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Conditioning is a process that involves reinforcements, in this case, provided to pets. We positively reinforce behaviors to teach them to continue doing those behaviors while we negatively reinforce behaviors to put an end to such behaviors. This in turn conditions them to a particular behavior. This phenomenon was initially introduced by conditioning dogs. Therefore, we can never negate that animals do not have a brain. They are intelligent creatures and quick to pick up on attributes and behaviors, through modeling.
If an animal did a nice gesture, we reward them through positive reinforcements thus giving them a treat so they continue to repeat the specific behavior. While on the other hand, we can skillfully punish them for the behaviors we do not want them to exhibit. Accidental conditioning can take place where the owners are not aware as to where they might be rewarding some behaviors and where they might be punishing some behaviors which can confuse the animals too.
The owners in various situations did not even realize it until it was too late and the pet had already adapted to the lifestyle. This is accidental as they must have been doing many things in their mundane lives and while doing it, the animals were picking up on the set patterns which they were quick to learn.
Some of the stories are hilarious while others are just innocent.
This was an interesting read for me, what do you think of accidental conditioning? Do you think, as owners, it is our role to focus on such minor details beforehand to make sure we don’t instill any unwanted behaviors in our pets? We cannot blame animals as they are just seeking cues to know what is about to happen next, it is their curious nature to look for such patterns.
