dog behaviour training and instinct

Question
Hi I am on the final exam essay on a veterinary assistant course and my question is "To what extent can a dogs bahaviour be trained, bearing in mind the strength of the animals own natural instincts?"
I understand that with different breed you get different traits and instincts and I am almost done with essay. however i was wondering if you had any books in mind that I could check out from the local library to support my ideas?
thanks for your help!!

Answer
Hi, Heather,

This is a very interesting question, and one I'm a bit of an expert on myself. I suggest you read an article titled "The Misbehavior of Organisms," by Keller Breland and Marian Breland. It's not about dogs but it shows how strong instinctive behaviors (sometimes called "fixed-action patterns") can override conditioning, even when it's done by an expert. (Breland worked with B.F. Skinner on many conditioning projects during WW II.)

You can probably find a version of the article online. If not, it's printed in its entirety in HOW TO BEHAVE SO YOUR DOG BEHAVES by Sophia Yin. Unfortunately Yin knows very little about how instincts relate to training, so I wouldn't bother reading the rest of her book.

Here's a link to an article I wrote about the subject:

http://leecharleskelleysblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/its-in-his-dna.html

And if you haven't already looked into DOGS, A STARTLING NEW UNDERSTANDING... by Raymond and Lorna Coppinger, it might have some pertinent info as well.

I'd be very interested in reading your essay once you've finished it!

LCK