CDT Leash & Obedience Training 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which type of reinforcement schedule produces the most resistance to extinction when maintaining a trained leash behavior?
- Fixed ratio schedule
- Continuous reinforcement
- Variable ratio schedule (Correct answer)
- Fixed interval schedule
Correct answer: Variable ratio schedule
Variable ratio schedules produce the highest response rates and greatest resistance to extinction because the dog cannot predict when reinforcement will occur.
Question 2: A trainer is working on 'down-stay' with a dog on leash. The dog breaks the stay when the handler moves 5 feet away. What is the BEST immediate response?
- Return the dog to the spot and correct it verbally
- Go back to a distance the dog can succeed at and rebuild from there (Correct answer)
- Repeat the 'down' cue louder to reinforce the command
- End the session since the dog is not ready
Correct answer: Go back to a distance the dog can succeed at and rebuild from there
Returning to a successful distance and rebuilding incrementally prevents frustration and ensures the dog experiences reinforcement for correct behavior.
Question 3: What does 'leash pressure desensitization' involve in a training context?
- Teaching a dog to tolerate and yield to gentle collar pressure as a cue (Correct answer)
- Gradually exposing a reactive dog to other dogs while on leash
- Conditioning the dog to ignore the feel of a leash dragging behind it
- Training the dog to respond to verbal cues without leash guidance
Correct answer: Teaching a dog to tolerate and yield to gentle collar pressure as a cue
Leash pressure desensitization teaches a dog to respond to light collar pressure by moving toward it and releasing tension, used especially in pressure-and-release training methods.
Question 4: A 12-week-old puppy's first leash training session should primarily focus on:
- Teaching a precise heel with positional accuracy
- Building a positive association with the leash and collar (Correct answer)
- Practicing recall from 20-foot distances
- Correcting all pulling behavior with leash pops
Correct answer: Building a positive association with the leash and collar
Young puppies need to first develop a positive conditioned emotional response to the leash and collar before any leash skills are formally trained.
Question 5: Which tool is generally considered LEAST appropriate for a dog with a tracheal injury or collapsing trachea?
- Front-clip harness
- Standard flat collar (Correct answer)
- Back-clip harness
- Head halter
Correct answer: Standard flat collar
A standard flat collar places pressure directly on the trachea and is contraindicated for dogs with tracheal issues; a harness distributes pressure across the chest instead.
Question 6: In obedience training, 'proofing' a behavior means:
- Testing the behavior in a single location until it is flawless
- Practicing the behavior across varied distractions, distances, and environments (Correct answer)
- Adding a secondary cue to reinforce the primary cue
- Using punishment to ensure the behavior is irreversible
Correct answer: Practicing the behavior across varied distractions, distances, and environments
Proofing involves systematically exposing the dog to varying distractions, locations, and distances to ensure the behavior is reliable in real-world conditions.
Question 7: A handler inadvertently reinforces a dog's leash pulling by continuing to walk forward. This is an example of:
- Negative punishment
- Accidental positive reinforcement (Correct answer)
- Differential reinforcement
- Operant extinction
Correct answer: Accidental positive reinforcement
When the dog pulls and the handler moves forward, the dog is accidentally positively reinforced because pulling successfully produces forward movement (the desired outcome).
CDT Leash & Obedience Training 3
Which type of reinforcement schedule produces the most resistance to extinction when maintaining a trained leash behavior?