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Training shelter volunteers to teach dog compliance
Author(s) -
Howard Veronica J.,
DiGennaro Reed Florence D.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of applied behavior analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1938-3703
pISSN - 0021-8855
DOI - 10.1002/jaba.120
Subject(s) - trainer , obedience , psychology , compliance (psychology) , multiple baseline design , generalization , training (meteorology) , training manual , applied psychology , medical education , social psychology , medicine , computer science , psychiatry , mathematical analysis , mathematics , programming language , intervention (counseling) , physics , meteorology , economic growth , economics
This study examined the degree to which training procedures influenced the integrity of behaviorally based dog training implemented by volunteers of an animal shelter. Volunteers were taught to implement discrete‐trial obedience training to teach 2 skills (sit and wait) to dogs. Procedural integrity during the baseline and written instructions conditions was low across all participants. Although performance increased with use of a video model, integrity did not reach criterion levels until performance feedback and modeling were provided. Moreover, the integrity of the discrete‐trial training procedure was significantly and positively correlated with dog compliance to instructions for all dyads. Correct implementation and compliance were observed when participants were paired with a novel dog and trainer, respectively, although generalization of procedural integrity from the discrete‐trial sit procedure to the discrete‐trial wait procedure was not observed. Shelter consumers rated the behavior change in dogs and trainers as socially significant. Implications of these findings and future directions for research are discussed.