companion animal science

exam 1

Companion Animals

Animals that have a special interaction/relationship with their people (dogs, birds, cats, etc.).

Domestications of Companion Animals

A means by which ppl determine who will go into the next generation of those species (care, feeding, and breeding of a species controlled by people).

Domestication of Dogs

First animal domesticated from the grey wolf (16,000 years ago).

Domestication of Cats

Domesticated from the Wild African bush cat (10,000 years ago in the Middle East). When agriculture grew in M.E. pests inc, so the need to domesticate cats so they can hunt the pests also increased.

Human health benefits from Companion Animals

Reduces stress, depression, and positively affects the cardiovascular system. Teach caring behavior, help self-esteem in kids. Lower medical services needed for senior citizens. Help ppl with physical impairments. Working dogs. Reduce the length of stay and/or intensity of treatment (Healthcare is expensive).

Trends in Companion Animals

Inc concern for personal security, inc single-persons households, inc level of disposable income, inc use for therapy purposes and for seniors.

Pet food industries

Took roots in 1860. Pet food/care products growing in value/volume. After WWII – pets and products expanded greatly. The values and emphasis people place on pets bodes well for the increasingly important companion animal industry.

Building a successful vet practice

Quality and totality of services, convenience, loci, relationships, costs.

Career Options

Vet, teaching, regulatory medicine, public health, military vet, vet tech, bioterism-related employment opportunities, center for disease control and prevention (CDC), US department of agriculture (USDA), Foreign animal disease (FAD), animal behaviorists, authorship/editing, breeder, groomer, judges, trainer, business management.

Darwin

Described the main mechanism (natural selection) by which evolution operates.

Natural Selection

If a pop is to remain the same size, the parents must produce 2 successful offspring during their lifetime. More than 2 = pop growth, less than 2 = pop decline.

Survivorship Curves

Type 1 - less die in early stage of life, usually later in life more die 

Type 2 - has = chances of survival/death throughout whole life

Type 3 - low chances of survival and dec as it ages up

Survival of the fittest

Indviduals possessing characteristics that make them more capable of surviving/reproducing will be more successful (competition amongst species).

Evolution

A gradual change in the makeup of species passed on from generation to generation. Natural selection can lead to evolutionary change only when the differences between individuals are at least in part genetic.

Directional Selection

Favors one extreme phenotype, causing allele frequencies to shift in that direction. This often occurs in response to environmental changes.

Stabilizing Selection

Favors intermediate phenotypes and reduces variation.

Disruptive Selection

Extreme values for a trait are favored over intermediate values. This process can lead to the divergence of two or more distinct phenotypes within the same population.

Frequency-dependent selection

Rare types enjoy an advantage only while they are rare. As they increase in frequency because of their advantage, this advantage wanes and they decrease in abundance.

Genetic Variation

Is an incidental result of natural selection. Heterosis and environmental variation therefore increase genetic variation. Mutation occurs. 

Animal Behavior

The movements animals make, change from motion to non-motion, in response to external/internal stimuli. Natural selection operates on behavior. Behavioral responses are influenced by heredity and learning.

Primary socialization period (PSP)

Dogs/cats PSP 3-16 weeks. During the PSP, the puppy or kitten is responsive to non-maternal social interactions.

Communicative behavior

When one animal responds to signals emitted by another. By dogs/cats (visual, auditory, and olfactory).

Visual Postural Communication

Dogs and cats employ various body postures and expressive

behaviors (play - play bow; offensive - hairs erect, back arched/growling, snarling).

Vocal Communication

Infantile sounds (crying, mews, clicks, whimpering,

whining). Warning sounds (hissing, barking, growling). Eliciting sounds (chirrs, barks, meows, calls, howling). Withdrawal sounds (yelping, chatter, screaming). Pleasure sounds (moans, grunts, purring).

Olfactory Communication

Scent provides species recognition/convey info abt gender + reproductive stage. Dogs/cats use scent to mark their territory.

Orientation behavior (navigation/homing)

Animals accomplish homing by either allothetic (external reference) or idiothetic (internal reference) means. Ex: Homing pigeons use magnetic cues/position of the sun. Fish use temp/salinity/chemicals.

Learning of behavior modification

Positive reinforcement: (food rewards, praise, petting, attention). Negative reinforcement: (collar corrections, verbal reprimands, harsh eye contact, unpleasant experiences). 

Habituation/desensitization conditioning type

Freq exposure to stimulus that doesn’t result in pain —> the dog learns to ignore it.

Conditioning conditioning type

Consistent pairing of two stimuli results in stimulus-stimulus association.

Operant or instrumental learning conditioning type

Behavior is influences by its consequences (pos/neg reinforcement).

Counter-conditioning conditioning type

Used to change a dog's negative response to a specific stimulus into a positive one.

Shaping conditioning type

Where you reinforce each small step a dog takes towards a desired behavior.

Extinction conditioning type

Behavior will gradually decrease when the linkage between the stimulus and response is broken.

Aversive conditioning conditioning type

An animal is taught to avoid an undesirable behavior by coupling that behavior with an aversive result.

Fear-related aggression

Caused by confined/cornered animals that then try to escape. Threats by predators/humans are common stimuli.

Pain, Space and Annoyance aggression

Caused by age, illness, injury, physical limitations.

Frustration-Boredom aggression

Caused by barren/crowded environments.

Resource Defense aggression

Defense in an area an animal has est. itself.

Maternal Defense of Offspring aggression

Caused by proximity of smth that threats the female’s young.

Sex Related aggression

Caused by males competing for females.

Breeds

A homogenous grouping of animals within a species that was developed through selection. Developed over generations. (Dogs have 39 chromosomes and are believed to be most recently evolved from the family Canidae). Humans have intentionally selected for specific traits and characteristics in dogs over many generations through a process called ARTIFICIAL SELECTION.

Sporting breed group

Naturally active/alert. Pointers, retrievers, setters and spaniels. Most require regular, invigorating exercise.

Hounds breed group

All descended from hunting breeds. Hunt by: smell, running animal down. (beagles, hounds).

Working breed group

Guarding property, pulling sleds and performing water rescues. (doberman, husky, great dane).

Terriers breed group

Feisty, energetic dogs whose sizes vary. Bred to hunt and kill vermin. Most have wiry coats.

Toy breed group

Small size, wonderful personality. Bred to be companions. Great for ppl living in small spaces.

Non-sporting breed group 

Sturdy animals, diverse looks, coats and temp. 

Herding breed group

Ability to control the movements of other animals. Most are companion animals.