Behavior in Practice Flashcards
Preventative Medicine: Basics
- Spay/Neuter
- Socialization Classes
- Exam Room Demonstrations
- lure train sit / down / touch requests.
- Puppy and kitten kits with handouts for most common problems.
Spay and Neuter: Advantages
- Decrease in urine marking, mounting, roaming, intermale aggression.
- cats and dogs
- Decrease in aggression to human family members.
- only in 10% of dogs
- Neither age nor duration of the problem affected these results.
Spay and Neuter: Disadvantages
- Increased tendancy of age-related cognitive impairment in male dogs.
- Urethral sphincter incontinence in female dogs spayed before 6 months.
Socialization Classes: Benefits
- Well behaved puppies and kittens.
- Better retention tim ein the home.
- Bonds owners to clinic.
- Prevents anxiety in patients.
- Better owner compliance.
What is the socializaion period?
- Puppies: 4 to 14 weeks.
- Kittens: 2 to 9 weeks.
- Exposure to all situations likely to be encountered during its life in a non fear provoking manner.
- Prevention of behavior problems.
- Socialization classes during this time.
- 7-10 days after first vaccination.
- Majority of small animals die from behavioral issues.
Kitten Socializaion Classes
Kitty Kindergarten
- <14 weeks of age.
- Socialize with kittens, strangers, vet & clinic.
- One vaccine prior.
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Lessons:
- Brush Teeth
- Nail Trims & Grooming
- Manipulate Body Parts
- Restraint
- Carriers
- Obedience
Puppy Socialization Classes
- Should have at least one vaccine.
- More dogs die now from behavior problems than infectious diseases.
- Have classes in safe environment
- Socialize to strangers, vet & clinic, and puppies.
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Lessons:
- Manners
- obeidience with positive reinforcement only.
- Play Time
- Pass the Puppy
- Husbandry Issues
- Manners
Exam Room Demos
- Lure Training
- Sit, stay, come, down, drop it.
- Handling
- Ears, nails, teeth.
- Grooming.
Practice What You Preach!!
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Don’t demonstrate something that you don’t want the owner doing.
- Alpha-Rolls
- Pinning
- Scruff-Shaking
- Punihsment for Fear
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Don’t take good behavior for granted.
- Reinforce it if you want to see it again!
Puppy and Kitten Kits
- Can be pre-made or made in house.
- Handouts on body language.
- Handouts on common problems.
- Landsberg’s Book
- HSUS pets for life program
- Denver Dumb Friends League
History Taking
- Owner’s don’t volunteer information about behavior problems.
- guilt
- don’t think vet can help
- Vet staff should ask at all non emergency appointments.
- Receptionist to ask to fill out check off sheet.
- Tech to ask prior to vet exam.
- Vet can ask.
Common Appointments at a Vet Clinic
- Hit by Car
- Male roaming for females in estrus.
- Repair Fracture
- cat broke leg falling down stairs to avoid owner.
- Recurrent Ear Infection
- because owner cannot treat due to aggression of pet.
- Fractured Tooth
- escape behavior in crated dog with separation anxiety.
- Vomitting / Diarrhea
- pet continually gets into garbage.
- pica
- stress induced
What are some common puppy behaviors often seen as undesirable?
- Mouthing / Nipping / Biting
- Chewing household items.
- Digging
- Jumping Up
What are some common kitten behaviors often seen as undesirable?
- Counter Surfing
- Scratching / Biting in Play
- Waking Owners at Night
All can be delt with using learning theory. If you don’t want it, you need to use remote punishment. Increase activity during the day to give them stimulus. Reinforce what you DO want, they will get the idea.
For each common problem, you need to?
- Normal or abnormal
- Prevention
- Diagnosis
- Treatment
Is scratching furniture normal or abnormal behavior?
Scratching is normal behavior.
- Territorial marking.
- Conditions claws.
- Problems if performed in inappropriate areas.
Discuss scratching post as prevention:
- Placement
- Types
- Uses
Scratching Treatment: Avoidance
- Modify Environment
- Make areas inaccessible if possible.
- Close doors, cover in plastic or tape.
Scratching Treatment: Leadership
- Predictable interactions RRR.
- Non confrontational.
- No interactive postitive punishment.
Scratching Treatment: Behavior Modification
- Positive reinforcement (treats or catnip) for using post.
- Positive remote punishment (tape, scat mat, Sccat) for using previous area.