6. behavioral assessments for dogs

behavior and the environment

• behavior is environmentally _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

• no “true dog” discovered by _ _ _ _ _ _ & _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

1. dependent

2. poking

3. prodding

behavioral assessments in shelters

• assess _ _ _ _ _ _

  • in the shelter or at home?

• _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

  • is dog safe to adopt out?

  • what sort of home is the dog best in?

• predict at home _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

1. safety

2. adoptability

3. behavior

valid behavioral assessments

• for predictive validity… need to test _ _ _ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ of dogs on a huge battery of _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ tests

• place _ _ _ dogs tested (even the ones you think you shouldn’t)

  • follow up on those dogs

1. hundreds

2. thousands

3. behavioral

4. all

do they tell us what we want to know? resource guarding:

• 55% that showed _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ in the shelter did so after adoption

• 23% that did _ _ _ show food aggression did so after _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

• although not perfect, dogs that showed resource guarding in the shelter were _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ to show it at home

1. food

2. aggression

3. not

4. adoption

5. more

6. likely

do they tell us what we want to know? using a fake dog to assess dog-dog skills:

• _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ behaviors showed 84% agreement

• _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (76%) and _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (69%) were more variable

1. friendly

2. fearful

3. aggressive

do they tell us what we want to know? some behaviors seem sticky— in multiple environments

• _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ chewing

• separation- related _ _ _ _ _ _ _

• fear/ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ at the vet

• aggression towards _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ dogs

• aggression towards unfamiliar _ _ _ _ _ _

1. inappropriate

2. anxiety

3. aggression

4. unfamiliar

5. people

when to evaluate dogs?

• bennett evaluated dogs using SAFER on day of _ _ _ _ _ and then _ _ _ _ _ _ days later

  • results not _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

  • varied across subtests

• when to test is _ _ _ _ _ _ _

• best to continue to _ _ _ _ _ _ _

1. entry

2. three

3. consistent

4. unclear

5. monitor

recent push back on behavioral assessments

• historically used to cull dogs and make _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ decisions

  • _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ guarding

• does that mean we don’t test and we just adopt out dogs/ not give adopters info?

  • it is better than flipping a coin

  • _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ and _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ not to provide info

1. euthanasia

2. resource

3. unethical

4. irresponsible

other ways of using behavioral assessments in shelters

• it IS _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ data

  • dog is showing how it _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ its current environment

• using assessment as a way to identify dogs _ _ _ _ _ to appropriately allocate _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

  • dogs that need dog-dog _ _ _ _ _ _

  • dogs that need help with _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

  • dogs that are doing poorly in _ _ _ _ _ _

1. accurate

2. handles

3. needs

4. resources

5. skills

6. handling

7. kennel

are there other ways of getting useful information?

• moving away from formal _ _ _ _ and _ _ _ _ tests

• gather information during routine interactions

  • _ _ _ _ _ _ exams

  • _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ time

  • _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

  • field trips

  • _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

• create _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ definitions

  • easy to _ _ _ _ _ _

  • trained staff and _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

  • track— look for changes

1. poke

2. prod

3. intake

4. feeding

5. playgroups

6. sleepovers

7. objective

8. behavioral

9. record

10. volunteers

getting more snapshots

• _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

• _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ / sleepovers

• _ _ _ _ _ _ adoptions

1. field trips

2. fostering

3. trial

behavioral assessments in puppies

• _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ for companion homes

  • can we predict _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _?

  • can we identify what the puppy will need as it _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ?

  • can we identify what _ _ _ _ it will need as an _ _ _ _ _ ?

• suitability for working homes

• CARAT

• Volhard Puppy Test

• _ _ _ _ _ the puppy, better we can predict _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

• large effects of _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ input

1. suitability

2. temperament

3. matures

4. home

5. adult

6. older

7. behavior

8. environmental

temperament testing adult dogs

• temperament: relatively enduring _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ that influence _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ across many situations

1. predispositions

2. behavior

types of temperament testing in adult dogs

• swedish dog mentality assessment

  • swedish working dog association

  • _ _ _ _ _ _ contact

  • _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ play

  • _ _ _ _ _ _ ?

• american temperament test

• guide dogs for the blind

  • 50% _ _ _ _ _ _ _ rate

  • 70% after changing to _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

1. social

2. distance

3. ghosts

4. washout

5. positive

6. reinforcement

behavioral assessments for mature working dog candidates

• selecting dogs in _ _ _ _ _ _ _ or being _ _ _ _ _ _ as working dog candidates

• weiss and greenberg

  • selection test was _ _ _ good predictor of dogs ability to _ _ _ _ _ _ _ or _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ task

  • fear/ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ subtests were the only predictive subtest

• svartberg

  • _ _ _ _ _ _ _- _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ score predicted success in working dog trials

• scent _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ dogs

  • rescues 2 the rescue

1. shelters

2. rehomed

3. not

4. retrieve

5. obedience

6. submission

7. shyness

8. boldness

9. detections