Hippocampus and dog’s training

     Hippocampus is a  small specimen of the sea fauna.  How does it relate to dogs and dog’s education? Through  a  brain limbic cortex structure which looks a bit like a sea horse and that’s  why got the name of hippocampus.   There are various scientific ideas and opinions relating to how this structure works, however an integrated opinion was developed that among other functions it is responsible for emotions and memory, and  plays a dramatic role in the capability of a dog to be taught and trained.

     It is a well known fact that the very process of education will be more successful if it is accompanied  with emotions. What kind of emotions? It depends upon the method of training.  Briefly, we can identify two main approaches  in dog’s training: the one which is based on a punishment for an undesirable behavior, and the other which is  based on tips  for a desirable behavior (of course, the first variant does not exclude tips, as well as the second one does not exclude some kind of punishment). The first one – let’s call it “the old school” – was developed mostly in the first half of the XX century in the army and police and applied for service dogs. It’s application was - and is - justified taking into account the particular purposes and terms of training. One of the valuable outcomes of this training is that it produces highly reliable and responsible dogs. However, this training can be successful if the teacher himself is a highly qualified professional who really love dogs.

     The second approach was launched about forty years ago and got impetus due to valuable works of Karen Prayor, Cesar Millan and other outstanding biologists and cynologists. This method presumes that - while teaching dogs - the accent is made on positive stimulation of a  desirable behavior, which is  much more practical for millions of amateurs and dog lovers.

    Here we come to a role of the hippocampus. To develop a desirable behavior through positive stimulation has  deep physiological roots, as lessons linked to favorable emotions are properly fixed in the brain due to  hippocampus.

    As it was already mentioned, it is the limbic cortex - and hippocampus in particular - that are responsible for dog’s intellect (taking into account that shaping different “spheres of responsibility” is rather vague as the brain works as a unique system). While being trained a dog constantly meets with situations that are new to him/her. Each time he/her has to decide whether to fulfill a  command or an exercise  or to follow the instincts. It is no easy task for a dog to make such  a decision as in most cases the instincts tell quite opposite. The outcome of such “brain storm” depends upon what is in the other scalepan. If the dog is offered a  tip in an adequate amount he/she will ignore his original intentions and chose completing the command.   After repeating this practice several times we can put dog’s behavior under our control (to some extent) and obtain fulfilling a particular command. If the dog has a pause in completing this very exercise he/she can forget it. It’ll be necessary to repeat the exercise from the very start. It happens not because the dog is not clever enough. The reason for it is the nature of this part of a brain – it is responsible for a short term memory. That’s why it’s only natural if your young dog after a week vacation forgets some command, try not to get annoyed but be tolerant and repeat them quietly.

    The other variant of training is when in the other scalepan the dog can find a punishment for a fail to the exercise. Stresses that feels your dog the moment he is punished are fixed in his brain. One can think “What’s wrong with it? The dog will know what not to do”. However, it not so simple, particularly if the dog is young. If this kind of practices is repeated one can have a depressed creature as a result with an inadequate  reaction to a command.

   We can not completely avoid punishments in the teaching process. But what kind of punishment should be applied? Too strict punishments (cries on a dog is also a punishment) are better to be avoided. For dogs-pets to stop playing or being ignored by his master for a few minutes are rather serious scourge.

For a conclusion.

    In  training of dogs-pets it is better not to rely on the effectiveness of punishments. It would be much practical and enjoyable to make an accent on tips and games as it gives more fruitful results, supports education and- what is very important - has psychological grounds.