Applied Dog Ethology Flashcards
How may genetic factors affect canine behaviour?
Breeds bred for different purposes eg. terriers aloof and independent, gun dogs work closely with handler
Individual differences between puppies
How does learning affect canine behaviour?
Especially sensitive period but occurs throughout life
Directs individuals towards important aspects of environment
Upon which species are most wolf studies based?
American Timberwolf
- The ancestral species of the dog NO LONGER EXISTS
How do wolves hunt?
Large groups, cooperatively
How are wolf territories organised?
Groups maintain their own territory
What did studies from captive wolf populations show about wolf hierarchy? Why are these flawed?
Separate male and female hierarchies
Only top male and female reproduce - Reporductive suppression of other pack members and cooperative rearing
Pyramidal hierachies
- V artificial set up, both environment and groups of individuals
Why are hierarchies necessary in social species?
Enable peaceful coexistence and group stability
Reduce the need for aggressive displays
Structure is based on reproductive strategy
-> though this is not useful to extrapolate to dogs
Who challenged the validity of the hierarchical wolf structure?
Lockwood 1975
Mech 1999
What do feral dog studies suggest about the setup of social hierarchy?
Reproductive strategy is not restricted to one or two individuals
No co-operative rearing/hunting
Hierarchical relationships exist but these are NOT FIXED - based more on RHP/V theory
What is RHP/V theory
Resource holding potential / value(?) theory
Animal will judge whether an interaction is worth it depending on what it thinks the other individuals desire for the resource is and how valuable it is to themselves
What is the commonest misconception about social behaviour in dogs?
behaviour (esp aggression) is related to trying to achieve high status and dominance
Why have dogs developed the ability to communicate using complex visual signalling?
Necessary to avoid conflict which could lead to injury
What is the normal response of a puppy if it is separated from its social group?
Anxiety
Vocalisation to regain social contact
Scrabbling and escape attempts
If any of these are successful they will be repeated, if nothing is successful they will give up
If a puppy gives up trying to gain social contact, does this mean they are not stressed?
Stress levels are the same physiologically and separation anxiety can still occur
Do wolves or dogs do more signalling?
Wolves
How long do adult dogs let puppies get away with inappropriate behaviour for before snapping at them?
Sexual maturity - 6-18 months
Are interactions with other dogs generalised or specific?
Some may be specific - particular breed or situation
Some may be generalised - eg. play bow
How do breed differences affect social interaction?
Puppies must learn different “dialects” of communication or different breeds
Some breeds cannot signal well due to physical characteristics or cannot see well enough to interpret others
Which breeds find social communication particularly hard
Boxers/long haired dogs
How may behaviour be misinterpreted by humans? Give eg.
Roll over- dog means go away
Human thinks it means tummy tickle
When retraining a dog, how should new commands/signals be given?
Very differently from any existing links already learnt - eg. if usually shouted at in low voice, do not give command for new behaviour in low voice, do baby voice - nothing should be similar about the new stimulus you are trying to teach
What is hierarchy?
Stable dominance construct, independant of context
What does dominance mean?
A quality of an established relationship between individuals
Not a description of an individual animal, inherited trait or alternative form for aggressive
-> CANNOT be applied to new meetings between individuals or situation
If an animal appears confidently aggressive, is this dominance?
No, still fear. Just learnt that confident aggression works best to divert the aversive stimulus or prevent aversive event
What does the outcome of an encounter between two dogs depend on?
Context
Social situation
Type and availability of resource
Internal factors eg. health, pain, mood
In a multi dog household, why does aggression rarely occur?
Established relationship where each individual evaluates encounters in light of previous experience of other individuals - knows what they value etc
When do aggressive behaviours occur?
Resources are restricted Sibling pairs (similar value for similar resources) Composition of the group changes (one individual may have been inhibiting aggression of another) During reproductive activity periods - bitch in season has lower aggression threshold
When are the 4 main sensitive periods for learning?
Pre-natal (eg. HPA axis regulation, if mother ^HPA, pup will have v threshold for HPA activation)
Socialisation period (intense nuerogenesis)
Juvenile period
Sexual maturity
What age is the socialisation period of dogs?
3-12 weeks
Why is having a socialisation period adaptive?
Rather than being born prepared, can adapt to environment living in
First 12 weeks usually spent in den with siblings and family so adaptive to learn that these are normal things
How is HPA axis regulation affected pre-natally?
If mother is stressed (^HPA) puppies will be more reactive (v threshed for HPA activation) as this is adaptive
How may this impact of maternal hormones on puppies have negative consequences?
Agility dogs - being bred to be highly reactive, -> inability to cope with normal life because so stressed
Why were studies on socialisation periods stopped?
Not ethical - extreme deprivation involved
At what age do fear behaviours begin to show?
8 weeks / earlier
Breed and environment dependent
At this age may start to lave the den so should be cautious of new things
What type of neonates are dogs?
Altricial - born helpless, relatively limited mobility for first 12 weeks, remaining in den area with mum
What type of exposure to stimuli will prevent a fear response forming?
Quiet/low level exposure eg. fireworks - if exposed to fireworks full on will -> sensitisation not habituation
What is happening neurobiologically during the sensitisation period?
Immature nerve cells produced
New synapses forming
Synapses become permanent more easily through differential response of NT GABA
Only neural pathway that are used are retained
What are the two main outcomes of the socialisation period?
Learns what is normal and not scary
Learns what is important and directs behaviour towards achieving this
Learns social skills and how to communicate with other dogs
Why is play behaviour important in puppies?
Appropriate signalling to initiate play learnt
Adults dogs are more tolerant of puppies - may not be able to get away with it later in life
Play signals used to communicate with humans too - though these may be misinterpreted
What behaviours may be seen in separation related anxiety?
Howling barking or whining reported by neighbours Destruction esp of entrance and exit points Toileting Pacing Salivation Panting Displacement activities Compulsive behaviours Not eating Listening
What behaviours will separation anxious dogs exhibit on owner departure?
Looking for cues that being left Following owner ^ Vigilance Anxiety Displacement acitivies Aggression to stop owner leaving
What behaviours will separation anxious dogs display on return of owner?
Variable - may be excessive greeting - May be fearful, hiding, appeasement, avoidance - conflict related behaviour Related to owner response when returning
What are the three stages of an avoidance response?
Run and hide to get away
Appeasement to diffuse the conflict in social situations
Aggression to make the threat go away
How do avoidance responses develop?
Perceived threat to self or valuable resource
Different responses tried
Successful response reinforced
Successful response elicited more readily
Switch to more immediate response pathways in the brain
Behaviour then elicit immediately on presentation of the stimulus
Behaviour becomes difficult to change
What type of response is aggression?
AVOIDANCE
How are behaviour problems in dogs classified in the literature?
By context (separation related anxiety) By presentation (vocalisation) By target (inter-male aggression) Underlying motivation (dominance/fear aggression)
Presentations have multiple possible causes eg. barking - list some
Gaining attention
Maintaining contact
Perceived threat
-> whichever is successful is reinforced
