[nagdu] how dogs learn

[Cindy Ray]

Julie, I think this is a really interesting question. I hadn't really thought of dogs having modes of learning so much. My first inclination would be to think that they gain their most knowledge from sniffing because of their make up. Obviously, the other senses would play an important part, and how they react to a smell, sight, or even sound could surely vary a lot.

I have wondered about discouraging sniffing, too. I should think that the puppy needs to have plenty of experience with sniffing to gain information needed, but then I think probably somehow that pup would need to learn that there is a time and a place. Adult dogs, too, should surely have to have some leaway on this, too, as it is their major way of finding out stuff. Mine is getting pretty bad about picking up what he smells and eating it; I wonder what he's lacking. And I get frustrated with him now. I wonder if I need to lighten up, be sure he is sniffing and not eating, and then "leave it."

Cindy Lou

On Aug 29, 2013, at 9:03 AM, "Julie J." <julielj at neb.rr.com> wrote:

> I was talking to Kiddo the other day and the topic of how dogs learn came up.  It is well established that people have a preferred learning method, visual, auditory, kinesthetic, maybe there’s more, but those are the modes that come to mind.  Anyway we were talking about Jetta and how she was most definitely a visual learner.  When she sees something she’s not sure about, she likes to plop her behind into a sit and look at the new thing until it makes sense to her.  Monty learns visually, but I think he’s more a kinesthetic learner.  He’s a moving and doing sort of dog, so it makes sense.   I also think dogs learn a lot by scent.  Generally though sniffing things is discouraged by guide dogs.  So I got to thinking...do you think discouraging sniffing, especially among puppies during the early socialization time, inhibits their ability to learn about the world around them?     Do you think disallowing all sniffing all the time can cause frustration or other problems in an adult guide dog?  Or do you think dogs even have preferred modes of learning like people do?  Could scent be one of these?
> 
> Curiously,
> Julie
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nagdu:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/cindyray%40gmail.com