M1

Question 1

What is separation anxiety?

Answer 1

A suite of behaviours that present when O is absent.

Question 2

When do SRB occur?

Answer 2

Only when the O isn’t home
OR
Behv that happens at other times but is greater intensity or frequency when the O is absent

Question 3

What are typical SA related Behv?

Answer 3

1) Barking, Whining, crying, howling
2) Defecated, soiling and urination
3) Panting, pacing, hypervigilance
4) Chewing, destroying, escape attempts
5) Drooling, vomitting, anorexia

Question 4

What are the 2 broad categories of SRB

Answer 4

Boredom or frustration
Fear and anxiety

Question 5

What are the 2 key categories under fear/anxiety SA

Answer 5

1) Dogs who don’t like being home alone - isolation distress
2) Dogs who can’t bear to be separated from their person (SA)

Question 6

Do labels matter in SA?

Answer 6

No! The training protocols work for SA driven by different motivations. As long as you know what type of SA you are dealing with you are good.

Question 7

Why don’t labels matter in SA?

Answer 7

We are teaching the dog to be more tolerant of alone time regardless of the motivation for the SRB

Question 8

How do we identify SA?

Answer 8

O input - we don’t need to see it

Question 9

Why don’t we need to see SRB?

Answer 9

Because we are fear free trainers. We want to avoid exposure to the scary stimuli and an over threshold event at all costs.

Question 10

Are SRB always present in SA?

Answer 10

No! Only 90% of dogs will present with one or more of the typical SRBs.

Question 11

What info can O give us?

Answer 11

O are more likely to have already filmed their dog and can often describe the B upon careful questioning

Question 12

What is the full list of SRB that indicate anxiety?

Answer 12

Panting/pacing
Drooling/salivating
Retching
Freezing
Roaching
Hyper vigilance
Whale eye/ears back/hard mouth
Frantic destruction
Escape attempts
Self harm
Shaking
Coweing
Vommiting
Tail tucking
Hiding
Sweating Paws
Inappropriate elimination

Question 13

What are rarer symptoms of SA?

Answer 13

Fear aggression
Spinning
Compulsive behv
Hiding once O gone
Unique individual B’s

Question 14

Will you always see SRB in SA?

Answer 14

No! Sometimes you will just see excessive normal B’s! - the intensity and persistence are the keys

Question 15

what are some examples of excessive normal B’s?

Answer 15

Vocailisation (absence of any other fear B)
Destruction (fun rather than escape attempt)
House soilin (ht vs sa)

Question 16

What function does fear based SRB fulfil?

Answer 16

Escape and get to O
My O will come home
I feel better doing this (eg screaming on a rollercoaster)

Question 17

What is a key Q when determining if the B is SA or boredom/lack of enrichment?

Answer 17

Does this happen 100% solely when you are out and not at any other time?

Question 18

What is a good question to ask to find out if the dog does the B at any other time?

Answer 18

Does he ever do this behind your back or out of sight?

Question 19

What are the emotions that drive SRB

Answer 19

Fear
Safe/dangerous
Boredom
Frustration

They aren’t always mutually exclusive

Question 19

What else could sneaking off to perform behv mean

Answer 19

Discrimination learning - Safe when O absent

Indicative of punishment (eg reverse h/t)

Question 20

What are the 2 tell tale signs of SRB vs frustration b

Answer 20

Profile of the dog
How persistent is the Behv?

Question 21

What are the items within profile of the dog

Answer 21

1) age
2) breed
3) energy
4) mental stimulation
5) exercise

Question 22

Do we need a splitty of lumpy ID?

Answer 22

Lumpy is fine

Question 23

What is a lumpy ID?

Answer 23

Put 2 things in the same category unless there is some convincing reason to separate them

Question 24

What is a splitty ID?

Answer 24

Put 2 things in different categories unless there is some convincing reason to unite them

Question 25

Why is a lumpy ID okay?

Answer 25

We are teaching the dog to be more tolerant of alone time so it doesn't really matter what motivation drives it.

Question 26

What is the most important distinction?

Answer 26

Is the dog okay with just anyone? or Does only the special person make it better?

Question 27

What about SRB in dogs that have confinement anxiety?

Answer 27

Some will be fine out of the crate. Others will still fall apart when O goes.

Question 28

Why will some dogs still fall apart when the crate is removed from the equation?

Answer 28

Because it's access to the O that solves the problem and not having access that causes the anxiety - not the confinement in of itself. It's just another layer!

Question 29

What is the fundamental difference between fear and frustration

Answer 29

Frustration is like too tight jeans, an irritation. Fear is a different ocean - it's fight or flight. Live or die.

Question 30

What is the function of fear based B

Answer 30

Distance increasing mode

Question 31

What is Flee?

Answer 31

I'll increase the distance

Question 32

What is fight?

Answer 32

You increase the distance

Question 33

What evolutionary advantage does fight/flight confer?

Answer 33

Escape a threat Avoid injury Avoid starvation Thus avoiding potential death and increasing chance of survivial to pass on genes.

Question 34

What is the cost of a false negative? (I.e. q - is it safe and you answer yes)

Answer 34

Death. It's better to err on the side of caution --> Fear is passed on

Question 35

Do we breed domestic dogs to be fearful?

Answer 35

No! We have selectively bred over 30k years to want to be close to humans! BUT fear is so powerful to survivial in ancient populations it contiues to arise.

Question 36

What is the definition of fear and anxiety

Answer 36

Fear relates to a known or understood threat wheras anxiety follows from an unknown expected or poorly defined threat.

Question 37

What is an example of anxiety in reference to the the woods

Answer 37

Walking through the woods late at night - no visable threat but anticipated!

Question 38

What is an example of fear in reference to walking through the woods at night

Answer 38

Meeting an armed gunman in the woods! Full on fear mode activated!

Question 39

Are home alone dogs fearful or anxious?

Answer 39

We assume its anxiety becuase being left alone isn't a clear and present danger AS humans understand it.

Question 40

Can home alone time feel like a clear and present danger to a dog?

Answer 40

We don't know, but it certainly could be the case that dogs are fearful in this situation.

Question 41

Does it matter if its classified as "fear" or "anxiety" in home alone dogs?

Answer 41

No! It's almost impossible to id the differences and it doesn't matter as it won't effect our training methods.

Question 42

What is the function of fear in a home alone dog?

Answer 42

Increase distance from confinement situation or Decrease distance from themselves and their O

Question 43

Should fear be a big deal for dog O's?

Answer 43

YES!

Question 44

What are the top 2 prioirities in regards to fear for dog trainers

Answer 44

NO Dog should ever suffer fear on your watch Fear is easy to condition but hard to overcome

Question 45

Is it quick to change fear?

Answer 45

No! It takes a long times Fear helps keep animals alive. We are fighting against something that is natural and normal.

Question 46

Can fear at the level of panic affect the wiring of the brain.

Answer 46

YES. It can change the coding in the amaygdala. It MUST be avoided at all costs.

Question 47

What is our goal in SA

Answer 47

Stop the fear Change how the dog feels about home alone from dangerous to safe.

Question 48

Does the O "cause" SA

Answer 48

NO!

Question 49

What trends do we see in relation to causes of SA

Answer 49

Rehoming later in life Big disruptions in family Sex (60 male:40 female) Genetics

Question 50

What do we need to repeat to clients about the cause of SA

Answer 50

It wasn't their fault/

Question 51

How do dogs develop fear?

Answer 51

1) Genetics 2) Ommision in early life 3) maternal stress in pregnancy 4) Maternal behaviour towards the litter 5) Bad experience

Question 52

Do we need to know what causes the fear?

Answer 52

No! It doesn't really matter because it doesn't effect how we train.

Question 53

What 2 areas do O have SOME infulence on when it comes to acquisition of fear in SA?

Answer 53

1) Early environment 2) Avoiding bad experience

Question 54

What CAN O do in regards to SA prevention?

Answer 54

1) Home alone training is important for ALL new dogs to a home (puppies, rescues) 2) Make home alone prevention training positive.

Question 55

What percentage of dogs are "unhappy" when left HA

Answer 55

up to 80% according to reasearch

Question 56

Do fear and frustration weigh equally on a dog?

Answer 56

No. Frustration is unpleasant and we should avoid creating needless frustration but it is a different kettle of fish to fear.

Question 57

How do dogs learn

Answer 57

CC and OC

Question 57

Why is frustration less of a problem?

Answer 57

It doesn't create the same damage as fear. Dogs cope with frustration and can absolutely be taught how to cope with frustration. It happens everyday. It is NOT fear.

Question 58

How does CC apply to SA?

Answer 58

Pre departure cues = actions of O --> tip off O leaving ALone time itself - home alone= fear = stress and anxiety Out job is to change these connections so alone = safe

Question 59

How does OC apply to SA?

Answer 59

Even if we aren't deliberatly using OC dogs still learn B has a C when they are left alone. E.g. Barking home alone --> O returns = it worked!

Question 60

What techniques do we use for Home Alone training?

Answer 60

DS CC to change the connection of HA from fear, frustration and anxiety to SAFE.