CDT Training Techniques & Methodologies 3

Question 1

In classical conditioning, the previously neutral stimulus that comes to elicit a conditioned response is called the:

Accepted Answer

Conditioned stimulus

Answer

After repeated pairing with an unconditioned stimulus, a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus that elicits the conditioned response.

Question 2

A trainer who uses 'least intrusive, minimally aversive' (LIMA) practices would first try which intervention for a jumping dog?

Accepted Answer

Reinforcing four-paw contact with the ground

Answer

LIMA requires exhausting the least aversive, most positive options before escalating to more intrusive interventions.

Question 3

What term describes the process of pairing a previously feared stimulus with something pleasant to change the dog's emotional response?

Accepted Answer

Counter-conditioning

Answer

Counter-conditioning changes the dog's conditioned emotional response (CER) by pairing the feared stimulus with a positive experience.

Question 4

A trainer gradually exposes a noise-sensitive dog to increasingly louder sounds without allowing fear to occur. This is:

Accepted Answer

Systematic desensitization

Answer

Systematic desensitization involves graduated sub-threshold exposure to the fear stimulus while keeping the dog below its fear threshold.

Question 5

Which concept best explains why a dog trained with punishment may appear to obey but stops complying when the punisher is absent?

Accepted Answer

Suppression without learning an alternative

Answer

Punishment can suppress behavior without teaching the dog what to do instead, so the behavior returns when the aversive consequence is removed.

(CDT) Certified Dog Trainer Practice Test