Canine Fear and Anxiety

Question 1

Anxiety

Answer 1

general fear- Not of something specific. Animal is always feeling something bad is going to happen

Question 2

Generalized anxiety vs. Situational anxiety

Answer 2

Generalized Anxiety= ever-present and affecting every situation
Situational Anxiety= triggered or enhanced by contextual clues

Question 3

Anxiety can lead to ——- or ——- behaviors

Answer 3

Adaptive Behaviors= lends to increased preparedness and helps the animal live to reproduce.
Maladaptive Behavior= interferes and causes huge stress responses. Doesn’t help the animal survive and reproduce.

Question 4

Fear

Answer 4

response to a Particular stimulus

Question 5

2 Types of Fear

Answer 5

Innate Response= biological preparedness like how a rabbit is naturally afraid of a shadow passing over.
Learned Response
Both responses are adaptive and can thus be changed.

Question 6

Response to Fear ( 4 F’s)

Answer 6

Flight (escape attempts)
Freeze (hold still)
Fight
Fidget ( displacement behaviors like lip licking, etc.)

Question 7

What determines which fear response is chosen?

Answer 7

Situation
Species
Breed
Individual
Prey species--> more flight response
Predator species--> more fight response

Question 8

Phobia

Answer 8

extreme fear response- not related to strength of stimulus–beyond true threat.
Continues after the stimulus is gone
Generalization is common- these tend to get worse.
Maladaptive ( not really helpful for survival or reproduction)

Question 9

Which phobias are more common for dogs compared to humans?

Answer 9

Dogs–> sound phobias more common
Humans–> visual phobias more common
Any fear inducing stimulus can lead to a phobia.

Question 10

What can be done to limit the number of phobias developing?

Answer 10

socialization is very important

Question 11

Common overlap features between: Fear, Anxiety, and Phobia

Answer 11

Increased arousal
Increased heart rate and respiratory rate (panting)
Pacing
Hiding/Withdrawal/Freezing

Question 12

Comparing Fear, Anxiety, and Phobia

Answer 12

Fear–> increased selective attention, stare more at something or deliberately look away from it.
Anxiety–> loss of selective attention
Phobia–> may last AFTER stimulus is gone, may generalize, and the trigger gets less specific.

Question 13

What can generalized anxiety lead to in the future?

Answer 13

It predisposes to many other behavior problems.
Different types of aggression.
Situational anxieties
Compulsive disorders
Animals with generalized anxiety are miserable and have a poorer quality of life.

Question 14

Possible signs of generalized anxiety

Answer 14

Hyperactivity
Hyper-vigilance
Increased startle response-chronic barking
Inability to relax and sleep

Question 15

Factors leading to animals getting generalized anxiety

Answer 15

pre and post natal factors
genetics
early environmental experiences

Early development of brain branching pathways due to good socialization can enable the animal to deal with stress better.

Question 16

Situational Anxiety Features

Answer 16

triggered by contextual cues

occurs in otherwise normal dogs and those with generalized anxiety

Question 17

Miscellaneous Features regarding Anxiety, Fear, and Phobia

Answer 17

can be hard to tell between situational and generalized anxiety
can see aggression due to fear-the animal will be backing up and acting fearful
Phobias can be similar to PTSD

Question 18

What usually results in the development of Phobias or anxiety?

Answer 18

SOME TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE
will not heal without rest
too much too soon will re-injure
some individuals are weaker from now on.

Question 19

Brain Centers Responsible for Phobias and Anxiety

Answer 19

Locus Ceruleus= the principle noradrenergic area. Targeted by TCAs (tricyclic antidepressents) and clonidine.
Amygdala= central site for fear conditioning, response to threat, has many serotonin receptors targeted by SSRI and clomipramine
Hippocampus= memory storage, targeted by SSRI and clomipramine. PTSD is thought to damage the hippocampus and thus the memories can’t be properly filed.

Question 20

Dog barks at guy in clothes that smell like deer- is fine when the deer smell is gone
What is this an example of?

Answer 20

Fear– specific stimulus is causing it.

Question 21

Role of Socialization

Answer 21

It is the”vaccination” for fear/anxiety issues
Acceptance of situation and stimuli as “normal” ( non-threatening.
Sensitive period from 3-16 weeks.
Quantity and Quality of exposure

Question 22

Complete Treatment 5 Step Plan

Answer 22

Avoidance
Structure Interaction Pattern (SIP)
Behavior Modification
Equipment/Tools
Drugs and other stuff