Canine Ethology Flashcards
What type of response causes predatory drift?
A limbic response
Dogs personal space also known as _____ or ______
Critical distance or flight distance
Examples of two reactive states which produce stress
Social situations and fearful situations
What is stress (dog)?
An influence on a dog that deviates the dog from homeostasis, the neural, normal baseline state of one particular dog.
A _______ dog is hesitant. nervous, distrustful, fearful and hopes the scary thing will go away.
Defensive dog
Stress is abstract and subjective, (happy, unhappy, can make more or less active; good stress bs bad stress) How can stress be positive for an animal?
Stress in manageable doses has a positive effect on an individual helping us perform to our potential.
What are some negative effects of stress?
Too much stress inhibits the learning process because of chemical influences in the brain. Can activate “fight or flight” response. Also can produce illness.
How can stress produce illness in a dog?
Stress hormones accumulate in the body taking a long time to dissipate meaning long-term effects on the dog.
How is stress linked to behavior and training problems?
Dogs are more likely to preform an aggressive act under stress as a result of frustration more than they would in a neutral state. Too much stress inhibits the learning process due to chemical influences in the brain activating “fight or flight” response.
Name seven signs of noticeable stress in a dog that may cause you to have to manipulate the environment to make the dog more comfortable.
Panting, drooling, trembling, sweaty paws, tense body, shedding/dandruff, change in eyes or weight displacement.
What causes fearful behaviors in a dog? (External)
Experiences the dog considers “risky” or are predisposed to having a fearful personality, improper or lack of early socialization or prior traumatic experience.
Dogs can be _____ without being threatening or aggressive.
Fearful.
Physiological indicators of fear are the release of ____ and _____ and other chemicals in the body.
The release of adrenaline, cortisol and other chemicals in the body.
A dogs first reaction to fear, if given the opportunity, will be
To try to move away from the fear producing situation or thing to increase the space between them.
Freezing, trembling, panting, whining and being reluctant to approach another dog/ person/object are all common responses of ______.
Fearful behaviors.
Fearful responses in the training area can be characterized by
Attempts to hide under chairs and other objects or behind the owner. Unwilling to enter the building, may freeze in one spot on arrival or slowly creep around the room one step at a time.
When is a dog considered reactive?
A dog is considered reactive when he displays any behavior that goes beyond the behavior of a normal dog In frequency, intensity or duration.
Name three examples of Reactive behavior
Fearful, aggressive or friendliness going beyond the behavior of a normal dog In frequenc, intensity or duration.
Why do reactive dogs show poor impulse control?
Reactive dogs have poor impulse control because their energy builds up and if untrained, it is not always released at the appropriate time.
What does Ambivalence mean?
Ambivalence means being in conflict.
What is the emotional state of an ambivalent dog? Will their body posture show offensive or defensive component? What often determines the action the way the dog will act? ( friendly or fearful?)
A. Unsure, unclear or undecided.
B. The body posture might show both offensive and defensive components at the same time.
C. The way the dog will go, friendly or fearful, often depends on the environment and how the other individual responds.
What do displacement behaviors tell us about how this dog is feeling?
Displacement behaviors are signs the dog is unsure of himself or anxious about how to behave.
Displacement behaviors can be early warning signals that the dog is feeling what type of way?
Threatened or fearful, in conflict or frustrated. “Trying to hold it together“ while deciding what to do next.
How should you respond to a dog using displacement behaviors in class?
Give them plenty of room. Place them anywhere with a solid wall behind them like a corner so they realize no one can approach from the rear and they can retreat if need be.
Name four common displacement behaviors. What makes them displacement behaviors vs normal behaviors?
A. Yawning, lip licking, scratching and sniffing around.
B. They are often out of context for the situation They are occurring in and occur at higher rates than normal behavior.
What do displacement behaviors indicate about the dogs emotional state?
They indicate the dog is in conflict. “All is not well”
What is a ”Cut-off“ signal?
What do these signals suggest?
A. Another name for displacement activities/behaviors.
B. The signals suggest a compromise between potential adversaries. A mean to post pone or break off agnostic conflict or an expressive compromise between fighting and fleeing.
What is a compromise signal? Is it a submissive or defensive gesture?
Compromise signal is not a submissive gesture but an opportunity for the “contestants” to call a draw and walk away without loss of gain or status.
What are calming signals? Who coined the term? How do they de-escalate conflict?
Turid Rugaas. Calming signals are cues that produce pacifying effects on the animal exhibiting them. These signals have a mutually pacifying effect that curtails hostilities before they have a chance to escalate into more serious conflict.
Clusters of calming signals will alert you to ______.
What adjustments should you make after recognizing these clusters?
Clusters of calming signals will alert you to observe carefully. Adjustments to the environment such as increasing space are in order.
Name seven examples of calming signals.
Yawning, stretching the tongue (licking), scratching, turning away (curving), sniffing, blinking (adverting eyes), splitting.
What does “splitting” look like?
“Splitting“ is a type of _____ signal.
A. Splitting is when a dog walks in between two other dogs interacting with each other to split up the focus.
B. calming signal.
Humans can communicate and calm dogs by mimicking these signals
Calming signals
What is agonistic behavior?
Agonistic behavior s any social behaviour related to fighting. The term has broader meaning than aggressive behaviour because it includes threats, displays, retreats, placation, and conciliation.
____ or ____ are two general categories for resolving social conflict.
Fight or flight.
Behaviors used in response to social conflict or competitive encounters are called ______ behaviors.
Agonistic behaviors.
Three options dogs have to resolve social or competitive disputes ____, _____, ____.
(hint: AAS)
Avoidance, appeasement and submission.
What is avoidance?
To simply leave or flee to avoid a threatening situation.
What are some signals of avoidance in a training classroom and what happens if the dog is prevented from using them?
A. Backing away, getting under or behind a chair or owner.
B. If prevented from fleeing dogs in this situation are forced to select another (usually more aggressive) option.
What is appeasement? What is the goal of appeasement?
“Calming signals” Appeasement is to display behaviors with a goal to “turn off” or inhibit perceived threats from others to resolve social conflicts.
What is submission? How is submission different than appeasement?
Behaviors labeled as submissive are shown toward people or dogs that have an established relationship with the dog. Appeasement is to display behaviors to resolve social conflict.
Submissive dogs may be conflicted. Some submissive gestures are similar to those meant to communicate ____ but are not necessarily signals of ____.
Anxiety (fear, stress)
fear
Submission includes a wide range of postures subcategorized into two catagories. What are these two categories called?
Active submission and passive submission.
What is the point of a submissive posture?
A submissive posture is an attempt to inhibit threats coming from another.
What is the goal of a threat of aggression? What is an example of a threat of aggression?
The goal of a threat of aggression is not to cause physical injury but to warn the other to stop. “air-snap”
What is an ”air snap”? What is The point of one?
Air snaps are inhibited bites. The dog could have connected an air snap and done harm but chose to threaten only.
Aggression is often the result of ______ or ____ ____.
Frustration or inner conflict
