VET101 FINAL PREP

Human-Animal Interaction (HAI)

Any interaction between a human and an animal. Umbrella term; includes brief, one-time encounters.

Human-Animal Relationship (HAR)

Repeated interactions, so the animal begins to anticipate future encounters.

Human-Animal Bond (HAB)

A positive HAR with mutual benefit between an individual human and an individual animal.

HAI vs HAR vs HAB (hierarchy)

HAI = any interaction (broadest). HAR = repeated interactions, animal anticipates. HAB = positive HAR, mutually beneficial, one human + one specific animal.

7 categories of HAI

Pets/companion animals; agricultural animals; working animals; entertainment/recreation; animal-assisted interventions; wildlife; lab animals.

Examples of less obvious HAIs

Man walking past cattle; dog receiving an injection; scared cat being handled; lion with human observers (safari); startled pigeons.

How HAIs develop into HARs in farm animals

All interactions start as HAIs (even one-off). Repeated interactions (feeding, milking, handling) = repeated HAIs. Animals begin to anticipate interactions = HAR develops.

What the quality of a HAR depends on

Frequency, duration and type of human contact, plus the quality of the interactions. When repeated, they become HARs.

Positive HAR pathway

Positive interactions → positive emotions (play, seeking, petting) → positive perception of humans → positive HAR.

Neutral HAR pathway

Neutral interactions → neutral emotions (low fear, low contact) → neutral perception of humans → neutral HAR.

Negative HAR pathway

Negative interactions → negative emotions (fear: flight/fright) → negative perception of humans → negative HAR.

Positive human factors (agricultural HARs)

Slow movements, whispers and petting; stockperson is patient, friendly, calm.

Neutral human factors (agricultural HARs)

Non-aggressive controlling interactions (gentle stick use, gentle handling, instructive talking); stockperson present but neither friendly nor aggressive.

Negative human factors (agricultural HARs)

Abrupt movements, pushing, use of prods, shouts and kicks; stockperson dominant, impatient, aggressive.

Scenario 1: contract sheep shearer (HAI or HAR?)

HAI, not a HAR. Brief, one-off contact (2 days), never been to the farm, probably won't return, so no repeated interaction for the sheep to anticipate. Sheep show typical avoidance but settle during shearing.

Benefits of positive HARs in agricultural animals

Absence of fear (easier to handle); higher reproductive performance in sows; more socially active intact male pigs; enhanced growth and feed efficiency in poultry; disease resistance and increased first-week survival in poultry; reduced plasma cortisol in dairy and beef cattle; improved udder health in dairy cattle.

Effects of negative HARs in agricultural animals

Reduced weight gain in pigs; reduced reproductive outcomes in pigs, poultry and cattle; increased fear responses in chickens, piglets and cows; immunosuppression in poultry; reduced milk production in dairy cows; reduced meat quality in cows.

Good stockmanship in Australia

Recognised as a key component of good animal welfare in the 3rd edition of the Australian Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals (pigs). The Code proposes stockperson/staff training and verification measures.

Prohand

Stockperson training from the Animal Welfare Science Centre (Melbourne University).

Prohand cycle

Improved stockperson beliefs → improved stockperson behaviour → reduced fear in animals → better job satisfaction, profitability, welfare, production and handling ease → back to improved beliefs.

'Happy workers' chain (Prohand)

Happy workers → better welfare → better production → more profit (e.g. 5% milk) → happy workers.

Key messages: HARs in agricultural animals

1) A positive HAR is a fundamental way to improve farm animal welfare, with health and production benefits. 2) Stockperson attitudes profoundly affect HAR quality. 3) Both animals and humans benefit from positive HARs.

Roles of vets and animal scientists in encouraging positive HAIs/HARs

1) Animal health and welfare; 2) Disease prevention and control; 3) Management and husbandry; 4) Education and training; 5) Research and innovation; 6) Regulatory compliance.

3 criteria for a true HAB

1) One human + one specific animal (NOT groups or herds). 2) Reciprocal and persistent: both actively involved over time (NOT one-off or one-sided care). 3) Mutually beneficial: both gain something meaningful. ALL THREE must be met.

AVMA definition of the human-animal bond

A mutually beneficial and dynamic relationship between people and animals.

Animal benefit of HAB: health care

Strongly bonded dog and cat owners do more preventative care (clear correlation between bond strength and propensity to engage in preventive care).

HAB research in dogs (extensive)

Physiological: oxytocin-gaze positive loop; fMRI reward centres activate to owner; lower baseline cortisol. Behavioural: secure base effects; separation distress/reunion joy; choose owner over food. Cognitive: positive bias in bonded dogs; social referencing to owner.

HAB research in cats (emerging)

Found: show attachment style; recognise owner's voice; secure base effects; prefer interaction over food. Still limited: few physiological studies; often compared to dogs.

HAB research in other species (limited)

Horses remember positive interactions; heart rate changes with familiar humans. Farm animals: cattle approach gentle handlers; pigs discriminate between handlers. Gap: research focuses on productivity, not bonds or emotional benefits; need more HAI-specific studies.

Negative sides of HAIs

High rates of surrender to shelters; animal abuse; financial costs; time commitments; allergies and zoonoses; property destruction; behavioural issues; lifestyle limitations (work, housing, travel); environmental impact; overpopulation; animal hoarding.

Problematic companion animal HAIs (news examples)

Therapy dog regulation needing improvement; fatal dog attacks and NSW dog ownership legislation under review; pet rottweiler attack in Perth; vet bills forcing cash-strapped owners into impossible choices.

Scenario 6: HAR vs HAB examples (companion animals)

HARs: pet sitter with multiple clients (repeated, dogs anticipate visits, no individual focus); family 'outdoor cat' (minimal contact, fed daily). HABs: Sarah and rescue dog Max (share bed, both distressed apart, Max helped her through divorce); James and neighbour's cat (daily visits for 2 years, sad when separated).

HAI historical timeline: Ancient World

3150 BCE-476 CE. Working animals and early companionship.

HAI historical timeline: Middle Ages

c.476-1450 CE. Agriculture, transport, pets.

HAI historical timeline: Industrial Revolution

1760-1840 CE. Intensive farming; animal welfare begins.

HAI historical timeline: 20th and 21st centuries

Modern veterinary medicine; animal cognition and emotions.

Animal behaviour

Everything an animal does, including its movement, activities and underlying mental processes (what animals do and why).

Why humans benefit from understanding animal behaviour

Ensured our survival: hunting for food, cultivation and domestication, predator avoidance.

1973 Nobel Prize (animal behaviour)

Niko Tinbergen, Karl von Frisch and Konrad Lorenz.

Niko Tinbergen

Suggested 4 ways to answer 'why' for behaviour: causation, evolution, function, ontogeny.

Karl von Frisch

Research on bees: navigation, perception, communication via the waggle dance (info on distant food sources) and scents.

Konrad Lorenz

Discovered the principle of attachment, or imprinting.

Proximate explanation of behaviour

Understanding the stimuli the animal is responding to, plus other factors such as genetics, motivations and hormones (internal drivers).

Functional explanation of behaviour

Looks at the purpose of the behaviour: why the animal evolved to perform it rather than doing it another way.

3 factors that influence all behaviour

Genetics, learning, environment.

Genetics (as a behaviour factor)

Heritable; shaped by evolution and natural selection; underlies innate behaviours.

Learning (as a behaviour factor)

Learned through observing others, past experiences, or being trained. Not heritable, but can be passed on in a social environment.

Environment (as a behaviour factor)

Both internal and external. Physical (light, temperature, sound) and internal (e.g. hormones, which can be motivational).

Innate vs learned behaviour

Innate = genetic, heritable, shaped by natural selection. Learned = acquired via observation, experience or training; not heritable.

Health triad

Physical, emotional and cognitive (mental) needs of animals. Internal states that differ between individuals, are interconnected and are equally important.

Sentient beings and emotions

Can experience both positive and negative emotions; they seek out positive and avoid negative.

Negative cognitive/emotional states

Anxiety, fear, boredom, frustration, pain.

Positive cognitive/emotional states

Desire-seeking, social play, caring for young, coping success, happiness, positive learning and training.

Negative physical states

Pain (acute and chronic), nausea, breathlessness, thirst.

Positive physical states

Comfort, good physical health, fulfilment of essential needs.

Primal emotions: positive

Seeking, play, lust, care.

Primal emotions: negative

Grief/panic, fear, rage.

Non-associative learning

Process by which an animal's behaviour towards a specific stimulus changes over time in the absence of any evident link to a consequence. 3 types: sensitization, habituation, imprinting.

Imprinting

Occurs in a sensitive period in early post-birth life. Release of innate characteristics in response to specific stimuli; fortified by mild stress; non-reversible. More important in precocial species. E.g. turkey man.

Habituation

Repeated presentations of a stimulus by itself cause a decrease in response. E.g. police horse habituated to traffic. Can show spontaneous recovery when stimulation is withheld.

Sensitization

Increased response to presentation of a stimulus by itself. Can override habituation. E.g. thunder, noise, visit to the vet clinic.

Associative learning

Any learning process where a new response becomes associated with a particular stimulus. 2 types: classical conditioning and operant learning.

Classical conditioning

Pavlovian/respondent conditioning ('automatic learning'). A neutral stimulus comes to elicit a reflex response by being paired with a stimulus that regularly elicits that response. Involves reflexes.

Operant learning

Involves choice and decision making: any procedure that makes a response more or less likely to occur as a result of its consequences in similar circumstances. Voluntary behaviour.

Pavlov's dog

Neutral stimulus (tone) paired with unconditioned stimulus (food, which naturally causes salivation), so the tone alone produced salivation. Example in training: clicker training.

Classical conditioning: key training points

Occurs whether you like it or not. Be aware of context. Associations are always being made. 20-50 good encounters needed to overcome a negative association. Negative associations are learnt easily and remembered well.

Operant conditioning: how it works

Consequences affect behaviour: the response determines the probability of the behaviour repeating. Animals learn they can affect their environment (e.g. dog barks at postman, postman leaves, barking is reinforced). Involves reinforcement or punishment.

Positive reinforcement

ADD a pleasant stimulus to increase/maintain behaviour.

Positive punishment

ADD an aversive stimulus to decrease behaviour.

Negative reinforcement

REMOVE an aversive stimulus to increase/maintain behaviour.

Negative punishment

REMOVE a pleasant stimulus to decrease behaviour.

'Positive' and 'negative' in the quadrants

Positive = adding (e.g. treat or thwack). Negative = taking away (e.g. releasing pain/pressure, or removing a desirable stimulus like a toy or attention). They do NOT describe the subjectivity of the experience.

Ranking the 4 quadrants, least to most intrusive

Positive reinforcement → negative punishment → negative reinforcement → positive punishment. (Standard ranking; the slides don't spell it out, so confirm against your unit materials.)

Reinforcer

A stimulus that, when presented or removed contingent on a behaviour, increases the future strength of that behaviour across subsequent occasions. Must be something the animal is motivated by; varies by individual and species (praise isn't automatically a reinforcer).

Punishment (definition and requirements)

Decreases likelihood of the behaviour occurring again. Must be IMMEDIATE (within 1/2 sec), aversive enough, and occur every time. Most training attempts are not successful and are detrimental (abuse, nagging). NEVER use for animals with anxiety and fear.

Reinforcement schedules

Continuous reinforcement initially until behaviour is well learnt = fastest learning. Intermittent variable reinforcement = most long-standing learning (e.g. gambling).

Extinction

If a behaviour is no longer reinforced, it fades. Should only be used for training problems, NOT serious behavioural issues.

Extinction burst

A more intense version of the behaviour when reinforcement stops (e.g. begging, jumping up). If it is reinforced, the behaviour becomes more resistant to change.

Negative reinforcement: examples and risks

E.g. proper use of check chain, horse riding, elephant training. Incorrect use (release not immediate) → animal learns the behaviour has no consequence → perceived 'stubbornness'. Can result in learned helplessness (e.g. horses ridden by novices).

Problems with positive punishment

1) Decreased human/animal bond; 2) decreased trust; 3) reliance on punishment; 4) not instructive to the animal; 5) reinforcing for the punisher; 6) fear and anxiety; 7) aggression/bites/kicks; 8) is it morally correct? There is always a better, more ethical way.

Flooding

Exposure to a stimulus continues until it no longer produces the previous fear response; escape is not permitted. Used by some trainers but can have poor outcomes: worsened fear, shut down, learned helplessness, biting.

Puppy lead-pulling scenario: which quadrant? (my reading)

Pulling back on the lead is most likely positive punishment (adding an aversive to decrease pulling); its effect fading suggests it isn't working. Alternatives: positive reinforcement (reward when the lead is loose) or negative punishment (stop walking when it pulls). Check with your tutor for the expected answer.

Domestication (process)

Multigenerational control and manipulation of the genetics of a species to ultimately benefit humans. A sliding scale; you can only get so far with certain species.

Domestic

A species that has been altered to live near humans. Plants or animals; may or may not benefit humans (crops vs pest species).

Domestic vs domestication

Domestic = a species altered to live near humans (may not benefit them). Domestication = the multigenerational genetic process, ultimately to benefit humans.

Mutualistic

Both organisms benefit and neither is harmed. E.g. wolves + human settlements.

Taming

Increasing an individual's tolerance towards humans. Genetically it is still not a domestic animal. E.g. hand-raised cheetah.

Reasons humans domesticate animals

Food (meat, milk, eggs); clothing (wool, fur, hides, feathers); labour (draught work, ploughing, loads); warfare (mounted combat, guarding); companionship (social bonding, emotional support); entertainment (sport, leisure); service (assistance, detection, herding); transport (riding, pack animals, pulling); hunting (tracking, retrieval, pursuit of prey).

Domestication traits: environment

Variable, easily contained, resilient to change.

Domestication traits: behaviour

Non-aggressive and docile; short flight distance; low panic response.

Domestication traits: reproduction

Breed in captivity; promiscuous; exaggerated sex signals; accept foster young.

Domestication traits: social

Large groups; unrelated individuals; hierarchical structure; males and females together.

Domestication traits: development

Mature quickly; precocial young; extended socialisation; flexible traits.

Impacts of domestication: environment

Foraging and movement changes; higher stocking density; increased contact with humans.

Impacts of domestication: reproduction

Increased fertility; loss of breeding seasons; earlier puberty; loss of broodiness; loss of pair bonding.

Impacts of domestication: physiological

More pronounced features; thicker wool and body changes; smaller brain size; increased adaptability.

Impacts of domestication: behavioural

Innate behaviours remain; more accepting of others; less fearful of humans; infrequent natural displays.

Domestication syndrome

Behavioural, physiological and morphological traits not present in wild forebears: patchy coat (white patches with brown), floppy and smaller ears, shorter muzzles, shorter teeth, neoteny, curly tails, lower stress hormones. Raises the question: did we select for this?

Silver fox experiment (Belyaev, 1959)

Russian scientist Dmitri Belyaev tried to recreate wolf-to-dog domestication using silver foxes, to explore how domestication syndrome arose. Selected ONLY for tameness (calmest, pro-social towards humans) using a tameness scale, yet syndrome traits appeared.

Silver fox results by generation

By generation 6: licked researchers' hands, picked up and petted, whined when humans left, wagged tails. <Generation 10: floppy ears, curly tails, lower stress hormones, increased serotonin. Whole experiment: mottled fur, neonatal facial features (shorter, rounder), chunkier bodies, able to hold human gaze.