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The Science of Olfactory Perception and Learning

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Seeing Through a Dog’s Nose – Canine Nose Lecture #2

Title: The Science of Canine Olfactory Perception and Learning

Canine olfactory perception

Speaker: Dr. Simon Gadbois (see bio below)

Description:

Olfactory processing from an integrative perspective: Neurobiology, evolution, ecology, and psychophysics

Olfaction, in the evolutionary context, has two main functions: Finding food and finding mates. It is not surprising that olfaction is consequently closely tied to the reward and anticipation systems of the brain. Olfaction is also multidimensional, and from a “cognitive” perspective (strange word to use for a post-cognitivist, but bear with me), it comprises a number of different processes that are arguable tapping into different parts of the brain and tackle different survival functions. We will start by discussing the biological foundations of olfaction (neurobiology, evolution, ecology) and will then proceed to discuss the rarely discussed (and yet very active) field of olfactory psychophysics and the methods that are relevant (and also mostly ignored) to olfactory processing. Examples from Gadbois’ areas of research in olfaction (with canines particularly, but also with molluscs, fish, and reptiles) will be discussed in the context of wildlife conservation canines and biomedical detection and diagnosis canines.

Learning Objectives:

  • The neurobiological foundations of olfaction: The brain systems
  • The ecological foundations of olfaction: Finding food and finding mates
  • Olfactory motivology: How learning and olfaction are tied
  • The old olfactory psychophysics meets the needs of the modern scent dog
  • Advanced section: Signal Detection Theory

Cost: $25.00 USD

CEU’s: 
CCPDT – 2
IAABC – 2
KPA – 2

Simon Gadbois, Ph.D.is a researcher in animal behaviour and behavioural neuroscience at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada. Early in his academic career he integrated biology (ethology), experimental animal psychology and neuroscience within a post-cognitivist perspective. A true generalist, he has studied olfaction, learning/memory and social behaviour in species of insects, molluscs (slugs and snails), fish, reptiles, birds (pigeons) and mammals (rats, dogs, red foxes, coyotes and wolves). He has studied wild canids for over 20 years and established the Canid and Reptile Behaviour and Olfaction lab at Dalhousie in 2006, a year before the closure of the Canadian Centre for Wolf Research. There he had studied the behavioural endocrinology of social behaviour in wolves and behaviour patterns in foraging behaviours comparatively in foxes, coyotes and wolves. Since 2007 his lab is engaged mostly in research on biomedical detection, diagnosis and assistance as well as tracking and trailing of species-at-risk with his wildlife conservation canines. The lab has a strong applied and methodological focus.

Measuring Behavior and Temperament in Dogs: New Methods and Applications

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Speaker: Dr. James Serpell

Description:  Studies suggest that behavior problems are one of the most important reasons why people abuse, abandon, disown or euthanize companion dogs. Improved knowledge of the distribution and causes of behavior problems in the pet dog population could therefore contribute greatly to the welfare of dogs worldwide. Unfortunately, because most dogs live inside people’s homes, they are difficult and sometimes impossible to observe for the extended periods of time needed to properly evaluate their behavior or temperament. It is therefore necessary to develop different kinds of measurement techniques for this purpose. The Canine Behavioral Assessment & Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ; https://www.cbarq.org) is one such technique that relies on measurement by proxy. Instead of observing and measuring the animal’s behavior directly, the C-BARQ collects indirect behavioral information provided by the dog’s owner, guardian or handler. This presentation will outline how and why the C-BARQ was originally developed and validated, and will describe some of the intriguing ways it is currently being used to improve our understanding of canine behavior and behavior problems.

CEUs
1.75 IAABC CEU’s
2 CCPDT CEU’s (CBCC or CPDT)
KPA – 2 CEUs

Cost: $25.00

 

 

DiscountsMembers of APDT, CCPDT, IAABC or NADOI receive over 25% off. All Lecture Series Webinars are only $18.00 each. See instructions below on how to find the password to take part in this professional discount.

IAABC members, Click HERE to apply your discount.
Please be sure to find the Code on your Member page at IAABC.org (under Member Discounts) first.

NADOI, CCPDT and APDT members, click HERE to apply for your discount.
APDT members will find their code on their APDT page. NADOI  and CCPDT members must email cheryl@e-trainingfordogs for the passcode.

Alternative Reinforcement: Utilizing the Premack Principle in Animal Training

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Premack Principle in Dog TrainingPremack Principle in Dog Training

Sometimes referred to as “treat training,” positive reinforcement is a behavior modification technique that involves adding a reinforcing stimulus to increase the probability that a behavior will occur. Regarded as an easy and effective training technique, positive reinforcement often includes some type of item – a treat – that an animal is given after they’ve completed a desirable behavior. However, the use of food as a reinforcer is not always effective or practical, particularly in working settings or with animals that are less motivated by food. This can lead to owners or animal handlers abandoning positive reinforcement methodology in favor of another modification technique or stopping training altogether. The Premack Principle states that a behavior can be used to reinforce another behavior. In other words, the “reinforcing stimulus” does not have to be a treat but can be a behavior, such as an activity or the opportunity to do something enjoyable. This talk will introduce the Premack Principle, current research on the Premack Principle, and some ways the Premack Principle can be utilized in applied settings.

Speaker: Lauren Brubaker, PhD

The talk will cover a variety of topics including:

  • Definition of Premack Principle
  • Current research on the Premack Principle
  • Use of Premack Principle in training
  • Using other reinforcing stimuli outside of food

Recorded and now available as a recording.

Cost: $25.00 USD

 

CEU’s Available:
IAABC – 2 CEU’s
CCPDT – 2 CEU’s
KPA – 2 CEU’s

Members of APDT, CCPDT, IAABC, IACP, ABCDT-L2 or NADOI receive over 25% off.All Lecture Series Webinars are only $18.00 each. See instructions below on how to find the password to take part in this professional discount.

IAABC members, Click HERE to apply your discount.
Email cheryl@e-trainingfordogs for the passcode.

NADOI, CCPDT, ABCDT-L2, PPG, IACP and APDT members, click HERE to apply for your discount.
Email cheryl@e-trainingfordogs for the passcode.

 

The Great Indian Joint Families of Free-Ranging Dogs

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Free RangiFree ranging dogs in Indiang Dogs in India

Domestic dogs have evolved from wolf-like ancestors through domestication to become man’s best friend. They have adapted to living solitarily among humans as pets, and form social bonds with humans. But they also live as free-ranging populations in various human habitats, typically as scavengers depending on humans for resources, and are well adapted to living in human proximity. In this talk Dr. Anindita Bhadra will share insights from a five year-long study on free-ranging dogs in India, including how these dogs interact, how they care for their pups and the pups of relatives, and how underlying cooperation-conflict dynamics within the social groups of free-ranging dogs are quite reminiscent of the joint family system in human societies. How the overall trend of cooperation at various levels can be adaptive for survival in a stochastic environment will also be discussed. A question and answer session followed moderated by Dr. Monique Udell.

 

Speaker: Anindita Bhadra, PhD
Behaviour and Ecology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, India

Cost: $25.00 

 

CEU’s Available:
2 IAABC CEU’s
2 CCPDT CEU’s
2 ABCDT-L2 CEU’s
2 NADOI CEU’s
2 PPAB/PPG

Members of APDT, CCPDT, IAABC, ABCDT-L2 or NADOI receive over 25% off.All Lecture Series Webinars are only $18.00 each. See instructions below on how to find the password to take part in this professional discount.

IAABC members, Click HERE to apply your discount.
Email cheryl@e-trainingfordogs for the passcode.

NADOI, CCPDT, ABCDT-L2, PPG, IACP and APDT members, click HERE to apply for your discount.
Email cheryl@e-trainingfordogs for the passcode.

 

Who knows what the dog’s nose knows?

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Dog's NoseWhat does the dog’s nose know?

Dogs’ superior olfactory capabilities are well known and deployed worldwide for the detection of a variety of chemicals. The science of canine olfaction, however, has not kept paced with the applications of detection dogs. In my talk, we will go on a whirlwind tour of the scientific literature on canine olfaction. I will briefly highlight which hypotheses have empirical support and which do not. For example, what does the scientific literature say about which breed is best, or how sensitive the dog’s nose is compared to humans? I will also discuss some of my ongoing research and will highlight what I think remains to be studied.

Speaker: Nathaniel Hall, PhD

Nathaniel Hall is a post-doctoral researcher at Arizona State University. He earned his PhD in psychology from the University of Florida where he did research working with fruit bats, dogs and wolves.  He is interested in animal behavior, and in particular, the dog’s nose, or….canine olfaction. Nathaniel has an active research program exploring canine olfaction and has delivered several talks and published scientific research articles on the topic. Nathaniel has given talks on his research at various scientific conferences including the recent Canine Science and Technology Forum.  He has also published his work in the Journal of Comparative Psychology and in Genes, Brain, and Behavior. 

 

Cost: $25.00

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CEU’s Available:
2 IAABC CEU’s
2 CCPDT CEU’s
2 ABCDT-L2 CEU’s
2 NADOI CEU’s
2 PPAB/PPG

Members of APDT, CCPDT, IAABC, ABCDT-L2, KPA, NACSW or NADOI receive over 25% off.All Lecture Series Webinars are only $18.00 each. See instructions below on how to find the password to take part in this professional discount.

IAABC members, Click HERE to apply your discount.
Email cheryl@e-trainingfordogs for the passcode.

NADOI, CCPDT, ABCDT-L2, PPG, IACP, KPA, NACSW and APDT members, click HERE to apply for your discount.
Email cheryl@e-trainingfordogs for the passcode.

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