It is mine! Using clicker training as a treatment of object guarding in 4 companion dogs (Canis lupus familiaris)

Using Principles from Applied Behaviour Analysis to Address an Undesired Behaviour: Functional Analysis and Treatment of Jumping Up in Companion Dogs

“…Adding to previous applied animal behaviour analytic research (e.g., [18,[22][23][24][25][26][27]), the current study demonstrates how ABA can make a comprehensive contribution to the treatment of canine behaviour problems.…”

“…It is also consistent with ethical guidelines put forward by the BACB ® (e.g., Sections 4.08 to 4.10 in the Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts; [47,48]), and animal professional accreditation bodies regarding the emphasis on reinforcement procedures in behaviour change programmes (e.g., Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive Standard; [54,55]). Second, although limited in number, studies have shown that ABA-based interventions are effective in treating problem behaviours in companion animals, as well as teaching caregivers (owners, staff or volunteers) the necessary skills to successfully implement the individual intervention programmes (e.g., [18,22,23,56,57]).…”

What’s in a Click? The Efficacy of Conditioned Reinforcement in Applied Animal Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Animal training has traditionally been considered an artisanal skill, mostly encompassing a mix of evidence-based practice (i.e., an intervention or treatment that has been shown to be effective through high-quality and substantial scientific research [ 2 ]), personal experience, history, and superstition [ 3 ]. Various species, such as domesticated animals (e.g., dogs), insects, fish, and marine mammals are trained across a variety of environments (e.g., homes, shelters, stables, zoos [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]), applying various training approaches and techniques (e.g., based on positive or negative reinforcement [ 10 ]; for a review of training methods [ 11 ]). One training approach that has been shown to be applied across species and environments is conditioned positive reinforcement [ 12 ].…”

“…Given its popularity, questions about the effectiveness and efficiency of conditioned reinforcement have become some of the focal points of research in the animal training arena (e.g., [ 9 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ]). Generally, studies have either investigated the effectiveness of conditioned reinforcement by teaching animals arbitrarily selected responses (e.g., sliding a lid to open a box, touching the top end of a stick or touching a cone, or spins and bows [ 20 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ]) or used conditioned reinforcement to teach an alternative behavior during a behavior change program or teaching new skills (e.g., touching a target, slipping into a head halter, or releasing a toy on cue [ 4 , 8 , 22 , 23 ]). Different methodologies are evident in this literature.…”

“…Different methodologies are evident in this literature. Studies focused on teaching alternative behaviors during a behavior change program (i.e., behavioral interventions) or teaching new skills have generally used clicks consistently followed by food, and each animal serves as its own control (i.e., single-case research methods [ 31 ]); in addition, subjects in these studies are often exposed to different experimental conditions (e.g., target training and generalization [ 4 , 8 , 9 , 22 , 30 , 31 , 32 ]).…”