ANIMAL WELFARE (Position Statements) Flashcards
AVSAB:
-American Veterinary Society of Animal Behaviour
-promote interacts with animals based on compassion, respect and scientific evidence
Reward training
*most advantages and least harm to welfare
-promotes interactions with animals based on compassion, respect, and scientific evidence
-use to train common skills and address unwanted behaviours
Aversive training:
-rely on application of force, pain or emotion or physical discomfort
-should NOT be sued
Training methods most effective when:
-training them what to do rather than punishing them for unwanted behaviours
Treatment plan for aggression, anxiety and fear:
-environmental management
-behaviour modification
-sometimes medication
Reward over aversive:
-long-term welfare
-training effectiveness
-dog-human relationship
Stress-related behaviours during aversive training (acute effects):
-tense body
-lower body posture
-lip licking
-tail lowering
-lifting front leg
-panting
-yawning
-yelping
Long term effects with aversive training:
-aggressive behaviour towards people and other dogs
-anxiety-related behaviours (avoidance, excitability)
Techniques for reward based training:
-verbal or visual cures
-clicker or verbal marker
-toys and treats
Techniques to be avoided in training:
-tools that involve pain
-imitation
-physical correction techniques
-flooding
Why avoid aversive training?
-increased anxiety
-increased fear-related aggression
-avoidance
-learned helplessness
Cortisol increase:
-positive emotional states (eustress)
-negative emotional states (distress)
Systemic desensitization:
-very gradual exposure to the stimulus in a way that dog is feeling safe all the time
Dominance theory:
-that animals misbehave because they are striving for higher rank
Dominance:
-relationship between animals that established by aggression and submission to determine who has priority access to multiple resources
Ex. subordinate males avoid mating when the dominant bull is around
