Because your dog answers your cue positively, he does feel good ?
It is essential for me to observe the dogs’ body language. For lack of the capacity to read their thoughts or to feel the fluctuations in their organism caused by emotions, their movements, their tensions, their relaxations, the positions of the ears, of their tail, their paws, their panting, etc., are at least indicators to reveal partly what they feel. As a dog that vocalizes a lot and one that vocalizes little can very well be in the same emotional state, their body language and their communication signs (emitted voluntarily or not) are mirrors of their internal state.
For a dog, answering a cue positively means :
that the consequence to his behavior prompted him to do it again
that he was in an emotional state that made him able to answer to cue cognitively
that his health was not incompatible with the implement of the cue.
The reinforcement
So that a behavior is reproduced, the consequence is :
adding an element, it’s then positive reinforcement ;
removing an element, it’s then negative reinforcement.
For examples :
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You are on time for work every day and your boss gives you a bonus for your attendance. You are more and more on time because the addition of this element has encouraged you to do so.
Your dog comes back when you call him and you play tug-of-war with him. His coming when called appears more often because the addition of the game has encouraged him.
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You get in your car and immediately put on your seat belt because this gesture has been reinforced by the removal of a beep when you drive off without fastening your seat belt.
Your dog sees you approaching with his brush, but he doesn't like being brushed. He takes refuge under a piece of furniture far back because this behavior was reinforced by your withdrawal of brushing him and the removal of the brush.
So that a dog feels « good », he has needs to be satisfied.
Feeling safe
Which implies that Doggy is supported when he is afraid of elements (humans or objects, noises or visions), when he is anxious in certain environments.
Which implies that Doggy is not forsaken while coping with these elements.
Which implies that he does not fear the beings who guide him.
The possibility of getting a minimum of control over his choices and his life
He is integrated into an environment where everything is decided for him : where he goes out, with whom, where and when he urinates, what he eats, where he sleeps, when and with whom he interacts.
Giving him access to choices can increase his well-being : sleeping place, walking paths, for instance.
Emotional balance
Which implies that as each individual is different, you need to get to know and acknowledge Doggie's preferences, conforming to them can relax him during his contacts with other beings.
They are actually quite similar to us : I don't want to be petted at any time and by a person I have not chosen, I may need moments of isolation as well as friendly moments to share with friends.
Health
If a dog is hungry, thirsty, cold, too hot, unable to regulate his temperature, suffers from a physical illness, has pain, sleeps little or wakes up startling, has an inappropriate weight for his size, his well-being is not up to par with his body.
If the body is in discomfort, in pain, the behaviors are just as much affected.
⚠️ Satisfying one of the points above is not enough to meet a feeling of well-being.
If I allow you to choose the route from point A to point B and ask you to make it the quickest, but your sleep is not restful, and you encounter more disappointments and frustrations at your work than satisfactions, your stomach is crying out for hunger because you drink mainly caffeine to compensate for your lack of energy, it is not because I would congratulate you on arrival that you will feel good. You will have responded positively to my request, but that is not enough to certify that you feel good.
When I meet a person or a dog, I do not analyze his well-being at a specific moment, with one criteria. I only see then his emotional state and his current cognitive abilities.
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