Dog behaviour Flashcards
Kids and dogs
Young children should never be left alone with a dog.
A screaming child may be perceived as a prey object to the dog.
Children should never put their face close to the dog’s face.
They should not hug, ride like a pony, or pull ears or tails on dogs.
Be a tree!
When your dog is too excited, or a dog is scaring you, or you do not know them
Cats and dogs
Introduce your dog to cats as early as possible during their socialization development stage.
Never leave a cat alone with a dog for their first few meetings
It may be best to have one in a crate if they are older.
Watch your dogs body language, as well as the cats, to determine if you should remove him from the situation.
Submissive urination
Usually inherited from parents
Most common in female dogs
Many puppies will outgrow this as they become more confident.
More prevalent in some breeds
Obedience train your dog; trained dogs are generally more confident
Encourage confidence: play tug-of-war with the dog and let the dog win.
Puppy classes build confidence.
Treatment: be boring
Ignore the dog to reduce excitement level when you arrive.
Teach the dog to sit when greeted (distraction)
Greet the dog only when she is calm.
NO PUNISHMENT
Excitement urination
Young dogs
Particularly when new guest arrives.
Still developing sphincter control
Will outgrow.
Owners must remain calm
Low key greetings
Greet on impervious floors.
NO PUNISHMENT!
Fears and phobias
If in the wild, fear would protect the dog from harm.
Most of the dogs you see are fear-biters.
These are usually wonderful dogs when they are at home in their own environment.
Fears can be inadvertently taught by the owner.
Many fears are due to lack of socializing.
Fears may be related to a bad experience.
Treatment of fears and phobias
Ignore fearful behaviour and reward confident behaviour.
Desensitizing treatment
First, train to assume a relaxed posture such as SIT/STAY or DOWN/STAY for a really great treat.
As the feared stimulus is introduced and intensified, the dog is rewarded for relaxed behaviour.
You must be able to control intensity of the stimulus in order to gradually expose the dog to it
Expose the dog to the stimulus at such a level that the dog is not showing ANY signs of fear.
Reward calm behaviour
NEVER punish the dog for being scared.
_DO NOT pet or talk to a dog that is scared. Wait for the dog to relax…..then pet
Separation anxiety
Distress at being left alone (howl, bark, chew, dig, scratch at doors, defecate)
Some dogs get extremely attached to their human families.
When the family leaves, the dog exhibits a behaviour which results in a quick reunion. (Scratching at the door or barking usually works)
It can occur in any dog at any age
The dog will try anything to get the owner to return.
Housetrained dogs will often urinate or defecate from being anxious.
Despite owner belief, this is NOT a spiteful behaviour.
Often created by the owner, some breed diposittioned
Dogs exhibit exaggerated greeting behaviours and tend to be clingy with their owners (although flattering, this is not healthy for the dog).
Separation anxiety treatment
Start with planned departures and short separations without the dog becoming distressed (ex: 10-20 seconds)
Practice SIT, STAY. Teach your dog not to follow you. Gradually, increase the distance until you are leaving the room.
Put your coat on, grab your keys, go to the door, step out for a minute and return.
Consider use of Dog Appeasing Phermone (DAP)
IGNORE THE DOG!! (Do NOT induce excitement)
Initally, keep the departures short, gradually getting longer as the dog shows calm behaviour
When leaving the house, do not speak to, look at or touch the dog.
Your arrival and departure must be calm and as boring as possible.
You can do as many of these sessions as you like. If the dog loses interest, GREAT!
Once the dog is comfortable being left alone, you can bump up the intervals quite quickly. If he tolerated 30 minutes, try 2 hours next time.
Always condition the dog to be in the same room or crate while you are away. Confinement is for safety reasons. These dogs may go through windows, scratch doors, etc.
Provide toys (ex. stuffed KONGS)
Punishment is NOT effective in treating separation anxiety.
Waiting outside the door for destructive behaviour to begin and then rushing into the house punishing the dog does not work. It will likely make the dog even more anxious about the owner returning.
Never punish a dog if you return home and find something destroyed. Owners may say the dog did it to spite them or the dog had a guilty look. The dog has made an association between the owners return, the chewed item and punishment. *Only discipline the dog if you catch him in the act.
Crates as a training tool
Crates are great training tools.
Should be used when puppies are young
Their safe den
Should only be used in dogs who are comfortable with their crate being a safe and cozy place. They can then get used to being left alone in the crate.
Crates are for training and not meant for the dog to be left alone in all day.
A crate trained dog will have fewer issues being confined when they must visit the veterinarian or require kenneling.
Never use for punishment
typical problems for singleton puppies
Lack of social skills which can lead to leash aggression when older.
Inhability to read body language
No bite inhibition
No regard for authority
Lack of impulse control
Touch sensitivity and frustration
Singleton puppies
Miss out on early experiences needed for normal social development.
Pups should be with littermates for 7 to 8 weeks for best chance at normal social development.
In a typical litter, pups have constant physical contact with puppies crawling all over them.
What can you do for singleton puppies
Interrupt them when they are nursing
Have the puppy spend time with puppies of roughly the same age
Join another litter if possible
Work on bite inhibition
Handle the puppy….LOTS!
Common reasons for aggression and biting
Resource guarding
Protecting its territory
Child was annoying the dog
Sleeping and was startled
Old or in pain
Frightened or hurt.
Lack of bite inhibition
Playing and became over excited.
Safe handling for VT
Stand to the side
Always have the owner hand the dog to you
Take small dogs that are being held from behind.
Best if the dog is on a leash on the ground.
If the dog pulls back while you are leading it, go with the dog!
If you must carry the dog, do not hold it close to your face.
Plan, before you ever touch the dog (ex: pre-med the dog before you put it in a cage, so you don’t have to handle it twice)
Wear protective gloves whenever necessary
Don’t be afraid to ask for help! Some dogs require two people.
Remember, most dogs are wonderful pets when they are at home. They can be great with their families in a familiar environment, but totally different when you see them in your practice.
Always keep that in mind and try to have a calm, assertive attitude, especially when handling difficult dogs
