The Language of Learning: Behavior 101

We thought it might be helpful to have a shared language and understanding when we talk about dogs and behavior.

What is behavior? What is learning? How did the dog in front of you come to move through the world like they do? When I was chatting with someone on Substack over the weekend, they asked me about some of the terms I used. It made me realize that it might be helpful to write up something to have a shared language and understanding when chatting about dogs and behavior. So here we are! People obviously devote their lives to studying the science of behavior and its application, and this short article isn’t meant to replace that (obviously). But my hope is that it’s a starting point and sets the stage for future conversation.

When we talk about behavior and learning, we’re talking about natural phenomena. Behavior developed over genetic time as a way of dealing with this ever changing and demanding planet. Dr. Susan Friedman, who has pioneered the application of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to captive and companion animals and created the Least Intrusive Minimally Aversive (LIMA) framework for working with animals, frequently talks about behavior analysis being a natural science rather than a social science. Even though it’s situated academically within psychology departments (Dr. Friedman says it would fit better in biology), this science is about principles that describe natural phenomena that explain behavior.

Oftentimes, we learn about principles of behavior in the context of dog training, but it’s important to remember that these processes are happening all the time. Behavior and the environment are constantly interacting. It’s part of life on this planet. It’s not just what happens when you train your dog.

I am writing this article to better explain antecedents and consequences, but I need to make sure we’re using shared language about learning and behavior (then I’ll get to the basics of the “ABCs”).

A moment of credit before diving in: so much of what I have learned has come from Dr. Susan G. Friedman (highly recommend her LLA course), books like Learning & Behavior by Paul Chance, and Kiki Yablon, who has been willing to engage so many of my questions. I’m lucky to have come across so many other great teachers along the way and feel excited about how much I still don’t know (lol)!