Understanding Dogs, and How that Shapes Our Work Sezan Ozgunay BSc (Hons), MSc, CCAB
Overview • The meaning of ‘Dog’ • What dogs need • Canine communication • Practical applications
Behaviour, welfare, and practical applications • The behaviour a dog is demonstrating indicates its welfare state. • Promoting good welfare often goes hand in hand with promoting good behaviour. • Practically, we can consider the behaviour of dogs and how that relates to their welfare in terms of rescue, handling, first aid, shelter care and rehoming.
The meaning of ‘Dog’ • Likely to be first species domesticated, approx 15,0000ya, from ancestor of Grey Wolf. • Social, ability to form cross species bonds. • Strong sense of smell, dichromatic vision. • Opportunistic hunters/scavengers/foragers. Good problem solvers! • Different relationships with people across the globe: pets, pests, utility, entertainment, food source..
What does ‘welfare’ mean to you? ‘State as regards to attempts to cope with environment’ – Broom 1986
Emotional lives of dogs Negative emotions: •Anxiety •Fear •Frustration •(Loneliness? Boredom? ..) Positive emotions: •‘Happiness’ …. ?
Improving welfare • Optimise physical and psychological health • Provide opportunities to fulfill ‘natural’ behaviours and operate environment. • Reduce negatives, maximize positives • Prioritising needs
FAWC 5 freedoms 1. Freedom from Hunger and Thirst - by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigour. 2. Freedom from Pain, Injury or Disease - by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment. 3. Freedom from Fear and Distress - by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering. 4. Freedom from Discomfort - by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area. 5. Freedom to Express Normal Behaviour - by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal’s own kind.
5 Freedoms in shelters? • Diet: water, food, amount, type, frequency, form. • Pain, injury and disease: veterinary care, hygiene, handling, equipment, physical (sharp edges/hazards) and social (aggression from other dogs?). • Fear and distress : handling and treatment by people, interactions with other dogs, noises, experiences. • Discomfort: temperature, ventilation, resting area, space, light, shelter, noise, hygiene. • Express normal behaviour : physical and social environment and opportunities. Enrichment.
Based on Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs: Problem solving Reaching cognitive potential Confidence and ability to cope with uncertainty Resilience Affiliative behaviour and social inclusion Social networks Security of self, resources and significant others Safety Metabolic stability (hunger, thirst, maintaining body temperature) Physiology
Health and behaviour Pain or disease can effect an animal’s ability to behave as he would normally: • Change in eating, drinking, sleeping, toileting • Lethargy or weakness • Heightened sensitivity • Emotions – extreme responses or a lack of • Change in sleep patterns • Anxiety/ fear/ frustration • Aggression!
How do we know if dogs are suffering? • Behavioural observations (signs of fear, anxiety, pain, frustration?) • Individual assessments over time. • Reduction or absence of maintenance behaviours (sleeping, eating, drinking, toileting). • Physical indicators (injury, disease?) • Inferred suffering (in pain? poor conditions?) • Is good welfare simply the absence of suffering?
What do dogs enjoy? • Relaxing, running, chewing, training, chasing, tugging, searching, stroking, digging, swimming? • Individual differences • Alone, with people, with dogs?
Learning and behaviour Dogs are always learning about the good and the bad things in life - how to predict and attain or avoid them. With this framework in mind, we can understand WHY dogs behave the way they do, and WHAT we can do to help change behaviour using reward based methods
Attainment • Behaving in a way to attain a reward • Social? Diet? Environmental? • Seeking
Avoidance • Behaving in a way to avoid something the dog dislikes/is scared of.. 1 - Move away? 2 - Appeasement (lower body, cower, roll over?) 3 - Aggression? Usually a last resort!
Frustration Emotional state • Unmet expectations • Physical or psychological barriers to control • Obtain or retain something of value • Unfulfilled motivations McPeake et al 2016
Canine communication • Dogs are great communicators. • Auditory, chemical, visual communication. • If we understand the signals, we can understand how they are feeling and what they are likely to do next … • Recognising signs of fear and frustration allow us to assess and reduce risk, whilst ensuring good welfare.
Face Tense muscle tone, furrowed brow. • Ears: pinned back, rigid and upright. • Eyes: dilated pupils, whites of eyes showing or tightly shut. Avoiding eye contact • or may be fixated/staring. Mouth: heavy panting, salivating, yawning, lip licking, baring teeth, wrinkling • muzzle, cheek puffing, tight lips.
Body Posture • Muscles tense Frozen! • Hackles up • • Trembling Front paw raised • • Holding weight back and/ or low (cowering) Holding weight rigid and upright, weight forward • Rolling onto back with stiff body posture exposing belly, possibly raising one hind leg • • Tail: May be wagging! Held straight up, tense downwards, or between legs
Action Freeze!!! • Aggression, appeasement, avoidance • Displacement (sniffing, licking, etc.) • Reluctant to come forward or follow a command • Attention seeking: jumping up, mouthing, leaning in • Boisterous or over-exited, won’t keep still • Won’t take treats • Abnormal repetitive behaviours (e.g. spinning) •
Up next … practical. • For each following photo.. • Does the dog appear relaxed, alert, friendly, scared, aggressive … • How can you tell?
Behaviour, welfare, and practical applications • The behaviour a dog is demonstrating indicates its welfare state. • Promoting good welfare often goes hand in hand with promoting good behaviour. • Practically, we can consider the behaviour of dogs and how that relates to their welfare in terms of rescue, handling, first aid, shelter care and rehoming.
Rescue, handling and first aid • Stop and look. Assess behaviour before approaching. • Use minimal level of force required to achieve goal. Scaring the dog may increase the risk of aggression, and teach the dog to be fearful in the future. • If dog appears aggressive but handling is essential, PLAN the best strategy to minimise stress whilst ensuring handler safety. Consider equipment used .
The role of learning The key to preventing problems is to IDENTIFY anxiety and fear, and OPTIMISE handling techniques to improve the animals experience. Aim to reduce fear and prevent the development of problems!
Approach Avoid: • Leaning over • Staring face on • Invading their space • Hands going over top of head
Approach • Ignore them – stand side on/at a distance. Avoid eye contact. • Let them approach you if safe to do so. Use calm vocal encouragement/ food. • Keep movements smooth and relaxed. The animal may be worried by fast or jumpy movements.
• Avoid handling or training methods that aim to inhibit behaviour or rely on fear or discomfort. • Use positive reward based methods to build positive relationships and shape desirable behaviours. • Show compassion at all times, aggression is often caused by pain or fear - and can be reduced with the right handling techniques!
Equipment • Slip leads • Towels • Catch poles • Nets Photo credit Dr Sophia Yin • Barriers • Cages • Bite sticks • Muzzles: Nylon and basket • Elizabethan collars
Transport • Entry and removal • Space • Restraint • Temperature • Duration • Comfort • Safety
In shelters, recap • Health care • Diet • Hygiene • Shelter • Choices • Resting areas • Social • Enrichment
From shelter to home • Match dogs with prospective homes based on the requirements of the dog AND the owner. • Consider the dogs age, breed/type, energy levels, background (stray, pet, utility?). • Consider the owners environment (garden, house, flat, city, rural, other pets, family members?). • What does the owner want? (Companion, guardian, in house or outdoors?). • Educate owners on providing for dogs behavioural and physiological needs (remember 5 freedoms)
Key points summary • Dogs are a highly adaptable, social species, that can form close bonds with people • Meet basic needs as a priority (health, safety). • Striver for higher needs as best practice (problem solving, enrichment, social networks). • 5 Freedoms gives a framework for welfare in shelters. • Improve dog welfare, behaviour and human safety by reducing fear, anxiety and frustration.
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