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MODULE 13 - Professionalism > ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR - Companion Animal Behaviour > Flashcards

ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR - Companion Animal Behaviour Flashcards

1
Q

What are the two leading causes of behavioural problems in companion animals?

A

Social/environmental
Clinical causes

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2
Q

How long is the socialisation sensitive period for puppies?

A

Between 4 - 16 weeks

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3
Q

How long is the socialisation sensitive period for kittens?

A

Between 3 - 9 weeks

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4
Q

List eight social/environmental causes of behavioural problems in dogs?

A

Lack of socialisation
Resource control
Trauma
Frustration
Breed tendencies
Handling
Learned/trained behaviours
Over/understimulation

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5
Q

List three social/environmental causes of behavioural problems in cats?

A

Inappropriate/breach in core territory
Trauma
Relationships with other animals (cats aren’t very social animals)

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6
Q

What is core territory in regards to cats?

A

Cats will have a core territory within the home where they feel secure enough to rest, toilet, eat, play and carry out self-maintenance behaviours

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7
Q

List six components which can help to make a cat’s core territory feel more secure

A

Heights
Comfortable sleeping area
Litter tray
Scratching posts of the correct height
Cat flap (kept seperate from other entities)
Food and water kept a room’s distance away from each other

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8
Q

What is the most common clinical cause of behavioural problems in companion animals?

A

Pain

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9
Q

List seven examples of clinical causes which can result in behavioural problems in companion animals

A

Pain
Hormonal
Neurological
Urogenital
Gastrointestinal
Sensory
Iatrogenic

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10
Q

What are four key indicators which suggest that behavioural problems may have a clinical cause?

A

Sudden onset of behaviour with no environmental changes
Unpedictable behaviour
Extreme behaviour for the animal’s usual temperament
No reasonable explanation for the behaviour

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11
Q

What is classical conditioning in terms of animal behaviour?

A

Classical conditioning is a behavioral process whereby a response becomes more frequent or more predictable in a given environment as a result of reinforcement

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12
Q

What is instrumental learning/operant conditioning in terms of animal behaviour?

A

Instrumental learning/operant conditioning is when you notice a desired behaviour and reinforce it with a reward i.e. the animal naturally sits and you reward them, creating a connection between the action and command

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13
Q

What is habituation in terms of animal behaviour?

A

Habituation is the diminished effectiveness of a stimulus in eliciting a response due to repeated exposure to the stimulus

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14
Q

What is sensitisation in terms of animal behaviour?

A

Sensitisation is when an animal becomes more responsive to a stimulus after being exposed to unusually strong or painful stimultation

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15
Q

Why is it important to begin companion animal training with continuous rewards and then transition to intermittent rewards once the behaviour is established?

A

Starting companion animal training with continuous rewards helps the animal to quickly associate the desired behaviour with the reward. Once the behaviour is established, transitioning to intermittent rewards helps to maintain the learned behaviour over the long term, keeping the animal motivated to perform the behaviour and reduce the dependence on constant rewards

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16
Q

What is the motivation that drives dogs to jump up on people?

A

Dogs greet other dogs face-to-face so when they jump up this is a normal care eliciting behaviour to try and greet humans face-to-face. This behaviour can become reinforced and become attention seeking

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17
Q

What advice would you give owners to address jumping up behaviour in dogs?

A

It can be effective to passively ignore the unwanted behaviour (jumping up). Redirection can also be helpful through using a series of commands (i.e. sit, stay etc.) for which the dog can receive praise and attention. This can teach the dog to carry out these desired behaviours instead of the jumping up

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18
Q

What advice can you give owners to address ankle biting behaviours in puppies?

A

It can be effective to passively ignore the unwanted behaviour (ankle biting). It can be helpful to advise the owners to wear wellies to help reduce any verbal or physical reactions they may have to the ankle biting which the puppy may interpret as positive reinforcement

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19
Q

What is the motivation that drives puppies and kittens to mouth people?

A

Exploration
Instigation of play
Lack of inhibition (i.e. usually puppies/kittens will receive a vocal response from their siblings/mother if biting too hard, however if they don’t receive this they will not have this understanding)

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20
Q

What advice would you give owners to address mouthing behaviours in puppies?

A

When puppies are mouthing, discontinue any play and remove your hand from their mouth followed by ignoring them/actively withdrawing attention.Be careful not to inadvertently reinforce the behaviour through verbal or physical responses which the puppy may perceive as positive reinforcement. Before they begin the mouthing behaviour in the future, redirect them to a desired behaviour (i.e. sit) and provide them with a reward for the desired behaviour

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21
Q

Why does passive ignoring not work to deter mouthing behaviours in puppies?

A

Passive ignoring of mouthing behaviours would require the owners to allow the puppy to continue mouthing them, which would provide the puppy with comfort and reward, thus failing in deterring the behaviour

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22
Q

Why does redirecting with a toy sometimes not work to deter mouthing behaviours in puppies?

A

Redirecting puppies with a toy can sometimes teach puppies that mouthing initiates a game, thus failing in deterring the behaviour

23
Q

Why does squealing/yelping as though you are a sibling puppy sometimes not work to deter mouthing behaviours in puppies?

A

When a puppy is beyond their sensitisation period, squealing/yelping from their siblings would not be a normal behaviour for them to see (as in the wild they would usually be weaned and independent by then) and thus puppies can perceive this behaviour as attention, driving them to continue the mouthing

24
Q

What is the motivation that drives chewing/stealing in dogs?

A

Exploration
Teething
Attention seeking
Pica

25
Q

What is pica?

A

Pica is the eating of, or craving to eat, things that are not food

26
Q

What is the most important step when addressing chewing/stealing behaviour in dogs?

A

The most important step is to establish the motivation behind the chewing/stealing

27
Q

What are two key indicators that suggest chewing/stealing is motivated by attention seeking?

A

Only chew/steal when the owner is present
Dog looks directly at the owner when chewing/stealing

28
Q

What advice would you give owners to address chewing/stealing behaviours in dogs?

A
  • Provide a variety of substrates in the puppy is at teething age
  • Increase the mental stimulation (i.e. more toys etc)
  • If chewing valuables, use distant, gentle distractors (such as ringing the door bell) followed by redirecting to a desired behaviour
29
Q

What advice can you give owners to help them promote positive behaviour in their puppies within their socialisation period (between 4 - 16 weeks old)?

A
  • Arrange to attend puppy/training classes to enable the puppy to learn positive behaviours
  • Expose the puppy in a controlled way to new places, people and experiences within their socialisation period to encourage effective socialisation
30
Q

What is the SHAPE programme?

A

The SHAPE programme is an individualised training technique which focuses on shaping desired behaviours and communication between a dog and their owners through establishing boundaries, teaching the dog to look to their owners for direction and understanding the owner provides security

31
Q

Describe what the ‘S’ component of the SHAPE programme refers to

A

‘S’ refers to safety as it is important for the SHAPE programme there is no confrontation between dog and owner.

‘S’ also refers to shelter which refers to making the dog work to enter and exit the house (i.e. must respond to the sit command before going in and out of the door)

32
Q

Describe what the ‘H’ component of the SHAPE programme refers to

A

‘H’ refers to keeping a **height advantage **relative to the dog. Sometimes dogs try to challenge you when they have a height advantage over you, so it is important that the dog gets no attention, good or bad, unless they have all four feet on the ground

33
Q

Describe what the ‘A’ component of the SHAPE programme refers to

A

‘A’ refers to making access to food conditional which referes to making to dog work for their food (i.e. must respond to a command before getting their food). This also refers to not using continuous treats/rewards except for new behaviours. Continuous treats/rewards teaches the dog to respond to the treat rather than the owner’s comand.

‘A’ also refers to attention. Attention seeking behaviour should be ignored, and when a dog approaches for ‘normal’ attention they should be given a command (i.e. sit) before receiving that attention.

34
Q

Describe what the ‘P’ component of the SHAPE programme refers to

A

‘P’ refers to punishment. The only punishment that should be used it actively withdrawing attention

35
Q

Describe what the ‘E’ component of the SHAPE programme refers to

A

‘E’ refers to everyone must be consistent with the SHAPE programme or the training will not be successful

36
Q

What should you advise the owners to do if the dog begins intiating behaviours without the owners command?

A

Advise the owners to make the dog carry out an extra command to reinstate control

37
Q

Which five factors can affect an animal’s ability to cope with stress?

A

Concurrent stressors
Concurrent disease
Intensity of stressors
Duration of stressors
Ability of the animal to be able to escape the stressor

38
Q

What are six coping strategies that can provided to help dogs cope with anxiety?

A

SHAPE programme
Providing dens/safe space
Training
Avoidance
Relaxation
Play

39
Q

What can be done to help cats cope with anxiety?

A

Ensure their core territory is optimal

40
Q

What are the four behaviour modifications that can be used to treat anxiety in dogs?

A

Desensitisation
Counterconditioning
Relaxation therapy
Enhancing enviornmental enrichment

41
Q

What is desensitisation?

A

Desensitisation is a behavioural modification which reduces an animal’s response to a trigger by presenting the trigger in its least intense form (this will vary between individual animals) and gradually building up the intensity of that trigger over time

Important to note that this doesn’t always work

42
Q

What are the four principles of desensitisation?

A
  1. Identify the least intense form of the trigger for that individual animal
  2. Expose the animal to the least intense form of the trigger until the animal habituates
  3. Repeat step two whilst gradually increasing the intensity of the trigger
  4. Ensure that the animal is not exposed to the full blown fearful stimulus during the desensitisation process
43
Q

What can be used to reduce the risk of an animal being exposed to the full blown fearful stimulus during the desensitisation process?

A

Sedation can be used when there is no other way to avoid the animal being exposed to the full blown fearful stimulus during the desensitisation process

44
Q

What is counterconditioning?

A

Counterconditioning is a behaviour modification technique which involves changing the emotional response of the dog to a particular trigger by ‘overriding’ that trigger with something neutral or positive

45
Q

Why is counterconditoning still an important step in treating anxiety in dogs even if it doesn’t work?

A

Counterconditioning can provide important information on the emotional state of the dog which can be useful for moving forward with treatment

46
Q

What are some temporary solutions for owners with dogs experiencing anxiety due to fireworks?

A

Go away to somewhere quieter during firework season
Draw the curtains
Provide the animal with a den
Turn up the TV/music
Physically comfort their animal

47
Q

What is the difference between a separation problem and separation anxiety?

A

A separation problem has different motivating factors compared to seperation anxiety. A seperation problem can be opportunistic (i.e. the dog takes the opportunity to chew because the owner is not there to stop them), due to poor toilet training, due to over/under stimulation, or even mimicry - all without any actual signs of anxiety

48
Q

What are four of the key signs of seperation anxiety in dogs?

A

Vocalisation
Destructive chewing
Self mutilating
Aggression when owner leaves

49
Q

What are the five main causes of seperation anxiety in dogs?

A

Hyperattachment
Overattachment
Failure to develop/loss of coping strategies for when the owner leaves
Fear of being alone
An adverse event has occured when the dog has been alone

50
Q

What is the difference between hyperattachment and overattachment?

A

Hyperattachment is mutual between the owner and the dog whereas overattachement is when the dog is overly attached to the owner

51
Q

Which two factors are important to determine before beginning treatment for seperation anxiety in dogs?

A

Begin by determining the root cause of their seperation anxiety as well as identify how long the dog is happy to be left on their own for. This will allow the owner to begin desensitisation through using this amount of time as the starting point

52
Q

Which three medications are licensed for seperation anxiety in dogs?

A

Clomipramine (Clomicalm)
Fluoxetine (Reconcile)
Selegiline (Selgian)

53
Q

(T/F) Sedatives can be used as a long term solution to anxiety in dogs

A

FALSE. Sedatives should be used as a short term solution to anxiety in dogs

MODULE 13 - Professionalism (7 decks)

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