Introduction to Applied Animal Behavior

Question 1

Why is understanding Animal Behavior important?

Answer 1

• Behavior issues are one of the top reasons for animal reliquishment
• Can help prevent injuries to yourself, staff, clients, and patients
• Its an improtant diagnostic tool
  
  • most significant indicator of pain
• Can use it to improve their quality of life

Question 2

Board Certification

Answer 2

• American college of veterinary beviorists
• Specialty trainedto advance the behavioral health of animals
• Over 80 diplomates currently

Question 3

Associative learing

Answer 3

• Process whereby things that occur close together become associated
• Includes:
  
  • Classical conditioning
  • Operant conditioning

Question 4

Social Learning

Answer 4

• Process where animal learn by watching others
• Includes:
  
  • Social/emotional contagion
  • Behavior mimicking is more likely when the result is good

Question 5

Classical Conditioning

Answer 5

• Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936) Physiologist
• Unconditioned stimulus (food) elicits an unconditioned response (drool)
• Conditioned stimulus (bell) is neutral
• The conditioned stimulus is paired with the unconditioned stimulus until it alone can elicit a behavioral response

Question 6

Extinction - Classical Conditioning

Answer 6

• Conditioned stimulus is no longer associated with an unconditioned stimulus, causing a decreas or complete disappearance of the conditioned response

Question 7

Side affects of Classical Conditioning

Answer 7

• Fear/phobia
• Anxiety
• Aggression
• Animals with unknown history:
  
  • may show gender preference
  • difficult to identigy fears/triggers

Question 8

Operant Conditioning

Answer 8

• B. F. Skinner (1904-1990) Psychologist
• Developed the Skinner box
  
  • Assocition between the action of an animal and its consequence
    
    • Animal learns to perform an action in response to a specific stimuli (Ex: sound or light)
    • Reward/reinforcement (food)
    • Punishment (shock)
  • If the consequence is good, the behavior is more likely to occur again in the same context
  • If the consequence is bad, the behavior is less likely to occur again in the same context

Question 9

Animal Training with Operant Conditioning

Answer 9

• Positive: add something good or bad
• Negative: Remove/delay something good or bad
• Reinforce: increase behavior
• Punishment: decrease behavior
• Ex:
  
  • Positive punishment: Adding an electric shock
  • Negative reinforcement: releasing tension on leash

Question 10

Aversive Training Techniques

Answer 10

• Postive Punishment and Negatie Reinforcement can jeopardize the physical nd mental health of dogs
• PP can be effective but there is no evidence that is is more effective than PR- based training
• Dogs trained with shock collars spent significantly more time tnse, yawned more often and engaged in less environmental interaction during training sessions than dogs trained without the use of shock collars
• High intensity shock associated with negative chnges in a dog’s behavior and elevated cortisol levels post-stimulation

Question 11

Dominance Theory

Answer 11

• Training technique from 20 years ago
• “Aggressive behavior is derived from a dog’s desireto be ‘dominant’ and establish its place in the hierarchy”
  
  • Owner must be the ‘alpha’
• Studies to support this observed unrelated captive wolves
  
  • naturally-assembled wild wolf pack failed to show the same level of aggressive interactions
  • Domestication has changed the behavior or dogs
• Some PP-based training were founded in Dominance theory
  
  • I.e: physical reprimands
  • Causes: fear, pain, decreased animal welfare, increased aggression

Question 12

Issues with Dominance Theory

Answer 12

• Dogs are not wolves
  
  • evolved from a common ancestor >30,000 years ago
• No evidence dogs and humans form a pack when living together
  
  • pack rules are species specific
  • Human cannot be alpha

Question 13

Learned Helplessness

Answer 13

• Occurs when an animal is repeatedly subjeted to an aversive stimulus that it cannot escape
• Eventually, animal will stop trying to avoid negaive stimulus (become helpless)
• Causes: improper use of punishment, continuous use of shock, chronic stress/anxiety
• Signs: withdrawl, shut down

Question 14

Dog Training Sources

Answer 14

• Decreased attendance at dog training classes with the increased availability of books and the internet
• 5 best selling books were assessed and compared (2009)
  
  • Some emphasized PR, others focused on being the ‘alpha dog’
  • Learning theory terminology was not cnsstent or always accurate
  • NO scientific basis to the theories presented

Question 15

Training Methods

Answer 15

• Needs to be selected/adjusted on a case-by-case basis
• PR should be ‘gold standard’ but is not the only option