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| AAB Saturday Poster Session |
| Saturday, May 24, 2025 |
| 1:00 PM–3:00 PM |
| Convention Center, Lower Level, Hall C |
| Chair: Jesus Rosales-Ruiz (University of North Texas) |
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| 1. Nailed It: Exploring Effective Training for Nail Trims Using Scratch Boards |
| Area: AAB; Domain: Applied Research |
| YASMEEN GOMEZ (Virginia Tech), Erica N. Feuerbacher (Virginia Tech), Megan Elizabeth Arant (Texas Tech University) |
| Discussant: Margaret Rachel Gifford (Louisiana State University Shreveport) |
| Abstract: Nail trims, a necessary husbandry task, can be aversive for many dogs. With repeated nail trims dogs sometimes escalate in their response and emit dangerous behavior. Their responses suggest that the aversive quality of nail trims is a risk to the person trimming the nails and a welfare concern for the dogs. However, with the rise of force-free techniques, the traditional manner in which we complete regular husbandry tasks has been reimagined - specifically, through cooperative care. In the case of nail trims, one option is the use of a scratchboard, in which the dog emits a scratching behavior on an abrasive board, thereby trimming its own nails. To date, no research has evaluated the various training protocols that currently exist for training this behavior. The purpose of this study was to assess three different training procedures used for training a dog to use a scratchboard: luring, transfer, and free shaping. We enrolled shelter dogs and pseudorandomly assigned them to a training condition, which began after a baseline condition. We measured number of trials to criterion and frustration-related behaviors. All of the techniques were successful for training the behavior. We will discuss results at both a group and individual level. |
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| 2. Stability of Food Items Across Time for Companion Dogs |
| Area: AAB; Domain: Applied Research |
| YHAKIRA GRAY (Virginia Tech), Erica N. Feuerbacher (Virginia Tech) |
| Discussant: Jesus Rosales-Ruiz (University of North Texas) |
| Abstract: Understanding the proper reinforcer is an essential aspect of producing and maintaining behavior change in animals. Identifying this stimulus is based on the dog finding the reinforcement valuable. Using the most valuable reinforcer for the animal can increase the amount of behavior that can be maintained, shorten the latency of the animal’s responding, and compete with other environmental reinforcers. Preference assessments are frequently used to identify relative reinforcer value. Prior studies have shown that the result of preference assessments typically align with relative reinforcer efficacy, indicating that preference assessments are a useful tool to identify effective reinforcers. However, there is little research on the stability of dogs’ preferences for certain reinforcers across time. This study aimed to assess the stability of dogs’ preferences for food items over time. We enrolled owned dogs, and for each dog we conducted repeated preference assessments over six months. We used a paired stimulus preference assessment to assess individual dog’s preferences for eight different food items. Brief results suggest that there is stability in the subject’s most and least preferred food items throughout the assessments. The medium preferred food items were consistently preferred at this medium level, but their rank did vary slightly across time. |
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