Interview Reflection

For my research I must interview different people to obtain information that will be used in my final paper. I contacted three individuals that I though would be useful.

• Dr. Werwa (Veterinary Expert)
• Dr. Kyle (Veterinary Expert, Owner of Kyle Animal Training)
• Elizabeth Gaul (Professional Dog Trainer)

I actually reached out to all three of these sources and only on of them responded, and that was Dr. Kyle, of Kyle Animal Hospital and Training. I went in to interview her, and she seemed very open to every question I asked, but one in particular Dr. Kyle really excited. I asked her about the different methods people used to calm their animals. She responded by telling me that it was a very popular practice to give your dog Prozac, or some sort of human medication to keep them focused. Sometimes they would stay on it for ever, or just a few days. I just found that very interesting. This new information that I gained will definitely be very useful to me in my essay. If you would like to contact Dr. Kyle, or learn more about her practice a link to her website is here. 

Subquestions

• What is generalized training?
• How have animals evolved with us?
• Why did humans domesticate animals?
• Are working animals still needed?
• What benefits does having an animal companion have?
• Do animals need us in the same way we need them?
• How has the pet industry expended and evolved?
• Will dogs always be the number one pet and why?
• What is the best pet?
• What defines a pet?
• Are some pets better for some personalities?
• Why do some animals live longer?
• How do you tell if your pet is happy?
• What traits make a good pet?
• Are some pets worth the stress?
  
  

Sub-questions Answered

     One question that came up many times in my recent research is, "How should I approach training a shy animal?". This question would fall under the category of being a more specific training method, as it must be tailored to a certain animal. With dogs, they can have a large range of different personality types, and some methods work for different characteristics. For example, you can have a dog where intense, Adversive Training is a valid option, but for a more reserved and shy animal a lighter stance may be a good option. In that case the Reward method would probably be best. To utilize it properly you would use a Kind and nurturing tone as many animals have learned to associate pitch of voice with certain behaviors and will try to anticipate a good or bad result, and along with a good tone some sort of reward should be in order, whether it is a treat or some sort of healthy physical interaction. This information can be found here.

     Another question that was brought to mind was, " How do animals develop their characteristics?". The idea at hand about animal personality is very interesting because before Charles Darwin, it was thought that non-human animals did not have any sort of defining emotions or personality traits. That is quite the contrary actually, in fact personality is developed just as fins, wings, and legs are. Mental characteristics were mainly developed along side of natural selection. Certain traits helped survival in specific situations just as physical characteristics do. The information described can all be found here.

     The final of the three sub-questions is, " What does Generalization mean?". On the basis of the main question, it is probably a good idea to understand the term "Generalization". The definition is the occurrence of the wanted behavior happening only in response to the presentation of the given command. For example, if you train a dog to sit while standing in front of the animal, and using hand gestures they will sit. But if you are sitting in a chair half way across the room, the animal will not sit because they have not experienced the required presentation to obey the command. The information included can be found here and here.

Capstone Topic

     For my Capstone project I had two topics that I knew had to be contenders for my main research idea. The very first topic I thought of was on the basis of Crohn's Disease and Ulcertive Colitis. These two illnesses are personally important to me because my Mother and Grandmother both have Ulcertive Colitis, and for a long period of time I had Crohn's Disease. I knew where the diseases were in the human body, but I had no idea how the illnesses formed, and how they were transferred through the genome. That's just something that I really wanted to know and understand.

     The second topic that I wanted to research was animals. Not just animals in general, but actually training them and figuring out the best ways for them to learn. This topic is relevant to me because I work at a petstore, I have my own pets, and I have seen many other animals in my life, and one thing that I keep on seeing time and time again is the lack of training for a specific animal, or the nonexistent understanding between the owner and their pet. I would just love to know and understand the best way to train an animal and get them to learn a thing or two, so they can stay out of shelters, be a positive aspect of people's lives, and so they can have a better life over all.

     The decision between the two topics was a hard one because both are extremely relevant to my life, but the one that I chose overall is on the training and learning process of animals. I think this would be a better research topic out of the two, because I would like to be a Veterinarian someday, and the information that I gain from this research will be very useful in the long run. My question for my Capstone Project will be, "How are animals trained best, by generalized learning, or by training based on the evolution of the specific animal?". Information on the topic of animal training is well explained in this article based around Reinforcement Training.