Clean Run - September 2019 - 30

balance the following concepts: self-control depletion, the types of reinforcement
I am using and reinforcement schedule,
the environment, and trigger stacking.

What Is Self-Control Depletion?
Have you ever got into an argument
over something minor with your significant other when you are sleep deprived?
Or have you ever found yourself choosing to eat comfort food after a hard day?
After a very stressful week at work last
week, I ate a plate of nachos for dinner,
even though I was on an elimination
diet to help me get a handle on my allergies. This is a result of self-control depletion. Research suggests that humans, as
well as dogs, make poor decisions when
mentally and physically fatigued.
A study by Miller et. al. followed up on
earlier work about the effect of self-control on risk taking and decision making
("Too Dog Tired to Avoid Danger: SelfControl depletion in canines increases
behavioral approach toward an aggressive threat." Psych Bull Rev 2012 19:535540). Here's the background to this study:
Multiple studies on humans have found
that we appear to have a limited amount
of self-control. Think of it like a fuel tank.
There is only a certain amount of fuel or
energy devoted to self-control. Once the
fuel tank is empty, or self-control is depleted, we are unable to spend any more.
Subjects in the study who were asked to
spend some of their self-control reserves
were more likely to take risks and put
themselves in dangerous situations more
than those who had not used up some of
their self-control energy.
The same goes for dogs. If they have
depleted their self-control reserves, they
are more likely to take risks and put
themselves in dangerous situations. For
example, I have had clients where the
dog seems fine at a party they were hosting, but then snaps at someone toward
the end of the party.
A few years ago, Marvel demonstrated
an example of self-control depletion.

Marvel was fast and focused in the ring
and had no problem moving around the
trial site on leash. I was really proud of
him because we were trialing in a barn
and he was able to stay focused on the
game. However, while playing fetch off
leash with the rest of my canine crew
at the end of our day, Marvel charged
after a dog walking by us. We were in
a fenced-in area but because he is so
small, he was able to slip under the
fence, and I was slow to react. Marvel
did not make contact with the dog, but
I felt terrible that the handler and dog
were startled. I realized that because
Marvel's self-control tank was expended
focusing on me and the game, he was
mentally exhausted and had nothing left
to manage himself when the dog walked
by us. He was using all his brain-power
to play agility with me, so why ask him
to do one more thing? I now keep Marvel on leash at trials unless we are in the
ring to run the course.
When a dog is physically exhausted,
he may also demonstrate self-control
depletion. Years ago, when I operated a
playgroup service, I took care of a dog
named Fred, a French Bulldog. Usually,
he played well with other dogs and got
along with everyone. Then one particular week after two years of Fred playing
well with other dogs, he kept getting
into "arguments." He seemed to be intolerant of the other dogs playing rowdily
and did not respond appropriately when
they communicated their boundaries
with him. When I checked in with his
owners to see if anything had changed
at home, it turned out they were taking a stay-cation. As a result, Fred was
more active and not sleeping as much as
he was used to, so his self-control tank
was depleted. By arguing with the other
dogs, Fred was putting himself in a potentially dangerous situation.
When working with your dog, keep in
mind how self-control depletion might
affect your training plan and day-to-day
activities so that you can help your dog
be successful. D

Bobbie Bhambree, CPDT-KA, is a dog trainer, dog behavior consultant, and agility competitor with over sixteen
years of experience. Bobbie currently works as a behavior consultant for Behavior Vets of NYC and is on the faculty
of CATCH Canine Trainers Academy and Agility University. She currently shares her life with her four dogs and a
very supportive husband in northern New Jersey. Bobbie can be reached at Bobbie@DogCentricTraining.com.
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Clean Run | September 19

Clean Run - September 2019

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