The Dog and Pony Show: Applications of Behavior Analysis to Domestic Animals

Behavior analysis is a highly adaptable science, helping us understand and improve human behavior as well as nonhuman animal behavior. In this presentation, I will discuss our translational and applied research with dogs and horses. Despite our long-standing relationship with dogs, few studies had investigated dogs’ preferences for different types of human interaction or what stimuli can function as reinforcers. Our research has investigated which human interactions dogs prefer, such as petting, vocal praise, and food delivery. Understanding their preferences, and the conditions which alter those preferences allow us to improve our interactions with them. Because we are interested in creating desirable behavior change in animals, we have also investigated effective reinforcers for dogs and horses, as well as the conditions under which those consequences might or might not function as reinforcers. In both species, we find food is a highly effective reinforcer. This presentation will dive into our studies on these topics, as well as pointing the audience to other useful research that has emerged in this domain. From these translational studies, we will move into applications of this knowledge. Recently, we have investigated the utility and feasibility of having average citizens train their dogs to detect invasive agricultural pests (spotted lanternfly) as a flexible, and ubiquitous detection tool. Spotted lanternflies are an emerging agricultural threat; however, our research and others has demonstrated dogs’ ability to detect their egg masses. Currently, we have citizen science teams training for deployment tests; their overall success points to the usefulness of this approach. On the horse front, we have investigated using remote feeders to change pasture usage in horses, to prevent overgrazing without having to erect physical fences. In sum, in this talk I will highlight the range of issues in the applied animal field for which our science is applicable, focusing on our own translational and applied research with dogs and horses. At the same time, the audience will learn about current issues in the dog and horse behavior world that can be addressed through behavior analysis. Finally, I will wrap up with considerations for ethically entering the applied animal field.

Learning Objective #1: Describe how we can improve our interactions with dogs by assessing their preferences.

Learning Objective #2: Identify effective reinforcers for dogs and horses.

Learning Objective #3: Identify how we can use grain to change pasture usage in horses.

Learning Objective #4: Describe how we can use learning principles to solve conservation issues with dogs.

Feuerbacher, E. N., Togher, C., & Friedel, J. E. (2023). Social interaction can function as a reinforcer for dogs: Effects of stimulus duration and session parameters. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 20, 91-102. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.842

Aviles-Rosa, E. O., Nita, M., Feuerbacher, E., & Hall, N. J. (2023). An evaluation of Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) detection dog training and performance. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 258, 105816. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2022.105816

Feuerbacher, E. N., & Wynne, C. D. L. (2015). Shut up and pet me! Domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) prefer petting to vocal praise in concurrent and single-alternative choice procedures. Behavioural Processes, 110, 47-59. doi: 10.1016/j.beproc.2014.08.019

Feuerbacher, E. N., & Wynne, C. D. L. (2014). Most domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) prefer food to petting: Population, context, and schedule effects in concurrent choice. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 101, 385–405. doi: 10.1002/jeab.81

Feuerbacher, E. N. & Wynne, C. D. L. (2012). Relative efficacy of human social interaction and food as reinforcers for domestic dogs and hand-reared wolves. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 98, 105-129. doi: 10.1901/jeab.2012.98-105

Platzer, J., & Feuerbacher, E. N. (2022). Reinforcer efficacy of grain for horses. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 118(2), 302-315. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.797

Dr. Erica Feuerbacher

Dr. Erica Feuerbacher is an Associate Professor in the School of Animal Sciences at Virginia Tech and director of the Applied Animal Behavior & Welfare Lab, where she focuses her research on dogs and horses. She also coordinates the online Masters program in Applied Animal Behavior & Welfare at Virginia Tech. She is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, and a Certified Professional Dog Trainer. Her research focuses on understanding domestic animal behavior and learning from a behavior analytic perspective, using applied animal behavior to solve behavioral issues in dogs and horses, and identifying interventions that improve shelter dog welfare. She has published her research in a variety of scientific journals and has won awards for her research. She is passionate about humane, effective animal training, and working with owners, trainers, and shelter staff to improve our interactions with animals.

Applied Behavior Analysts. Course meets the qualifications for 1.5 ACE CEs for Board Certified Behavior Analysts. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is approved by BACB as an Approved ACE provider, Provider Number OP-08-0178.