In habituation, the dog learns to pay less attention to non-critical stimuli and focus on the job. Which option best describes this phenomenon?

• A. Pay more attention to all stimuli
• B. Pay less attention to non-critical stimuli and focus on the job
• C. Ignore the job
• D. Show fear to loud noises

Answer: (B)

Habituation is when a dog learns that repetitive, non-threatening cues are not important, so its initial reactions to them decrease over time. This reduces distractions from background sounds or movements and allows the dog to keep its attention on the task at hand. That’s why the description of paying less attention to non-critical stimuli and focusing on the job best captures what habituation does in training. The other options describe increasing vigilance, ignoring the task, or reacting with fear, which aren’t consistent with habituation.