Clean Run Magazine - October 2007 - 29

than instinctual reactions. Just because dogs often respond predictably to operant conditioning, it does not follow that therefore their minds are not capable of deeper levels of thought. Hungry humans also salivate at the thought of food and can be manipulated by Pavlovian training techniques. Although dogs are not little people in fur coats walking around on all fours, they do have similar emotions and are prone to comparable mental disturbances. In the 1980s, Dr. Candice Pert researched chemical messengers within the body called neuropeptides. In her book, Molecules of Emotion, Dr. Pert documented how these molecules trigger our feelings and emotions. Her research also led scientists to coin the term psychoneuroimmunology, the study of how our thoughts and emotions affect our immune systems. This research indirectly proves that animals have emotions just like we do. Dr. Pert originally isolated the various neuropeptides (she calls these “the molecules of emotions”) from laboratory animals. If animals have the same emotional messengers that we do, then they could have the same emotional feelings. Astonishingly, Dr. Pert also found that neuropeptides are responsible for 98% of neural communication whereas less than 2% occurs within the wiring of the brain. Equally amazing is the fact that receptors for these molecules exist in the immune system and throughout the organs of the body. So, it would seem that emotions have a vast effect not only on the brain but also on the entire organism. Pleasant emotional feelings have a positive effect and unpleasant feelings a negative effect. There is little dispute that animals feel pain. Research demonstrates that an animal’s physiologic response to pain is virtually indistinguishable from that of a human. Given that animals experience pain, what is the likelihood that pain is the only feeling they experience? Emotional pain causes real suffering—just ask anyone who has suffered from severe depression. Also, videotape of dogs with separation anxiety shows that they seem driven to destroy the house in which they have been isolated, perhaps to alleviate the pain of loneliness. Today’s enlightened trainers are well aware of the cruelty of physical punishment. It is important to keep in mind that emotional punishment can be every bit as painful. Intensity and Other Factors Feelings have various levels of intensity. A dog faced simultaneously with several situations where each calls for a response is guided by feelings that automatically prioritize the urgency of the threats. Cost/benefit calculations are automatically generated by the brain and delivered in the form of feelings. A dog may react to the fear of a stranger and blow the course he’s running if the perceived reward of following through does not measure up. He does not consciously calculate his best course of action; his body simply responds, thanks to his feelings. A dog’s feelings, and thus his behavior, are affected by a multitude of factors. The basis of training is that a dog will learn that a positive or negative association is linked with a particular stimulus, and act accordingly. Similarly, previous traumas can have a lasting effect. In fact, during the first few weeks of life interactions with littermates, mother, and environment set in motion behaviors that affect a puppy for life. Instinct, on the other hand, involves inborn wiring for a reflexive response. For example, laboratory rats that are thousands of generations removed from predatory threats still “know” to avoid cat urine. So, emotional reactions can be based on either past experience or instinct. At the same time, do not underestimate the importance of nutrition on learning and behavior. Research shows that puppies supplemented with fish oil while the brain is forming (during prenatal and immediate postnatal periods) have twice the training performance index (intelligence) as those not supplemented. A dog lacking adequate nutrition during development may be unable to progress behaviorally as we desire. Neurologists have a saying that neurons that fire together wire together. In other words, the more times a particular stimulus and response are linked and the behavior is allowed to continue, the stronger the neurological pathways that create the behavior become. This explains the saying, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Ingrained behavioral responses require extra effort to extinguish. Pleasure and Pain Feelings are conscious mental experiences that evolved as a survival mechanism. They are what ultimately dictate all human and animal behavior. We all seek to avoid unpleasant feelings and to move toward activities that cause pleasant feelings. So, unpleasant feelings act as an internal punishment and pleasant feelings are an internal reward. The feeling of pain guides one to shift weight off the injured foot. The feeling of hunger causes one to seek food. The feeling of loneliness leads one to seek companionship (there is safety in numbers). The feeling of love causes a mother to care for her offspring. The point is that the wide range of feelings we all experience evolved to serve an amazing number of important functions. Feelings can be divided into those that are physical and those that are emotional. Each of these categories can be divided further into pleasant and unpleasant feelings. Pleasant physical feelings include a comfortably full stomach, physical contact with others, sexual activity, and so on. Meanwhile, hunger, thirst, temperature extremes, and so on are considered unpleasant physical feelings. Pleasant emotional feelings comprise play, mental stimulation, companionship, and so on. Loneliness, fear, boredom, grief, depression, and so on are unpleasant emotional feelings. October 07 | Clean Run Stress: Fight or Flight Stress is a physical response to perceived danger and can be responsible for opposing feelings. The stress response is mediated by specific parts of the brain, the sympathetic nervous system, and the adrenal glands. We call this the “fight or flight” system because when faced with a life-threatening situation, those are the two survival choices. The brain processes the threat and triggers either the emotion of anger (fight) or fear (flight). Most behavior issues seen in our canine athletes are an expression of anger/aggression or fear/anxiety and are therefore a manifestation of stress. 29

Clean Run Magazine - October 2007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - October 2007