Animal Behavior & Handling

Behavior development 5 Major Phases: 1. Neonate 2.Transitional 3. Socialization 4. Juvenile 5. Adult

Canine Neonate 0-14 days Complete dependence on mom Blind and deaf External stimulation needed for elimination Behavior is mostly reflexive Very short handling may be beneficial Picked up by humans for a couple seconds at a time may help them to deal with stress better later on in life and may be more social Too much handling can result in sickness Altricial = helpless Precocious = relatively mature and mobile http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Xnbx_8YlOg

Canine Transitional 14 to 21 days Vision and hearing improve Period of rapid development Can take a few wobbly steps until at the end of the period when can walk confidently Vision and hearing improve Eliminate without aid First teeth Wag tail Agnostic behavior Transitioning from behavoir that is designed for survival of newborn to more exploratory http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fV3CRAo7jEQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L28TM48bF0

Canine Socialization 3-16 weeks Full sight and hearing During weeks 3-8 socialize with other dogs During weeks 7-12 socialize with humans During 12 -16 adapt to novel environments During 7-10 weeks is fear period and traumatic situations should be avoided. Socializing with other dogs helps them to learn how to be dogs (normal canine behavior): read body posture and communicate their emotional states http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nREW4TmnnaE

Canine Juvenile 10 to 12 weeks to maturity Form secondary relationships Permanent teeth around week 16 Determine their place in the pack Secondary relationship = beyond mom and litter maters Like a teenager: testing the rules, figuring out boundaries except unlike a teenager they are separated from parental figure (teenagers usually exhibit testing in preparation to leave) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89luGserh3o

Time line in Weeks Socialization Juvenile Neonate with other dogs Avoid traumatic experiences 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 1 Transitional with humans Juvenile novel environments Neonate with other dogs

Canine Adult After sexual maturity Usually 5-6 months but . . . ! Smaller dogs can get pregnant at an earlier age larger breeds can be as long as 18 mo – 2years Males can start exhibiting unwelcome behavior related to sexual maturity (spraying, wandering) by 9 months Leg trying to steal a bone Bailey play dead The earliest sign of estrus is swelling or engorgement of the external vulva, but this swelling is not always obvious. In many cases, a bloody vaginal discharge will be the first thing that a pet owner will observe when their dog comes into heat. In some cases, the discharge will not be apparent until several days after estrus has begun. The amount of discharge varies with the individual dog; some dogs have only a tiny amount of discharge while others have heavy bleeding. Occasionally, especially in dogs with long dark hair,  the discharge will not be apparent at all. ... a bloody vaginal discharge will be the first thing that a pet owner will observe when their dog comes into heat. The vaginal discharge will change in color and appearance as the cycle progresses. At first, the discharge is very bloody, but as the days pass, it changes to a watery, pinkish-red discharge, usually about 7-10 days into the cycle. A female dog that is in heat will often urinate more frequently than normal, or may develop 'marking behavior', in which she urinates small amounts on various objects either in the home or when she is on a walk. During the estrus or heat stage of her estrus cycle, her urine contains pheromones and hormones, both of which signal her reproductive state to other dogs. This is the reason that dogs in heat will attract other dogs, particularly males.  Male dogs can detect a female in heat from a great distance and may begin marking your property with their urine in an attempt to claim their 'territory". At what stage of the estrus cycle is the dog able to get pregnant? The female dog usually ovulates at about the time that the vaginal discharge becomes watery; this marks her most fertile stage and at this time she will usually become receptive to breeding.   However, sperm can survive for a week in the reproductive tract and still be capable of fertilizing the eggs, so it is possible that she can get pregnant at any point while she is in estrus. Contrary to popular belief, it is not necessary for the female to 'tie' with the male dog in order to get pregnant (for further information see our handout "Breeding for Pet Owners - Estrus and Mating in Dogs"). Most dogs come into heat twice per year, or about every six months, although the interval can vary between breeds, and from dog to dog. Small breed dogs may cycle three times per year, while giant breed dogs may only cycle once every 12-18 months.

Social behavior Visual Olfactory Vocal

Alert, dominate, fearful, relaxed, submissive C A=alert, B=relaxed, C=fearful, D=submissive, E=dominance D E

Canine visual: Relaxed Eyes slowly blinking Ears pricked (up) but not forward, or relaxed slightly down and back Mouth loose Tongue may be slightly visible Weight evenly distributed Tail down, may show relaxed sweeping back and forth Eyes relaxed and slowly blinking Ears pricked (up) but not forward, or relaxed slightly down and back Mouth loose, corners relaxed, mouth may be slightly open Tongue may be slightly visible or hanging over lower teeth Soft muscle tone Weight evenly distributed on all four feet Tail down and even, may show relaxed sweeping back and forth

Canine visual: alert Eyes open wide Ears pricked forward, may move back and forth Mouth closed Tail pointing away from dog, almost horizontal, not stiff or bristled Leans body slightly forward Stands tall on toes Eyes open wide, alert eye contact (however, this may signal aggression from a strange dog) Ears pricked and forward, may move back and forth Mouth closed Tail pointing away from dog, almost horizontal, not stiff or bristled Leans body slightly forward Stands tall on toes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntKIPGKn-tM

Canine visual: Dominance Tail high Head up Ears erect Direct eye contact This is offensive http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNwjJzk4V_8

Canine visual: Submissive Tail low & wagging Presentation of inguinal area Nuzzling/licking http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGvI891akrQ

Canine visual: fearful Ears flattened back Direct eye contact Dilated pupils Corners of mouth drawn back, lips slightly curled May slightly expose teeth Nose wrinkled Body lowered, crouching position Hackles on neck and back raised Tail tucked, may slightly wag http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFwAjG9BU9A http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY1OM5um6Vc better one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ihXq_WwiWM Short version of Holly http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpPNhjD7Mg4 long Holly version

Canine visual: ritualized gestures Threat Bluff Play

1. 10. 6. 2. 7. 4. 3. 8. 5. 9. Relaxed Alert Dominant Fearful submissive 3. 8. 5. 9.

review submissive

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Review One on left is dominant

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Canine olfactory Feces & urine deposition “Inspection” of head and anal regions

Canine vocal: Bark Defense Play Greeting Call for attention

Canine vocal: Growl Defense Warning Threat

Canine vocal: whimpering/whining Submissive Greeting Pain

Canine vocal: Howl When alone mostly Seeking social contact

learning Positive reinforcement Negative reinforcement Why do positive reinforcement? It increases the probability that that behavior will occur again Fearful behavior—if you are coddling the dog, you may be telling the dog that it is ok to be afraid and this a good way to get attention.

Positive reinforcement Present pleasant or rewarding stimulus immediately following a desirable behavior Must occur within 3-5 seconds of the desired behavior More effective but . . . . May reinforce attention- getting & fearful behaviors

Negative reinforcement Occurs when an animal escapes or avoids an aversive stimulus by performing a behavior This will increase the probability repeating the behavior Often misunderstood—mistaken for punishment and thought to decrease the frequency of the undesirable behavior—rather it increases the probability of a response, like positive reinforcement Example: choke collar—the dog will sit or be calm in order to avoid the pressure of the collar (vs positive reinforcement in which you reward the dog with a treat for sitting) Fear motivated aggression is an example of a behavoir problem that is hard to resolve because it is easily negative reinforced. For a fear-biter, the approach of a person is the averse stimulus. The growling biting dog drives away the person thereby avoiding the stimulus (the person)

Compare POSITIVE NEGATIVE Addition of stimulus Food presentation Give a shock NEGATIVE Removal of stimulus Food deprivation Escaping a shock

Punishment Presentation of aversive stimulus following unwanted behavior in effort to decrease repeated unwanted behavior Immediate = within 2 seconds, otherwise considered “noncontingent punishment” which means the aversive event is not contingent on the animal’s behavior. It may exacerbate the problem. Usually you’ll hear the owner claiming that Fido “looked guility”. Dogs are extremely perceptive and can read your cues indicating a imminent scolding. That guilty look is a submissive posture because the dog feels threatened. Since you can not be present for every occurrence of the misbehavior, it is virtually impossible to be consistent The punishing stimulus must be sufficiently unpleasant to stop the behavior after only a few presentations. If the behavior is not stopped then by definition the punishment is not a punishment because it is not sufficiently aversive. Also, the dog may percieve the punishment as reinforcement because it is attention nonetheless. Also, the punishment may elicit fearful or aggressive behavior. It is also difficult to control the intensisty and duration of the punishment and can therefore easily slip into the cruel category. Punishment may result in eliminating the behavior in the owner’s presence but nt absence. Lastly, the dog doesn’t learn the right thing.

Punishment Will only work if . . . It’s immediate. It’s consistent. It’s sufficiently aversive. Immediate = within 2 seconds, otherwise considered “noncontingent punishment” which means the aversive event is not contingent on the animal’s behavior. It may exacerbate the problem. Usually you’ll hear the owner claiming that Fido “looked guility”. Dogs are extremely perceptive and can read your cues indicating a imminent scolding. That guilty look is a submissive posture because the dog feels threatened. Since you can not be present for every occurrence of the misbehavior, it is virtually impossible to be consistent The punishing stimulus must be sufficiently unpleasant to stop the behavior after only a few presentations. If the behavior is not stopped then by definition the punishment is not a punishment because it is not sufficiently aversive

PUNISHMENT Why it is not ideal . . . It is attention. May elicit fearful/aggressive behavior. Difficult to control the intensity and duration. Work’s only in owner’s presence. Dog never learns the right thing. Also, the dog may percieve the punishment as reinforcement because it is attention nonetheless. Also, the punishment may elicit fearful or aggressive behavior. It is also difficult to control the intensisty and duration of the punishment and can therefore easily slip into the cruel category. Punishment may result in eliminating the behavior in the owner’s presence but nt absence. Lastly, the dog doesn’t learn the right thing.

Feline vocal Learned Instinctive Kittens can hiss before their eyes open Have a strong escape instinct—that’s why you can’t herd them!

feline olfactory Provides information regarding: Sexual identity Time spent at a location Reproductive stage

Feline olfactory: scent marking Urine spraying Feces Rubbing Clawing/scratching Urine- intact males Feces- seldom used as a scent marker because cats often cover feces, however, territorial cats may leave feces ncovered n conspicuous areas Rubbing-cats deposit secretions from large sebacious glands onto objects or individuals http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4bBX1m3boA CAT SPRAY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4bBX1m3boA HEAD RUB http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwnrxK3-qEY CAT SCRATCH

Feline visual: face Undisturbed Erect ears Relaxed whiskers Normal pupils

Feline visual: face Disturbed Flattened ears Whiskers flat (defensive) or forward (offensive) Pupils dilated (defensive) or constricted (offensive) Lips pulled back baring teeth Nose wrinkled

Feline visual: body posture Friendly Tail upright

Feline visual: body posture Frightened Body arched laterally Piloerection Tail close to body or erect

Feline visual: body posture Angry Hindquarters elevated Tail straight out from body then abruptly bending downward Tail tip twitching from side to side http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFCJDOxgjtE OFFENSIVE DEFENSIVE

Feline visual: body posture Submissive Avoids eye contact Ears back Crouched passively Belly low to ground Tail tucked between legs May lie on back with belly up

Feline visual: body posture Play Solicit by rolling over to expose belly Inverted U tail

defensive

friendly

submissive

offensive

playful

Frightened

Behavior problems Aggression Barking/furniture scratching Soiling OCD

Restraint What to consider . . . Fear Aggression Age Health The owner! Why do it? Why? Protect the animal from harming itself. Protect the animal from harming you. Old/pregnant: sensitive to stress, old can be arthritic Young: puppies wiggle so always maintain contact to avoid a fall

Most Common

Most Common Horses: chain lead on halter, twitch, tail tie,

Restraint equipment Leads Muzzles Rabies pole Cat bag Chemical

Check point How would you restrain a dog if using the . . . Cephalic vein? Jugular artery? Saphenous vein? Where is the best place to draw blood on a cat? Where is the best place to get a large volume of blood from a dog or cat?

Check point Where is the best place to draw blood on a cat? What are common ways to distract a cat during restraint? What is the philosophy regarding cat restraint?

Check point What is the best type of restraint equipment to use when . . . A dog is trying to bite? The dog is friendly? A cat may be showing signs of aggression? The animal is feral and exhibiting suspicious neurological symptoms? The cat or dog is fractious beyond reason?