Utilizing Fear free/low stress handling

Question 1

Where to touch dogs vs. cats

Answer 1

• Cats- stroked between eyes, ears, and chin
• Dogs- don’t like being patted on top of head, neck, muzzle. Under the chin okay. Dogs don’t like being held by the collar.

Question 2

Tips to a calm hospital

Answer 2

• The hospital should be calm, relaxing place
• Have separate dog and cat waiting areas (cats should not be placed on the floor
• Provide visual barriers within each section
• Provide treats/toys
• Consider having clients wait in their vehicles and not in the waiting room
• Remove the “scary signals”

Question 3

Trigger stacking

Answer 3

When multiple triggers happen soon after each other.

Ex. cortisol increases with first stimulus, then comes down, then if another stimulus, triggers accumulate to very high cortisol

Question 4

Punishment of fear/anxious behaviour

Answer 4

Never should punish fear and anxious behaviour.

Physical punishment/raised voices can increase fear and elicit aggression.

Question 5

FAS scale

Answer 5

• Spectrum of fear, anxiety and stress
• Present in both cats and dogs

Question 6

Tips to sedating an aggressive dog

Answer 6

Can muzzle dog and guide dog through turns and corners, provide distractions, and then quickly sedate. Hopefully they will be distracted enough that they will not feel the poke

Question 7

Vets working with horses

Answer 7

• Higher risk of serious injury than firefighters and police officers
• Will suffer an average of 8 injuries during their career
• Most in 1st 5 yrs in practice

Question 8

Results from survey of equine vets in UK

Answer 8

• Limited understanding of learning principles
• Science-based behaviour modification techniques not used
• Dangerous situations handled by chemical/physical restraint
• Did little to resolve fear-based behaviour
• Produced escape responses
• Failed to address the horses emotional state and the environment

Question 9

General Horse behaviour

Answer 9

Open plain prey species

Evolved to perceive and react to emotional states especially fear, alarm and anger of conspecifics and other species in the environment

Question 10

Use of reinforcement in horses

Answer 10

Release of pressure is rewarding
- Negative reinforcement
- Pressure on a lead or reins
- Flight distance

Rewards: food (eg. Clicker training), touch, and voice
- Positive reinforcement

Question 11

Non-conventional handling methods vs. control

Answer 11

No intervention control results in higher avoidance stress response

Non-conventional methods including scratching withers, rubbing eyes, giving feed results in fewer avoidance stress response

Question 12

How do you determine horse body language?

Answer 12

• Facial expression
• Body position and muscle tension
• FAS scale for horses

Question 13

Create relaxing environment for horse

Answer 13

• Monitor early signs of fear and anxiety and stop and make changes
• Open, non-confining areas
• Exam and treatment rooms separate
• Natural lighting
• Prevent from seeing other sick or scared horses
• Calm clinic horse
• Firm, stable flooring
• Avoid dark or shadowed areas
• A view (turn out pastures)

Question 14

Tips for Behavioural modification

Answer 14

1. Habituate and systematic acclimation to novel objects and situations. How will they be handled and what will they be exposed to?
2. Avoid flooding
3. Reduced fears with systematic desensitization and counter conditioning
4. Reinforce desired behaviours and avoid reinforcing unwanted behaviour
5. Avoid punishment

Question 15

Injection desensitization

Answer 15

Run away from needle = reinforced behaviour

Use clicker to touch horse, then build up to pinching skin. Provide treats when you click and release skin