Hi Michael: Likely the dog has learned in the past that the presence of the bell indicates that shock will happen and that the absence of bell indicates the absence of shock. My speculation would be that the owners did not change the battery before it died on previous occasions. This effect would be magnified if the owners used the dog's behavior of running through the fence as their cue to change the battery.
The dog is not necessarily trying to run down the battery. The dog may be checking to see if the bell is active. By analogy, it is like a person checking the water temperature of a shower. I keep checking to see if the water has warmed up enough to step inside the shower. The dog is checking to see if the bell doesn't ring and then it is safe to leave the yard. Ken -- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kenneth M. Steele, Ph.D. steel...@appstate.edu Professor Department of Psychology http://www.psych.appstate.edu Appalachian State University Boone, NC 28608 USA --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On 8/28/2015 7:20 AM, Michael Britt wrote: > > Maybe this is easier than I think but I am curious: so we all know > about those “invisible fences” that will shock your dog - who is > wearing a “shock collar” - when it tries to go past a certain > perimeter around your house (positive punishment, right?). But lately > I’ve heard about this: apparently a bell will go off if your dog gets > near the shock area which your dog learns (with experience) will be > followed by the shock if it continues in that direction. I heard that > some dogs will enter the “bell area” and allow the bell to ring until > the battery on their shock collar dies out. Then the dog simply walks > past the perimeter unshocked. > > My family of course said that the dog was “smart”. How would a > behaviorist explain this? > > > Michael > > Michael A. Britt, Ph.D. > mich...@thepsychfiles.com <mailto:mich...@thepsychfiles.com> > http://www.ThePsychFiles.com > Twitter: @mbritt > > > --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@mail-archive.com. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=46465 or send a blank email to leave-46465-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
