Behavior and enrichment Flashcards
3 pillars of wellbeing
Social, physical and mental
Common reason for rehoming/relinquishment
behavioral problems, pet problems, health problems
What makes the shelter environment an unnatural environment?
loud noises, confinement, new people and animals
Negative behaviors created by stress in a shelter
anxiety, barrier and food aggression
Stereotypies (repetition of an act for no specific reason) are developed and affected most due to what?
length of stay - how long does it take to develop these behaviors? dog dependent but anywhere from days to months
Average length of stay
approximately 2 weeks
A cooperative or ______ animal can be just as damaging to an animal’s psyche as a fighting animal
shut down
Role of a DVM in behavioral wellness
daily evaluation rounds, training animal training, focus on prevention, behavioral emergencies, ID bottlenecks keeping animals from being adopted out
Examples of behavioral emergencies
learned helplessness, stereotypies
Effective way to ID behavioral trends and document them
behavioral forms
4 goals of behavioral program
increase adoption
decrease public safety risks
increase quality of life
decrease chances of them being re-surrendered
What is the problem with behavioral assessments?
They give a lot of false negatives - animals can become more reactive later than can initially identifiable. There should be more assessments of an animals behavior - socialization groups, walks, foster, medical exam, staff observation
Basic needs for behavioral wellness
- separated areas for activities
- place to hide
- be able to stand and lie down at full length
- routine
- separate species
- encourage species specific behaviors
taking away a negative stimulus is acceptable enrichment, true or false?
false, basic comfortable is necessary and cannot be considered enrichment
Benefit of hiding places and compartmentalized areas
giving the option of choice
Treatment for behaviorally unwell animals
- behavior modification
- enrichment
- positive reinforcement training
- pharmaceutical therapy
Things that determine if you are fit to rehabilitate certain animals
- can you keep them separate
- set checkpoints
- can your staff comfortable handle rehabilitation
When is euthanasia considered a humane option
if you cannot complete basic necessities (feeding, walking, cleaning)
Option if you are not fit for rehabilitation
- euthanasia (very serious, take steps necessary to determine if this is the only option)
- transfer (with full transparency)
Types of enrichment
- olfactory
- auditory
- tactile
- physical
- visual
- taste
- social
canine specific enrichment
- play group
- feeder toys
- scent activities
- training
- music
feline specific enrichment
- toys
- scratching
- window access
- scent activities
- cat grass
- cat TV
Kitten socialization
- start handling at 2-3 weeks
- allow supervised roaming 5-6 weeks
- Key socialization period 2-12 weeks
risk of disease _____ every five days
doubles
Puppy socialization
3-8 weeks - dog to dog socialization
5-12 dog to human socialization
10-20 weeks for new socializations
3 months is critical period –> sociability outweighs fears
How to enrich long term stay animals
bring them into the office, go for a day trip, alternatives to cage or kennel
Puppies need occasional alone time - true or false?
True, they need quiet time to sleep and relax
