16/17. Aggression Flashcards
as behaviour changes towards aggression, what is it important not to do?
dont punish warning signals
what is trigger stacking
-events that would not cause issues when occurring individually all occur at the same time and cause a stress overload
what might happen if you punish a dog for bite warning signs?
-may progress to biting without warning
what does the dog owners liability act say?
– Ontario
* Pitbulls prohibited
* Owner is liable for damages arising from a bite from any breed of dog
* Proceedings can be commenced with a bite to a person or domestic animal, or with menacing behaviour
* Outcome either destruction or measures to ensure better control plus sterilization
what does the health protection and promotion act say about bites?
- Veterinarians must report mammal bites to public health
- If risk of rabies, confined or isolated for 10 days
what are the options for an owner with an aggressive dog?
- Treat the animal in the home – important to understand owners’ goals
- Relinquish to someone with more experience or a better environment for the problem
- Euthanize
what are the options for a veterinarian dealing with an aggression case?
- Treat – simple cases with low risk of injury
- Consider having owner sign a release form
- Refer – anytime you are unsure if you are capable of handling it
can aggression be cured?
- Can be reduced through management and behaviour modification, but there is always a chance of relapse
What factors do we need to consider for risk assessment/prognosis?
- The owners
- Family composition, perceptions, experience, dynamics, dependability and
dedication, home environment - Lack of control = Disaster!
- The animal
- Physical characteristics, arousal/impulsivity, other behaviour problems * Assess potential for, and likelihood of, damage
- Aggression details
- Bite level, frequency, target, triggers, predictability, chronicity
- Lack of predictability = Disaster!
general differential diagnosis for aggression
- Consider possible underlying or contributing medical problems
- Differentiate between different types and targets of aggression
how can we categorize aggression?
- By target
Human-directed:
* Familiar/owner-directed
* Unfamiliar/stranger-directed
Interdog/intercat/interspecies:
* Familiar
* Unfamiliar
- by motivation or function
* Fear-related/defensive
* Resource guarding/possessive aggression/food-related aggression/conflict
* Territorial & protective
* Redirected
* Predatory
* Play-related
* Petting induced
* Pain-induced/latrogenic
* Maternal/parental
* Pathophysiological
Aggression + Positive Punishment =
DANGER
* Escalation of aggression
* Over time, lowers thresholds for aggression
* Causes redirected aggression
* Further reduces trust
* Results in injuries
Resource guarding Treatment
Owner education
Management
* Don’t compete for resources
* Remove triggers
* Remember our ineffective strategy…
Change pet behaviour
* Other people and dogs mean good things are coming
* Teach ‘drop it’ and ‘leave it’
* Medication only with fear/anxiety issues
* DS & CC to others approaching items
Fear related aggression - diagnosis and treatment
- Response to threatening stimuli
- Genetic/breed tendencies for dogs
- Often environmental
- Treatment
Management: - Identify stimuli that elicit fear and avoid
Change pet behaviour: - Behaviour modification
- Develop plans for DS & CC based on triage
- Medication
Stranger-directed aggression/territorial or protective aggression diagnosis and treatment
Diagnosis
* Directed towards outside people/animals
* Onset generally at social maturity
* Occurs on family ‘property’ or with family
* More common in ‘guard’ breeds, intact males
* Influenced by previous success
Treatment:
Management
* Prevent access to windows, doors, fences
* Restrict interaction with targets
* Provide safe place
Change pet behaviour
* DS & CC to visitors, strangers
* Teach ‘quiet’ command for excessive barking in dogs
Redirected aggression diagnosis and treatment
Diagnosis
* Heightened emotional state
* Aggression is redirected to unintended target
Treatment
* Avoid overarousal
* Avoid contact when overaroused
* Understand and treat initial trigger
Predatory aggression diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment
Diagnosis
* Predatory sequence with no threat behaviours
* Stalk, chase, attack moving or screaming ‘prey’
Prognosis
* Generally poor with strong prey drive
Treatment
* Segregation for safety
* Alternative outlets for energy and play
* Training for strong recall
* Difficult to treat if motivation is high
* High effort for behaviour mod
* Alternative prey options?
* Positive punishment?
Play-related aggression diagnosis, prognosis, treatment
Diagnosis
* Excessive play behaviour directed towards people or other animals
* Often encouraged by owner
* More common in young animals, but can be ongoing if encouraged
Prognosis
* Good with early prevention, poor if long-term
Prevention/management
* Do not use hands/feet for play
* Adequate enrichment to meet play needs – lots of active play toys
* Interrupt and redirect inappropriate play
* Avoid overarousal, reward calm behaviour
Petting-induced aggression - diagnosis, prognosis, prevention/management
Diagnosis
* Seek attention but become aggressive
* Low threshold for physical contact
* Sometimes lack of socialization
Prognosis
* Good if owner respects boundaries
Prevention/management
* Indentify threshold for attention and respect it
* Re-training with DS & CC
* Increased arousal is a trigger to avoid
Inter-cat and inter-dog aggression – same household; diagnosis, prevention, treatment
Diagnosis
* Many different possible causes
* Territorial, fear/anxiety, redirected, etc.
* Inadequate resource provision
* New addition, change in social dynamics or environment * Poor socialization, social skills
Prevention
* Gradual introductions with positive associations
Treatment
Management:
* Separate unless supervised
* Do not reinforce one animal over the other
* Provide adequate resources to avoid competition
* Avoid overarousal when together
* Dogs – consider muzzles and safety measures
Change pet behaviour:
* Neutering in males may help
* Keep them tired and busy
* Determine underlying cause and tailor treatment
* Fluoxetine/clomipramine for fear/anxiety
Preventing problems with children
- Poor management leads to fear and behaviour problems
- Pets should not have to ‘put up’ with children
- Proper socialization
> Not mini-adults - Fast, eye-level, unpredictable, loud, don’t respond properly to signals
- Movement, noise and other factors change continuously as child ages
Proper management
* Obedience training for control
* Direct supervision at all times
* Provide a ‘safe’ place
* Teach children animal signals and appropriate interactions!
Most treatment plans for aggression come back to
management, obedience training, DS & CC
