Frustration Behaviors in Domestic Dogs

Abstract

During extinction a previously learned behavior stops being reinforced. Besides the decrease in the rate of the instrumental response, it produces an aversive emotional state known as frustration. This state, at the physiological and behavioral level, can be assimilated to the fear reactions occurring after aversive stimuli are introduced. The present study evaluated frustration reactions of domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) during a communicative situation involving interactions with a human. The task comprised the reinforcement and extinction of the gaze response towards the experimenter?s face when trying to obtain inaccessible food. Dog?s frustration reactions during extinction involved an increase in withdrawal and side orientation regarding the location of the human, as well as lying down, ambulation, sniffing and vocalizations, compared to the last acquisition trial. These results are especially relevant for domestic dog training situations in which the extinction technique is commonly used to discourage undesirable behaviors.