Dog Behaviour

Question 1

What are the 12 steps in the ladder of de-escalation?

Answer 1

1. Yawn, blink, lick nose/muzzle
2. Turning head away
3. Turn body away, sitting, pawing at things
4. Walk away
5. Creeping, ears moving further back
6. Standing crouched tail tucked
7. Lying down, pick up a paw
8. Stiffening up (brow furrowed, muzzle), staring
9. Teeth show
10. Growling
11. Snapping
12. Bite

Question 2

What can we do to de-escalate prior to the appointment?

Answer 2

• Is there a quieter entrance?
• A quieter place to wait than the waiting room? Empty exam room?
• Let the owner move the dog, not you
• Don’t drag the dog
• Try treats

Question 3

What can we do to de-escalate in the exam room?

Answer 3

• Let the patient settle
• Take history, ignore the pet
  
  • Let come to you, stroke if it approached
• Consider examining on the floor, not table
  
  • Can the owner bring a blanket from home to lay o the floor and help calm them?
• Can the owner restrain?
  
  • Liability issue: the the owner gets bit, the clinic is liable
  • If the owner is afraid, they cannot handle
  • If the dog is protective of owner, owner cannot handle
• Should we ask the owner to leave?
• Should we muzzle them?

Question 4

What can we do to de-escalate in a particularly stressful/painful procedure?

Answer 4

• Distract
  
  • Treats, petting
• Analgesics if painful
• Sedate if necessary
• Consider rescheduling with the owner medicating prior to the appointment

Question 5

Muzzle

Answer 5

• Leather and nylon better for dogs than basket muzzles (toenails can get caught)
• Shoelace muzzle if the dog is really aggressive (easy to slip on), also fits every size dog
• Let owners know that muzzles don’t hurt the dog
• Don’t wear for more than 10-15 min

Question 6

Why might a dog be anxious?

Answer 6

• New surroundings
• Contact with new dogs
• Contact with unfamiliar people
• Unfamiliar smells

Question 7

What are the 3 anxiety responses?

Answer 7

• Freeze
• Flight
• Fight

Question 8

What can we look for in eyes?

Answer 8

• How open are they?
  
  • Avoiding eye contact: fear, looking for escape
  • Wide: state of persistence
    
    • ‘Half moon/whale eyes’
    • White (sclera) of eyes visible = state of anxiety
    • Sign of arousal and fear

Question 9

What can we look for with ears?

Answer 9

• Middle of head: relaxed
  
  • Middle of head & raised: unsure
  • Retracted: fear, submission, play
    
    • /Always retracted during a bite/
  • Pointing forwards: alert, interested, assertive, possible attack

Question 10

What can we look for with muzzles?

Answer 10

• Normal: jaws closed, or open with tongue hanging out
  
  • Anxious, defensive, aggressive: retracted muzzle, teeth may show, drooling
    
    • All teeth: defensive
    • Only front teeth: aggressive
  • All dogs will close their mouth prior to biting
  • Displacement activities that show anxiety: yawning, grooming, licking lips
  • Nose/lip licking: appeasement, dog trying to calm their anxiety

Question 11

What can we look for with posture?

Answer 11

• Center of gravity
  
  • Relaxed: weight evenly distributed
  • Invitation to play: rocked back, front legs lowered
  • Anxious: one paw lifted up/weight not evenly distributed, head turned away, c shaped spine, move away from you
  • Submissive: body lowered, tail low, lying down, belly exposed
  • Aroused: leaning forwards, head outstretched
  • Flat on the floor: avoiding interaction, don’t touch me

Question 12

What can we look for with hair?

Answer 12

• Piloerection along back
  
  • Sign of anxiety or offence
  • Erect whiskers

Question 13

What can we look for with tail?

Answer 13

• Wagging from base: friendly
  
  • Wagging from the tip (short/stiff wags): aggressive
  • Straight out (perpendicular): attack
  • Held high: intimidation or aroused (aware of surroundings)
  • Relaxed: normal
  • Tucked loosely (between legs): humility
  • Tucked tightly (to belly): fear

Question 14

Should you give a dog your flat hand to smell?

Answer 14

No! Make a fist

Question 15

Should you reach out to pet a dog that is focused on something else?

Answer 15

No! Get their attention first or you will startle them

Question 16

What are some tips for approaching a fearful dog?

Answer 16

• Let scared dogs come to you
• Crouch down to make yourself seem less intimidating but don’t actually kneel/sit down (give yourself escape if needed)
  
  • Angle yourself to the side as you crouch (makes you also appear half as wide)
• Don’t ‘whine’, that is what things do when they die. This means lunch to an aggressive dog
• Dogs that would normally flee but are held back with a leash/pushed into a corner will turn to biting as a resort
• Most patients will look uncertain/borderline. Ears back but not flat, tail relaxed. Approach with a calm voice, the dog’s name, giving commands it knows, move slow, let the dog come to you
• Let the owner hand you the dog’s leash
• Most dogs are better with the owner out of the room (no stress trying to protect their owner)

Question 17

Who are the most common biters?

Answer 17

Fearful dogs