New research: is your dog a pessimist?

We all view our puppies as “man’s best friends” and believe that because they receive daily walks, pets and treats, they are happy dogs.

However, new research suggests that your dog’s mood may be related to how you trained him. In the study, the researchers compared the response of dogs that were trained through a reward system to the response of dogs that were trained through a disgust when faced with a hidden bowl of dog food.

The researchers found that when dogs were given different bowls of dog food, those who received the reward training were more optimistic about the bowls of dog food. The other dogs weren’t – they were pessimistic.

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Teaching methods

Dogs are usually trained in two different ways:

• Dogs are reprimanded for their actions during obverse training. For example, using a spray bottle to reprimand bad behavior.
• Dogs are rewarded with treats or attention for good behavior in a reward-based learning system. For example, it might be a pet as they sit to greet guests.

There are already a number of reasons why veterinarians recommend reward-based training as an alternative to adverse training:

• Aggression, fear and anxiety are more common in dogs trained using an unfavorable training system.
• Dogs have a harder time associating bad activity with a repulsive stimulus than good activity with a reward stimulus.
• Dogs can become confused and upset when faced with unpleasant stimuli. Although they know how to react incorrectly to a situation, they do not understand how to correct their behavior and give an appropriate response.
• Aversive training systems can cause physical and emotional pain in dogs.

However, the researchers did not consider the effects of these training sessions on cognitive biases. However, this study has shed some light on key differences in dog mentality based on owner training method.

Results

To test the level of optimism and pessimism in dogs, the researchers placed a bowl of dog food and a bowl of no dog food in standard locations. Once the dogs figured out where the dog food bowl was, they placed the bowls in new, controversial places.

As a result, dogs that were trained using the reward system were more optimistic about bowls in controversial places containing dog food. Dogs that were trained using the reverse training system approached the bowls with greater caution.

The results of this study compared the mental expectations and cognitive biases of dogs trained with reverse learning systems with those of people with depression. While this is an interconnected relationship and not causal, it is important to consider the potential negative effects of the training method on your dog’s mood and mental well-being.