Companion Animal Behavioral Problems

(Part 1 +2)

when a behavior is undesirable, what are the first 3 questions that we should ask?

• is it a normal behavior for the species? (e.g. cat scratching to deposit scent)

• is the behavior suitable for the context/situation (e.g. excessive barking)

• is it an abnormal behavior

list common behavioral problems in dogs

• aggression

• jumping up

• digging

• barking

• separation anxiety

• escaping

• house soiling

• destruction

• predation

• phobias

list common behavioral problems in cats

• house soiling, spraying

• unfriendly/timid

• anxiety/fear

• aggression

• reptitive behavior

• over-grooming

• calling/vocalizing

• destroying furniture/scratching

• predation

define canine aggresion

behavior in dogs that is intended to threaten or cause harm

is there such thing as normal canine aggression?

yes. it can be normal or abnormal depending on the context

how can canine aggression be categorized by? (4 aspects)

• target

• body language (offensive vs. defensive)

• suspected function (territorial, food)

• motivation (protect/gain resources, defence, fear, maternal)

what are the 3 most common types of canine aggression

fear, food, territory

what looking at a canine aggression behavior, what should we consider?

• Type of aggression and risk factors for the aggressive behaviour (i.e. are the risk factors avoidable)

• Has this dog bitten before? Is this dog likely to bite again?

• What harm would this dog do if it did bite?

• Can people and other animals be kept safe?

• Particularly challenging if at risk people in household e.g. children, elderly

• Can the cause be treated or managed?

• Are owners committed to treatment, and do they have necessary skills?

what are some strong indicators that a referral to a veterinary behavioral specialist is necessary

• Owner unreliable, lacking in skills, doesn’t appreciate risk

• Dog has, or is likely, to inflict injury

• Vulnerable individuals likely to be at risk (e.g. kids at home)

• Multiple or complex problems

• Long duration of problematic behaviour

• Challenging to reduce or remove risk

• Prosecution underway

when do fear aggression usually occur in dogs?

• when the animal is fearful

  • often when avoiding or appeasing hasn’t worked (avoid → offensive)

  • has been showing avoidance behavior for a long time but it hasn’t worked → escalated to aggression

what can canine fear aggression be caused by?

• Inadequate/poor socialization, poor training

• Prolonged, painful medical treatments

• Abuse, inappropriate punishment

• Dog fights

• Unknown

describe territorial aggression in dogs

• are they still aggressive when removed from their territory?

Aggression to dogs, people or other animals that approach or enter territory

• no. they won’t be aggressive when removed

describe food aggression in dogs

Resource guarding – defensive of food while eating

• warn others away by snarling, growling, barking, lunging

how can canine aggression be prevented?

• good socialization

• structured activities & consistent, appropriate training (esp with higher risk activities such as walking, feeding, interacting with strangers)

• owner identifies & responds to behaviors appropriately

(T/F) Barking is a normal dog behavior

True. it is only inappropriate or problematic when its is territorial, due to separation anxiety or attention seeking

(T/F) Problem barking may be an indicator of an underlying cause

true. e.g. barking when alone might indicate separation anxiety

what are the 4 most common inappropriate barking behaviors?

• territorial: bark as target approaches or leaves

• attention seeking: stops with attention, then starts again. often inadvertently reinforced

• anxiety: separation anxiety will have other signs

• fear: bark & retreat, may lunge

what does the term “glue dog” refer to?

dog following the preferred person around. once the preffered person leaves, the dog starts barking. 

how to prevent inappropriate barking?

• Socialise young puppies

• Encourage quiet behaviour

• Basic training

• Careful of inadvertent reward for undesired behaviour

• Teaching to bark & be quiet on command can be useful in some cases

• Pick an appropriate breed dog

when does canine separation anxiety occur?

Occurs when the dog is separated from owner and is anxious about this separation – starts soon after owner departs

what are some common signs of canine separation anxiety

Destructive behaviour (e.g. chewing, digging), vocalization (e.g. howling, barking, whining), inappropriate toileting, excessive salivation, self-mutilation, repetitive behaviour, trembling, pacing

what may be the trigger for canine separation anxiety

• glue dog

• or sudden change in normal routines (e.g. owner now working or children leave home)

how to prevent canine separation anxiety

train to be left alone

socialize

selecting the appropriate breeds

what is the sequence of aggression in cats

1. escape or avoidance

2. freeze

3. threatening behaviors

4. attack

(T/F) Aggression is a sign/outward manifestation of emotional state

True

what are the 4 types of feline aggression

• towards people

  • fear/anxiety. frustration. redirected. play/misdirect predatory

• inter-cat aggresion

• pain aggression

• maternal aggression

how do cats react to

• members within the group

• intrusion by an unknown cat

• within group: low levels of hostility

• instrusion by unknown: poorly tolerated. b/c they are threat to their resource availability

how and why do cats tend to avoid aggression before escalating?

• how: distance maintaining behaviors, warning behaviors/threatening before attack

• why: before physical aggresion increases risk of injury 

what are 4 reasons why cats may express aggresion toward people

1. social contact need differ btwn human & cat

2. fear/anxiety

3. frustration

4. play (misdirected predatory)

how does social contact need differ btwn human & cat

• human: low freq, high intensity interaction 

• cat: high freq, low intensity interaction 

what are some causes of fear/anxiety in cats (give 4 examples)

• poor socialization

• bad experience

• restrictive handling

(T/F) Signs of fear in cats may dimisih over time.

True. if its not working, there will be less warning

how does frustraction leads to aggression in cats

• lack of ability to express behaivors (e.g. play)

• inconsistent resources (play, food, attention)

how might play behavior turn into aggression in cats

• play often triggerd by high pitched noise & rapid movement (e.g. cat bites ankles, owner shrieks & runs away, which inadvertenly reinforces it)

• inadvertently encouragement as kittens (e.g. rough play)

what are some reaons for inter-cat aggression (give 5 examples)

• anxiety/fear

• misdirected predatory

• territorial

• acces to mates

• maternal

• resource related

• redirected

• pain, illness

active vs passive aggression in cats

• active aggression: physically attacking the other cat

• passive aggresion: blocking acces to resources (e.g. not letting the other cat eat)

how to avoid inter-cat aggresion 

environmental set up

• separate safe space

• complete set of resources for each cat (e.g. litterbox) 

• entry & exit points

what are some ways to control territorial aggression in cats

• may be useful to control outdoor access

  • keep cat inside during dawn & dusk

  • supervise outside, or allow outwide at diff times

  • safe outside space (e.g. cat aviary)

• MUST control any intruder cats (never let them enter the house)

Is urine sparying a normal behavior in cats?

• yes. it is more commonin entire males

how to differentiate sparying vs. urinating

• spraying - standing upright, vertical tail, small volume

• urinating - squating, generally large volume

why might a cat spary inside (give 5 examples)

• response to threat

• anxiety

• unfamiliar cats in the area

• territorial

• sudden changes to environment or routine

• conflict btwn other pets

• intro of new pet

• medical

how to prevent conflict with neighboring cats

• restrict outside veiw

• safe space, cat trees

• distraction

• move furniture away from window

is scratching a normal behavior in cats?

yes.

what are some reasons why cats scratch on the furniture

• limited/no access outdoors

• no alternative scratching point

• comfort

• precursor to play

• anxiety

• stress

what type of scratcing post would be optimal for a cat

• multilayered

• vertical or horizontal (or both)

• multiple scratching posts (need one for each cat in the house, plus a spare)

  • b/c depositing scent, so might need to separate the scratching posts for diff cats

how to introduce a scratching post to an older cat

• put by curren choice, then gradually move as cat starts using it

• place treats on it