. Whereas the previous studies separated out owners who used
only positive reinforcement, this study instead looks at the frequency of
positive reinforcement and punishment.
By Zazie Todd, PhD
This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you.
People often wonder if little dogs behave differently because people let them get away with more due to their size, but is it true? The answer comes from a large-scale study by Christine
Arhant and colleagues in Vienna.
Since Viennese dogs must be registered with the city, they posted a questionnaire to a random sample of registered dog-owners. They received 1276 responses from owners of pet dogs that lived in the home with them. For the purposes of this study, 20kg was the cut-off for small dogs; any dog that weighed more than 20kg was considered a large dog. The questionnaire asked about training techniques and dog behaviour, as well as characteristics of the dog.
Since Viennese dogs must be registered with the city, they posted a questionnaire to a random sample of registered dog-owners. They received 1276 responses from owners of pet dogs that lived in the home with them. For the purposes of this study, 20kg was the cut-off for small dogs; any dog that weighed more than 20kg was considered a large dog. The questionnaire asked about training techniques and dog behaviour, as well as characteristics of the dog.
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| Photo: OLJ Studio/Shutterstock |
There
was a third category which the researchers called ‘reward-based responses to
unwanted behaviour’ which included comforting, distracting, and time-outs.
About 80% of the owners used punishment, usually in the form
of a leash jerk, scolding, or holding the dog’s muzzle. Slapping the dog, an
alpha roll, or shaking a can to make an unpleasant noise were used less often.
Nonetheless, around 10% of small dog owners and 13% of large dog owners used a
scruff shake or alpha roll sometimes, often or very often. Reward-based training was very common, with
90% of owners using rewards often or very often.
One great thing about this study is that they asked about
consistency. Many of the owners admitted they were not consistent in their
behaviour, with about one third of the owners saying they sometimes allowed
their dog to do things that were supposedly forbidden.
There were differences between small and large
dogs. Owners of small dogs were significantly more inconsistent than owners of
large dogs. Owners of large dogs engaged more often in training and play
activities with their dogs. Small dogs were also taken for walks less often than
large dogs. Smaller dogs were rated as more aggressive, more anxious and more
fearful.
For both small and large dogs, a greater frequency of
punishment was associated with more aggression and more exciteability. This
relationship was stronger for small dogs.
Although the study did not look at
the use of only rewards in training,
it did find that a higher frequency of rewards was linked to higher scores for
obedience, and lower scores for aggression and anxiousness. Not surprisingly,
inconsistency of the owner was linked to lower obedience scores.
This study shows that the owners of smaller dogs are less
consistent in training, put less emphasis on training and engage in fewer
activities with the dog, than the owners of large dogs. Also, smaller dogs
are less obedient and more aggressive. It’s possible that small dogs are seen as more like a ‘baby’
and treated differently because they are cute. It’s also possible that small
dogs react more badly to negative interactions; because of their size, they
might find things threatening that would not trouble a larger dog.
With both small and large dogs, it seems
that a greater use of rewards is linked to a more obedient dog, and higher frequency
of punishment is linked to problems with aggression and excitability.
What size is your dog? Do you ever let them do something that they are not meant to?
If you liked this post, check out my book Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy. Modern Dog magazine calls it "the must-have guide to improving your dog's life."
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Reference
Arhant, C., Bubna-Littitz, H., Bartels, A., Futschik, A., and Troxler, J. (2010). Behaviour of smaller and larger dogs: effects of training methods, inconsistency of owner behaviour and level of engagement in activities with the dog. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 123(3-4), 131-142.
Arhant, C., Bubna-Littitz, H., Bartels, A., Futschik, A., and Troxler, J. (2010). Behaviour of smaller and larger dogs: effects of training methods, inconsistency of owner behaviour and level of engagement in activities with the dog. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 123(3-4), 131-142.
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