AVS 3333 - Exam 2 Study Guide

neonatal period time frame:

0-2 weeks

describe the neonatal period:

Altricial (helpless), cannot see/hear, crawl only, depend on mother for warmth, urination/defecation, feeding. Reflexes: rooting, suckling, treading. Can sense touch and smell.

transitional period time frame:

2-3 weeks

describe the transitional period:

Eyes open (12-14), ears open (1 week after eyes open), teeth begin to erupt (end of period), start standing/walking, tail wagging, social behaviors emerge, rudimentary play, learn through interaction, can handle toys.

primary socialization period time frame:

3-12 weeks

describe the primary socialization period:

Critical period for social learning. Puppies/kittens learn species-specific behavior, play, attachments to humans and littermates, bite inhibition, communication (body, vocal, scent). Begin weaning. Puppies adopt some fear responses. Human handling important for long-term social skills.

juvenile (secondary socialization) period timeframe:

end of primary --> sexual maturity

describe juvenile (secondary socialization) period:

Refinement of skills, coordinated movement, longer attention span, permanent teeth erupt. Social behaviors and independence increase. Sexual maturity: females 6-16 months, males 10-12 months.

define altricial:

born helpless, underdeveloped, dependent on mother

what reflexes are dogs and cats born with?

- Touch, smell

- Rooting, suckling, treading, scruff (cats)

- High-pitched distress calls

what reflexes are dogs and cats not born with?

- Walking/running coordination

- Complex communication

- Fear responses or learned social behaviors

why is socialization with other cats and dogs important for cats and dogs?

Learn communication, play, dominance/submission, bite inhibition, introducing dog to new stimuli to prevent reactivity

why is socialization with humans important for cats and dogs?

Builds trust, reduces fear, prevents behavioral issues

when is the legal age of removal from parents in CA?

8 weeks minimum in order to learn social and species-specific learning, proper attachment to littermates/mother, healthy behavior

what do mothers provide kittens and puppies?

- Mother provides warmth, feeding, grooming, stimulation for elimination

- Monitors play, teaches bite inhibition, predatory skills, and social behavior

who cares for kittens if solitary or in a group?

- Human interaction is important alongside mother care

- In groups, other adult cats may help raise kittens

- A solitary female cat will be the only influence on her kittens

how do kittens develop their predatory behavior?

- Learned through observation and play

- Practice stalking, pouncing, chasing

- Skills refined during object play and social play with littermates

- Mother’s teaching speeds learning, but not required

exploratory play in cats:

3-7 weeks

Develop motor skills, agility, balance, jump, climb

social play in cats:

3-8+ weeks

Learn communication, dominance/submission, bite inhibition, species-specific behaviors

object play in cats:

7-8 weeks

- develops when kittens have eye to paw coordination, uses predatory skills, sniff, lick, and touch object with paw, then bat, pounce, bite and grasp

dominant patterns in animals:

Dominant behavior: actively competes for access or control of a resource (toy, food, space).

submissive behavior in animals:

Submissive behavior: gives up or avoids competition for a resource.

what usually resolves conflict?

Ritualized communication usually resolves conflicts; aggression is less common.

scent as communication:

- Recognizes other dogs, identifies sex, age, reproductive state, emotional state, and territory.

- also used when greeting

- Sources include urine, feces (less common), anal gland secretions, and body odor.

urine marking:

- Males often do raise-leg urination (RLU) to mark territory; females may also mark, especially in estrus.

- Overmarking: one dog urinates over another dog’s urine to assert presence.

- Dogs may scratch backward after urinating to spread scent and leave a visual cue.

anal glands:

Two glands near the anus that empty into ducts, secrete pheromones to feces when defecating; contain secretions from apocrine and sebaceous glands located in the walls of the ducts

visual cues for communication:

Dominant postures: head high, standing on toes, elevated tail, piloerection, placing paw on another dog, direct eye contact.

Submissive postures: crouch low, tail tucked, avoid eye contact, may lick the dominant dog’s face, roll partially onto back.

Play bow: lowers forequarters, rump raised; invites play; other dog may reciprocate.

Tail wagging: context-dependent; low = nervous, mid = friendly, high/fast = confident or aggressive.

Ear and mouth positions also signal dominance/submission.

auditory cues used for communication:

Grunts: contentment, greeting, relaxation.

Growls: defensive, offensive, or playful.

Whines/whimpers: hunger, discomfort, attention-seeking, submission.

Howls: social cohesion or response to sounds.

Barking: alarm, excitement, play, attention-seeking, frustration

Dogs can recognize familiar dogs by their bark.

types of aggression:

Fear/Defensive: nervous, frightened; snaps or bites when approached or handled.

Territorial/Protective: guarding home or owner.

Possessive/Resource Guarding: defending toys, food, or humans; reinforced by harsh punishment.

Social/Status-seeking: defending perceived social status against other dogs or humans.

Maternal: mother defending puppies.

Intermale: between males; neutering may reduce it.

Pain-elicited: aggressive when handled if injured.

Play aggression: normal in puppies, sometimes in unsocialized adults.

Redirected: aggression redirected if blocked from original target.

Predatory: not true aggression; food acquisition behavior.

what do cats use for scent marking?

Cats use skin glands located on chin, mouth, sides of forehead, base of tail and between paws, urine, and feces sometimes - do not use anal glands

where are cats specialized skin glands?

• Beneath the chin (submandibular glands)

• Corners of the mouth (perioral glands)

• Side of the forehead (temporal glands)

• Base of the tail (caudal sebaceous glands)

• Between the pads of the feet (interdigital glands)

what is bunting?

head rubbing on objects or humans; deposits secretions from skin glands; also a greeting or territorial signal

- Secretions of the submandibular, perioral and temporal glands when cat's face or head is rubbed on an area

what is the flehmen response?

cat curls lip to better analyze scent from urine or anything

why do cat's scratch?

reassurance that that is their area, scent marking with interdigital glands, and conditioning their claws

what are the different vocal sounds of cats?

Murmur patterns: purr, trill, chirrup - sounds made with mouth closed

Vowel sounds: meow and yowl - mouth is open and closing as sound is emitted

Strained-intensity sounds: growl, hiss, pain shriek, chirping - mouth help open for entire duration of sound

confident cat posture:

appear larger, piloerection, ears partially back, direct gaze, tail down/flagging.

defensive cat posture:

nervous/fearful, arched back, flattened ears, dilated pupils, sideways display; can flip onto back to defend if attacked.

submissive cat posture:

crouch low, flatten ears, look small.

affiliate body posture:

vertical tail, gentle approach, nose touch, head-to-tail rubbing, rolling; used in greetings or soliciting petting/play.

how are social hierarchies established in cats?

Cats do not establish strict social hierarchies; dominance is not a key factor in resource access.

Offensive/dominant postures exist but are simple threat displays.

what social structures do cats live in?

Cats can live in any social structure, they are very malleable

how do cats prey on a species?

Hunt primarily using acoustic cues (prey sounds) and then visual cues (movement).

Hunting posture: crouch low, forepaws drawn back, ears erect, head forward, tail flagging; then pounce.

Kill prey via bite to neck or pounce with paws; may play with prey afterward.

can cats eliminate a prey species?

Population impact: cats can reduce prey numbers locally but cannot eliminate species populations.

what is habituation?

elemental form of learning what is important and what is not

A simple form of learning where a pet stops responding to a repeated stimulus after realizing it has no consequence.

Example: a puppy first startled by the vacuum cleaner, but after repeated exposure, ignores it.

what is sensitization?

The opposite of habituation: repeated exposure to a stimulus causes an increased response (fear, aggression, heightened alertness).

Example: a kitten chased by a dog becomes more fearful of dogs with each exposure.

what is classical conditioning?

a type of learning in which one learns to link two or more stimuli and anticipate events

what are the 5 factors of classical conditioning?

Neutral Stimulus (NS): meaningless at first, but initiates response (bell).

Unconditioned Stimulus (US): naturally meaningful (food).

Unconditioned Response (UR): natural response to US (salivation).

Conditioned Stimulus (CS): NS paired repeatedly with US (bell + food).

Conditioned Response (CR): learned response to CS alone (salivation at bell).

what is counter conditioning?

Changing a negative association into a positive one by pairing the unpleasant stimulus with something pleasant.

Example: dog doesn't like brushing, but if brushing is always followed by treats, the dog learns to enjoy it.

what is operant conditioning?

Learning based on consequences of behavior.

give examples of each positive reinforcement

give something good

Dog is sitting - trainer provides praise or treats while the dog continues to sit

Cat gets attention and treats when away from the counte

give examples of negative reinforcement

take away something good

Dog gets treats and praise when sitting and if stops sitting, the good things are stopped

Cat near or on the counters does not get attention or treats

give examples of positive punishment

give something bad

Positive Punishment is similar to negative reinforcement

• When dog moves out of position of the sit, is given an adverse stimulus (harsh word, collar jerk)for dog to avoid going out of the sit position

• If cat goes on the counter, is squirted with water and stop as soon as cat is off the counter

give examples of negative punishment

take away something bad

Dog jumps up → owner removes attention

what is the difference between continuous reinforcement and intermittent reinforcement (which works better)

Continuous: reward every correct behavior (best for teaching a new behavior).

Intermittent: reward only sometimes when result is desired behavior (creates stronger, longer-lasting behavior).

what is local enhancement?

the tendency of an individual to attend to and act in the same manner to environmental cues as other in their social group

• If one dog rolls in noxious substance, the other dog will as well

• If one dog eats feces, the other dog may as well

what is observational learning?

when a subject learns to perform a behavior through simply watching a demonstrator animal perform or learn to perform the behavior

how does different training methods affect the human-pet bond?

Positive reinforcement–based training: strengthens trust and the human-pet bond.

Punishment/aversive methods (shock collars, harsh corrections): can cause stress, fear, or aggression, and may weaken the bond by making the pet afraid of the owner.

what is needed to start to evaluate a behavior problem?

forms, medical exam, interview owner

know what the most common behavior problem in the cat and what potential causes are

Inappropriate elimination (urinating/defecating outside litter)

- stress, health issue, hormones, anxiety, surface aversion, litter box aversion

know what happens when a cat is "Spraying "urine and what are the characteristics of this problem

smells worse, posture where standing and quivering tail, butt is raised; most likely marking or spraying due to establishing territory, attract mate, or signal stress

how many litter boxes should a household should?

One more litter box than the number of cats in the household.(Ex: 2 cats → 3 litter boxes).

what can be done to decrease furniture clawing?

scratch posts, redirecting to post, aluminum foil or plastic, claw caps

how to work with a dog that is jumping to greet people?

teach them to sit, give them a treat if sitting when opening door

what should you do and what should you not do for a dog chewing inappropriately?

no negative reprimand, redirect to toys they can chew, cue to leave it, puppy proofing house

how do dog's interpret barking and how do they see things to bark at from their perspective?

Barking is normal communication; dogs don’t distinguish "good vs bad" barking.

To them, barking at a doorbell = barking at people outside the window.

Must identify triggers and train with realistic owner expectations.

what can be done for attention seeking behavior?

Examples: stealing items, barking, mouthing, "catch me if you can."

adding walks, mental stimulation, more play/more attention