Animal Behavior and Enrichment Flashcards
1
Q
Behavior Basics
A
- Ideal shelter stay from a medical perspective:
- Warm cage, easy to clean
- No exposrue to other animals/possible diseases
- No exposure to toys or bedding that can potentially become foreign bodies
- This doesn’t take into account the mental and emotional well-being of the animals in our care
2
Q
Animal Shelters are Stressful
A
- Animals are highly stressed at intake
- Adjusting to the day-to-day stress of shelter life can also be very stressful and difficult for some inhabitants
- Opportunity to engage in “normal” behaviors may not be easily accessible
- Stress can lead to physical illness
- Cats - URI
- Dogs - Kennel Cough
3
Q
Behavior and Qwuality of Life
A
- Frustration and tedium of confinement can lead to anxiety, mental deterioration, depression and barrier or dog-dog aggression
- It is vital for shelter workers to be able to identify when an animal is suffering behaviorally so it can be corrected before becoming nd emergency
-
Behavior Emergencies:
- Stereotypies
- Shut down
- Severe Anxiety
- Treatment Options:
- Medication
- Foster/transfer to rescue
- Humane euthanasia
-
Behavior Emergencies:
4
Q
Enrichment
A
- Essential in order to prevent boredom from isolation
- Provide for psychological well-being of the animals
- Reduce stress by providing mental and physical stimulation
- Encorage species-typical behaviors
5
Q
Enrichment Basics in a Shelter
A
-
Adequate housing
- adequate space to stand and walk around, and lie down at full body length
- seperate area for urination and defecation from feeding and resting
-
Separation of animals by species
- Prey species (rodents, birds, etc) should not be able to see, hear, or smell, predatory species (Dogs, cats, ferrets)
- cats and dogs should be housed separately
- Prey species (rodents, birds, etc) should not be able to see, hear, or smell, predatory species (Dogs, cats, ferrets)
-
Predictable daily routine
- Cleaining and feeding should be completed early in the day
- Normal light/dark cycle
6
Q
Enrichment for Dogs
A
- Kongs with peanut butter/treats
- Toilet paper or papertowel rools with treats inside
- Scent enrichment
- crumpled paper bag or newspaper works
- stimulating scents: deer, pheasant, or other game animals
- Relaxing scents: chamomile, lavender
- Walks/outside time
- fetch & playgroups
- Every dog needs a bed and a bone
7
Q
Playgroups
A
- Provide exercise and social interaction, which in turn makes them better adoption candidates
- Allows dogs to relieve themselves outside, creating less work for cleaning crew
- Dogs are paired by play style
- Friendly, shy, rough & rowdy, elderly dogs, etc. can all be grouped accordingly
- Healthy dogs only
- Dogs should wear martingale style collars
- Provide loop that handlers can hold and allows collar to tighten so dogs can’t back out
8
Q
Playgroup Safety
A
- Safety tools can include: Shake cans, airhorns, water spray bottles, leashes, “Y” poles or catch poles, kevlar gloves, a 2 way radio, and water hoses
- If a fight occurs
- Blow air horn / shakecans to distract dogs
- Each staff member (min. 2 at all times) picks up the back legs of one of the dogs involved. the moment the dogs release their bite, the staff members can back away from each other while circling
- Use kevlar gloves and spray with hose or use “Y” pole or catch pole to separate dogs
9
Q
Enrichment for Cats
A
- Perches and places to hide
- Catnip
- Treat toys
- Playtime for busy cats
- lasers, cat “fishing pole”
- Lap time for less active cats
10
Q
Socialization
A
- Sociaization periods are vital for puppies and kittens
- Ideally get them adopted, or send to foster
- Socialization period for kittens: 2-7 weeks
- Socailization period for puppies: 3-20 weeks
- 3-8 weeks for dog-dog
- 5-12 weeks for dog-human
- 10-12 weeks for novel environmets
- Puppies and kittens that miss out on these windows are more likely to develop behavioral issues in their adult life
11
Q
Behavior Assessment in shelters
A
- Dogs are exposed to the series of stimuli meant to represent common experiences of pet dogs
- It is unclear if any of the information gathered in these experiements is predictive of future behavior
12
Q
Behavior Assessment Alternatives
A
- Information from previous owners or the person who found the animal as a stray
- Some argue that owners may not be fully truthful, but studies show that the information provided is often valuable for making placement decisions
- Daily care staff, and volunteer observations
- May be biased toward positive feedback, but still can be useful
- Playgroup observations
- Observing in a foster home
- Probably the most reliable predictor of how a dog will behave in a home
- Even a short stay in foster home can provide valuable stress relief and enrichment
- Probably the most reliable predictor of how a dog will behave in a home
13
Q
Behavioral Treatment
A
- Modification vs. Medication
- Important for sheltering professionals to first ask:
- Is the condition treatable?
- If we can’t resolve the condition entirely, can we manage it?
- Is attmpting treatment humane and sate to attempt?
- Is this animal rehome-able?
- Is the condition treatable?
14
Q
Operant Conditioning
A
-
Reinforcement: Increases probability of behavior recurring
- Positive- Behavior increased by the application of something positive
- Negative- Behavior increased due to removal of something unpleasant
-
Punishment: Decreases probability of behavior recurring
- Positive- Behavior decreased due to application of something unpleasant
- Negative- Behavior decreased by removal of something positive
15
Q
Behavior Modification
A
- Operative conditioning: Rewards vs. Punishment
- Rewards reinforce a desirable action
- Treats, toys - highly appealing
- Can be paired with clickers (“click for calm”)
- Punishment = a negative stimulus applied to the animal
- Loud noises (air horn) distracts
- Goal is to startle without creating fear
- Striking is NEVER warranted and can cause increased fear and aggression in some animals
- We very infrequently use any punishment except in situation where you need to distract the animal from an unwanted behavior (Ex: fighting in playgroup)
- Loud noises (air horn) distracts
- Rewards reinforce a desirable action
