Aggression-related behaviors Flashcards
Statistics
- 1.8% of American population bitten by a dog each year = 4.7M
- 2019 - 48 dog attacks resulted in human death
- 13 child victims, 3 victims age 10-18, 32 adults
- California had the most dog bite related fatalities in 2019 w/ 9 deaths
- Huge financial impact of dog bites
- ⅓ of insurance liability claims
A serious animal welfare issue
- Breakdown of human animal bond
- relinquishment
- “healthy” euthanisia
- Potential for neglect & abuse by frustrated owners
- Use of punishment based training techniques
- Ostracized from house/family
- Only likely to make the problem worse
trigger stacking
- compound stimuli
- involves multiple triggers that pushes animal over threshold
- Individual events occur simultaneously
Canine bite levels
Level 1
- pre-bite (snapping)
- get help before it escalates to actual bite
- don’t punish warning signs or dog may progress to biting w/o warning
- Learn dog’s warning signs of fear & anxiety and the human actions that contributes
level 2
near bite (tooth contact on skin but no puncture)
level 3
(a) skin punctures, single bite (b) skin punctures, multiple bites [all punctures shallower than length of canine tooth]
(a) still reportable, mandatory if victim is treated in hospital - dog always considered a liability
(b) multiple bites generally mean dog is in higher arousal state, dog is reacting w/o thinking in between bites
level 4
very serious, single bite w/ punctures deeper than length of canine (dog bit and clamped down) or w/ slashes in both directions from puncture (dog bit and shook its head)
- much higher liability, can kill a child
level 5
very serious, multiple bite attack w/ deep punctures or multiple attack incident
- Generally have practice biting at levels 3 and 4
- Some dogs are so fearful that a scary event triggers a high arousal state that they get stuck in reactive mode & continue to bite
level 6
death
- Victim killed or flesh consumed
- May be due to overly aroused play or rather viciousness or feat
- Seek qualified help before dog reaches level 2
Legality of dog bites
- Regulations vary state to state
- CA - dog bite owners liable to compensate a dog bite victim for their injuries
- If you’re attacked by dog, contact police
- Medical expenses are covered by person who owns dog, lost wages, damages, etc.
- Required by law to report dog bite
- The Vet’s Rule shifts liability for bite from dog’s owner to person who chooses to work w/ dogs
- The Vet’s Rule applies to anyone who works w/ dogs
Risk assessment (what are the options?)
For Owner
- Treat the animal in home - important to understand owners’ goals
- Relinquish to someone w/ more experience or a better environment for problem
- Euthanize
For vet/behaviorist
- Treat - simple cases w/ low risk of injury
- consider having owner sign a release form
- Refer - anytime you are unsure if you are capable of handling it
- Aggression is improved/managed but not “cured”
- Can be reduced through management and behavior modification but there’s always a chance of relapse
Factors to consider for risk assessment/prognosis
Owners - family composition, perceptions, experience, dynamics, dependability and dedication, home environment
- lack of control = disaster
Animal - Physical characteristics, arousal/impulsivity, other behavioral problems
- Assess potential for and likelihood of damage
Aggression details
- Bite level, frequency, target, triggers, predictability
- Lack of predictability = disaster
Categorizing aggression by motivation or function
- fear related/defensive
- Resource guarding/possessive aggression/food-related aggression/conflict
- Conflict about preferred resources, interactions, handling, reprimanding
- Territorial & protective
- Directed towards ‘outsiders’ w/n a perceived territory, or protection fr. threat to home or family member
- fear/defensive?
- redirected: high arousal, interference elicits bite but not original target
- predatory: related to prey drive (chase/hunt instinct)
- play related: unruly play w/ lack of bite/scratch inhibition
- petting induced: feline aggression during touch
- pain induced: reduced threshold due to injury or illness
- maternal/parental: protection of offspring, often hormonal, temporary
- pathophysiological: underlying neural dysfunction
general treatment strategies
Owner education
- Warn owner of liability issues
- treatment/management is ongoing
- Beware of unfamiliar situations
- Proper recognition of signs of fear & aggression and appropriate methods for approach and response
Management
- Identify all stimuli that elicit fear/aggression and avoid
- Manage w/ separation/barriers
- Improve safety and control w/ head halter/basket muzzle
Change pet behavior
- Obedience, settle, watch, touch, learn to earn
- D & CC as appropriate - do not elicit aggression!
- fluoxetine/clomipramine for fear/anxiety only
- not licensed for aggression
- may indicate “do not use”
- monitor carefully
Common types of aggression
resource guarding (diagnosis)
- Natural to protect valuable resrouces
- Directed at people/other dogs and animals
- Occurs w/ highly valued food/objects
- Becomes abnormal when it starts interfering with normal life & injuries result
- Different forms of RG, not clear whether they’re related
- rapid indigestion
- keep away/body blocking
- threats
- bite attempts
resource guarding (treatment)
Management
- Don’t compete for resources
- Remove triggers
- Restrict access to valuable objects
- Feed separately, limit treats that can be monopolized
- Empty food bowl often a trigger
- Do not take item away if access happens - just wait or trade up
Modify pet’s behavior
- Other people and dogs mean good things are coming
- D & CC for approach w/ item
- Trading up (if safe)
- Teach “drop it” and “leave it”
- Begin w/ low value items and work up
- Use high value food or toys to reward
- Medication only w/ fear/anxiety issues
- D & CC to others approaching items
- General Approach
- Start w/ relatively low value items and restrict access to high value items
- Provide low value item and throw higher value treats from a distance
- Gradually work to dog remaining calm while getting closer
- When ok w/ close contact, can make trade off
fear-related aggression (diagnosis)
- Response to threatening stimuli
- Directed at familiar & unfamiliar people/dogs/other animals, inanimate objects
- Fearful body postures early on, but can switch to “confident” aggressive behaviors over time
- Often increased by leash/crowding
genetic/breed tendencies for dogs - Often environmental
- Traumatic event or aversive training
- Inadequate socialization and environmental exposure
fear-related aggression (treatment)
Mangement
- identify stimuli that elicit fear and avoid
Modify pet’s behavior
- develop plans for D & CC, medication if necessary
stranger-directed aggression (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
Influences by previous success
stranger-directed aggression (treatment)
Management
- prevent access to windows, doors, fences
- restrict interaction
- provide safe place
Modify pet behavior
- D & CC to visitors, strangers
- teach “quiet” command for excessive barking in dogs
redirected aggression (diagnosis)
- Heightened emotional state
- Aggression is redirected to unintended target
redirected aggression (treatment)
- Avoid over-arousal
- Avoid contact when over-aroused
- Understand and treat initial trigger
- use D & CC to treat fear of trigger
predatory aggression
Diagnosis
- predatory sequence w/ no threat behaviors
- Stalk, chase, attack moving or screaming “prey”
Prognosis
- generally poor w/ strong prey drive
Treatment
- Reduce exposure/segregate for safety
- Alternative outlets for energy and play
- Training for strong recall
- Difficult to treat if motivation is high => high effort for behavior modification
- New study - high protein diet + enrichment = reduced prey drive in cats
play related aggression
Diagnosis
- Excessive play behavior directed towards people or other animals
- Aggression is inhibited, associated w/ playful behaviors but can still cause damage
- Often encouraged by owner
- More common in young animals, but can be ongoing if encouraged
Prognosis
- good w/ early prevention, poor if long term
- Ignore & redirect
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 over-arousal, reward calm behavior
petting induced aggression (cats)
Diagnosis
- Seek attention but become aggressive
- Low threshold for physical contact => check for pain as contributor (arthritis is common)
- Sometimes lack of socialization
Prognosis
- good if owner respects boundaries
Prevention/Management
- Identify threshold for attention and respect it
- Re-training with D & CC
- Pet for short periods w/n threshold
- Provide w/ treats, gradually increase level of contact
- Avoid petting cat when showing increased arousal
Intercat and interdog aggression (same household)
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 w/ positive associations
Management
- Separate unless supervised
- Don’t reinforce one animal over the other
- Provide adequate resources to avoid competition
- Avoid overarousal when together
Treatment (change pet’s behavior)
- Neutering males can help
- Keep them tired & busy
- Determine underlying cause & tailor treatment
- Obedience to get dogs under control
- Identify triggers, D & CC
- Separate animals w/ gradual reintroduction
- Reward good interactions, interrupt inappropriate interactions
