[NAGDU] What does a dog want more — “good boy” or treats? - The Washington Post

Vivianna irishana at gmail.com
Tue Jan 24 12:47:44 UTC 2017


I agree.  I have read other articles that say the same thing.  I like “good boy!”  You will always have it with you, you will never run out, you don’t have to carry it in a treat pouch, and so much more.  

Vivianna

> On Jan 24, 2017, at 1:45 AM, Chantel Cuddemi via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Wow, what a very interesting article! This makes me really glad that pilot
> dogs uses praise instead of treats to reward their dogs! Thank you for
> sharing this!
> On Mon, Jan 23, 2017 at 8:10 PM Jody ianuzzi via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
> 
>> This is a fantastic article!
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2016/08/17/what-does-a-dog-want-more-good-boy-or-treats/?utm_term=.dc9b1c457b53
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> What does a dog want more — “good boy” or treats?
>> 
>> Do dogs prefer their owner's praise over treats?
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Play Video1:11
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Do dogs really love you for you, or just because you feed them? (Gillian
>> Brockell/The Washington Post)
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Sometimes the best dog treats aren’t edible.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Every night when I walk my 6-year-old Boxer, he knows exactly what to
>> expect once he’s unleashed. His tail wags furiously, his body wiggles, and
>> glistening drops of saliva drip to my kitchen floor.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Then it comes: a high-pitched “good boy” or a pricey, meaty treat.
>> Typically, Beau gets both.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> New research shows that my effort may be overkill.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> According to the study, published online in the journal Social, Cognitive
>> and Affective Neuroscience, more dogs prefer praise over food. The finding
>> by Emory University neuroscientist Gregory Berns followed a novel method of
>> investigation: He used an MRI to scan a dog’s brain while the dog was awake
>> and unrestrained.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> New research shows that most dogs prefer praise over food, but not Ozzie.
>> The short-haired terrier mix was the only dog in the experiments to choose
>> food. (Courtesy of Gregory Berns)
>> 
>> The “Dog Project” began five years ago. Berns, the author of “How Dogs
>> Love Us: A Neuroscientist and His Adopted Dog Decode the Brain,” talked to
>> dozens of dog owners in the Atlanta area and persuaded some to have their
>> pooch’s brains scanned. The goal was to learn whether food is what dogs
>> “really care about,” Berns said.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> “Is social reward on the same footing as food, or is it potentially more
>> valuable?” he wondered.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Berns selected dogs that would lie still for 30 minutes while awake and
>> with the MRI running. High-energy canines didn’t make the cut; couch
>> potatoes did.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> “These are not super-athletic, high-drive dogs,” he said. “Lots of
>> retrievers.”
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> He and his team conducted a trio of experiments with about 15 dogs scanned
>> each time. Every dog had to go into the MRI and stay in a down position for
>> three, 10-minute scans.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> In the first experiment, participants were shown a hairbrush, a toy car
>> and a toy horse. They were given a hot dog following one object, praise
>> after another and nothing for the third.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> The results showed that for 13 of the 15 dogs, their brains were
>> stimulated by the praise just as much, if not more than, the food.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> The second experiment sought to confirm the initial pattern. But this
>> time, a subset of dogs didn’t get praised. The results were “almost
>> identical” when looking at their brain activity, Berns said. “The dogs who
>> responded more strongly to praise in the first experiment were more
>> disappointed for not getting praise.”
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> The third experiment took place outside of the MRI to see if the dogs’
>> response in a maze mirrored that during their MRIs. Once inside the maze,
>> they had to choose between finding a bowl of food and getting praise from
>> their owner. Researchers determined that the outcomes of the first two
>> tests were a “strong predictor” of a dog’s choice.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> So what does this mean for the average pet owner?
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Ultimately, Berns said this week, the research shows that dogs are
>> primarily motivated by praise. That insight can greatly impact how they get
>> trained, both as pets and potentially as service dogs.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> And with many owners today focusing on “positive training,” the study
>> suggests that social rewards are as effective a motivator as food treats,
>> he said.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> The findings could also help identify which dogs might be most successful
>> as service dogs.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> “A dog with high preference for social reward might be best suited for
>> certain therapeutic or assistance jobs,” the study notes. “While a dog with
>> less of a neural preference for social reward might be better suited for
>> tasks that require more independence from humans, like search-and-rescue
>> dogs or hearing-assistance dogs.”
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> How can you tell what your dog prefers without an expensive MRI? “I think
>> people have an intuition of that,” Berns said.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> For me, the big takeaway is that I might save a few bucks at the pet store
>> and potentially make Beau happier just by opening my mouth.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Read more: Find the bomb! Good boy! Man’s best friend may be our best bet
>> for staying safe.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Jody
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> New phone number
>> 
>> 603 757-9933
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> thunderwalker321 at gmail.com
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 50 Years of Star Trek!
>> 
>> Live Long and Prosper!
>> 
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