Sunday 12 July 2015

Understanding Canine Aggression

by Lisa Mullinax, CPDT-KSA

When our dogs exhibit aggressive behaviors, it is always upsetting. After all, we give our dogs food, shelter, a never-ending supply of dog toys and this is how they repay us?

What is aggression?

Aggression is normal and natural behavior in dogs and every other species of animal. Are we surprised when a cat hisses and scratches a child that is pestering it? What about a horse that kicks when surprised? Or a tiger that mauls someone who enters its zoo enclosure? Do we question the sanity of a homeowner that shoots an armed intruder? In all other respects, we accept aggressive behavior in other species. And yet, aggression in dogs is not only considered unacceptable, but is often a death sentence for the dog.
Aggression is really a category of behaviors, all of which are designed to protect dogs from a perceived threat. These behaviors include:

Barking
Growling
Tooth displays of varying degrees
"Muzzle punch" (striking with a closed mouth)
Snapping (without contact)
Biting without injury
Biting with varying degrees of injury

There are many non-aggressive ways dogs attempt to avoid or escape a threatening situation before escalating to aggressive behaviors but too often these early warning signs aren't recognized by most dog owners.

Why is my dog doing this to me?

Aggressive behavior in dogs is most frequently caused by fear and stress due to various factors including, but not limited to:

Lack of proper and early socialization (prior to 14 weeks of age)
Lack of training
Unskilled use of aversive training methods/equipment (1)
Traumatic experience
Genetic predisposition (bad breeding practices)

Medical issues can also be a cause of aggressive behavior in dogs. In the last ten years, dogs that came to us with reported aggression were diagnosed (by the dog's veterinarian) with hypothyroidism, Cushing's Disease, mast cell cancer, urinary tract infections, hip and elbow dysplasia, and arthritis.
Some types of aggression may be neurological. There was a popular internet video of a dog protecting his bone from his own foot. This is a very good example of a behavior problem that has medical or neurological causes. These types of behaviors require the assistance of a veterinary behaviorist, as training is not enough.
What are NOT causes of aggression:

"Spoiling" the dog (2)
Playing tug games
Not being pack leadery enough

In most cases we see, the main causes of aggressive behavior are lack of or improper early socialization and/or the unskilled use of aversive methods and equipment, either on their own or at the hands of an individual advertising as dog trainer.

Triggers

There is no such thing as an "aggressive dog," as no dog walks around exhibiting aggressive behaviors 24 hours per day. Aggression is always a response to something in the dog's environment, whether it is the action of a human, the sudden appearance of another dog, pain caused by injury or illness, and more. This is called an antecedent, which means a preceding occurrence, cause or event.
Every trigger is followed by a behavior. For example, an owner gives their dog the cue "Sit," the dog sits and the owner gives the dog a treat. The cue "Sit" is the antecedent, the action of sitting is the behavior and the treat is the consequence.
All dog behaviors, including aggression, follow the ABC's: Antecedent > Behavior > Consequence
The antecedent is also referred to as a trigger. In most cases of aggression, the triggers follow a pattern. Sometimes the pattern is easy to see, such as when a person reaches toward your dog. Other times, it can be more difficult, as there could be multiple triggers, or the triggers are not visual, but something the dog hears or smells.
In order to determine what is causing your dog's aggressive behavior, it is necessary to gather a detailed history of each incident which can help establish a pattern of triggers. A professional trainer can work with you to determine the patterns with your dog's behavior. Once these triggers are identified, a training/behavior plan can be devised.

Isn't it all about dominance and pack leadership?

There's no shortage of websites claiming that "dominance is the leading cause of aggression." But is that really the case? The subject of dominance is worthy of it's own article and we recommend Dominance: The "Dirty" Word for a complete definition and explanation of what it is and what it is not.
Bottom line: The vast majority of aggression is based in fear, not our dogs' desire for total world domination...in which case they would still be reliant on our opposable thumbs and bank accounts for their basic survival.

Aggression and Breed

No matter what the headlines say, no matter what one person's individual experience has been, breed is never a predictor of aggression. Golden Retrievers are just as capable of aggression towards humans or other dogs as Pit Bull-type breeds are capable of working as therapy dogs and search and rescue dogs.
While some breeds, including Mastiffs, Dobermans, Akitas and others, were selected for their excellent guarding abilities, this does not necessarily mean that each individual of that breed will make a good guard dog. Just as not all Border Collies are good at herding sheep, there are many guarding breeds who enjoy the attention of strangers and make horrible watch dogs.
Breed, alone, is not enough to determine whether or not a dog will develop or display aggressive behavior. It is the individual dog, their history, and the behaviors they present, not the breed, that must be considered.

Predicting aggression

Except in very rare cases, aggression is not random. This is why a dog that shows aggression toward strange dogs is not likely to act aggressively towards family members. A dog that displays aggression towards strange people may be perfectly friendly when meeting new dogs. So why does it seem to occur without warning?
Dogs give numerous subtle signals of anxiety or discomfort that aren't recognized by most dog owners. When these signs of stress are ignored, the dog may escalate to a signal that is more obvious, such as growling, snarling or snapping.
Common signs of stress/anxiety include:

Avoidance of people or other dogs (Looking away, turning away, walking away, etc.)
Repetitive yawning
Repetitive licking of the lip/nose
Tense body language
Slow movement
Low tail carriage
Backward ear carriage

When owners fail to recognize these signs, they may continue to put the dog in stressful situations. Finally, the dog escalates to a clear sign of discomfort, causing the owners to claim the dog was "fine" previously and that the aggression appeared without warning.
A professional trainer will teach you how to read your dog's body language, so you will be able to recognize when your dog is anxious.

Dogs don't bite when a growl will do

Dogs make choices in the form and level of aggression they use to communicate with us or with other dogs. If a minor form of communication, such as a small growl, is enough to achieve the goal of stopping a person from taking a bone or another dog from mounting, the dog has no need to escalate to a higher level of aggression.
Even when biting, dogs make decisions as to the location and severity of the bite. The vast majority of bites inflicted by dogs never cause injury. These are still bites, by definition, but the dog has chosen to use a warning without injuring the offending person or dog. Because dogs are so much faster and more accurate than we are, these non-injurious bites are not because the human moved quickly enough to avoid the bite, but that the dog chose not to cause damage.
For information about the levels of dog bites see Dr. Ian Dunbar's Dog Bite Scale, which many trainers use as a guideline.

How do you stop aggression?

Aggression is not an illness or something that can be removed, it is an instinctive reaction to a perceived threat. Just as no one can train you not to defend your family if they are threatened by an intruder, you can not train out a dog's instinct to protect itself.
What training and behavior modification CAN do is decrease your dog's stress around the situations that used to trigger aggressive responses, teach your dog an alternate behavior she can perform in those situations (such as look at you instead of bark at strangers), and even form positive associations to the situations that were previously a problem. The level of positive association will depend on many different factors. In the case of dog-dog aggression, some dogs may eventually be able to play with new dogs after a careful introduction. For others, they may only learn to tolerate dogs at a distance (such as walks), but never learn to like other dogs.
In order for a behavior modification plan to be successful, a careful management strategy must be implemented. This strategy will be customized to each dog and household and will be designed to prevent aggressive behavior from recurring while you are going through the training process.

Punishment is not the answer

Many owners and even some people advertising as trainers believe that the best way to address aggression is to provoke the dog into reacting, then applying some form of punishment to teach the dog that aggression is "wrong."
However, when a dog is pushed to the point that it reacts aggressively, the sympathetic nervous system is activated. Most people know this as the "fight or flight" response. When the sympathetic nervous system is engaged, the parasympathetic nervous system, which regulates all other functions, disengages, shutting down digestion and other non-essential functions, inhibiting the dog's ability to learn. When the dog is pushed to the point of extreme stress, he or she is in survival mode and no longer learning.
This is why when we experience acute stress, such as fear (bear circling your tent), anxiety (a letter from the IRS) or trauma (grief), food doesn't seem remotely appealing and it is difficult to concentrate. This is why there is still a belief that "food doesn't work with aggressive dogs" among those who don't understand how stress affects learning.
Traumatic events, however, DO get remembered in this state. If the dog sees another dog, barks and then is jerked, kicked or shocked, the dog is not going to learn what he is doing is "wrong," but will very likely associate the aversive methods with the presence of other dogs, creating a more negative association than before.
Aversive methods often appear to work because they can suppress aggressive displays. However, this is just hiding the symptoms without addressing the underlying cause of the aggressive behavior. While a squirt bottle or can full of pennies may stop your dog from barking at the window in the moment, it will not change the dog's association to dogs walking past his house. This is like cold medicine. Cold medicine can clear the sneezing, runny nose and other symptoms as long as you keep taking the medicine, but it doesn't cure the common cold.
In order to change the dog's behavior permanently, we have to change the dog's association to that situation through desensitization and counter-conditioning.

How long will it take?

The amount of time it will take and the level of success you can achieve depends on a variety of factors outside the trainer's control. First and foremost is your commitment, including how consistently you follow the trainer's instructions and how often you practice the new exercises assigned. Implementing exercises and suggestions from several different sources (tv shows, friends, neighbors, etc.) can undermine the success of your dog's behavior program.
Factors such as early experiences and genetics also play a critical role in the amount of time and effort it will take to reach your goals. A dog that was not adequately socialized in the first few months' of its life will require more time and work than a dog that was well-socialized as a puppy. A dog that was fearful at 8 weeks of age will require more work than a dog that was confident at that age.
In some cases, changing your dog's behavior and preventing further incidents of aggression may be relatively simple and quick. In other cases, it may be a lifelong process. When working with aggression, we have to work within the timeframe our dogs give us or risk setting up the dog to fail.

Factors for success

Unfortunately, not every dog and owner will be successful with their behavior modification program. After medical and other factors that training can't affect, dissatisfaction with results of a behavior modification program is most often due owners who fail to meet the following requirements:

1. Must be committed to multiple lessons with a trainer. There is no quick fix for aggressive behavior. Because many dogs exhibiting aggression have little to no formal training, several sessions may first be needed to teach necessary skills before the dog is prepared to encounter dogs or people. If a dog can't walk on a leash when in a quiet area, how can he be expected to do so in times of high stress?
2. Must be consistent. Owners who use a mix of "whatever works" never achieve true change. Punishment one day and reinforcement the next is only going to confuse the dog.
3. Must have a lifestyle compatible with management. If a dog with stranger-directed aggression lives in a busy household with many guests coming and going, the prognosis for success is lower than for the same dog living in a quiet household with few visitors. The ability to prevent problems while going through the training process is critical to success.
4. Must have realistic goals and expectations. Unfortunately, many owners expect training to change who their dog is completely or have a specific deadline that the dog must meet.

Because dog training is an unregulated industry, any dog trainer can offer "guaranteed results" at any price. However, no trainer has control over the factors above, nor do they have the ability to alter a dog's genetics, medical condition(s), or past experiences, making such guarantees worthless in the end.

Any behavior can be improved

No matter how serious the aggressive behavior, improvements can always be made through both management and behavior modification. Thanks to an ever-expanding field of study into the behavior of domestic dogs, we have gained the ability to adapt to each dog's individual needs, rather than use punishment as a blanket solution for every dog.
Just by reading this article, you are already one step closer to changing your dog's behavior than you were yesterday. It can only get better from here!

Friday 10 July 2015

Breeds with the greatest percentage of dogs exhibiting serious aggression (bites or bite attempts) toward humans included

Breed differences in canine aggression

Deborah L. Duffy a , Yuying Hsu b , James A. Serpell a, * aCenter for the Interaction of Animals and Society, Department of Clinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3900 Delancey Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6010, USA b Department of Life Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 116, Taiwan Accepted 18 April 2008

Abstract Canine aggression poses serious public health and animal welfare concerns.

Most of what is understood about breed differences in aggression comes from reports based on bite statistics, behavior clinic caseloads, and experts’ opinions. Information on breed-specific aggressiveness derived from such sources may be misleading due to biases attributable to a disproportionate risk of injury associated with larger and/or more physically powerful breeds and the existence of breed stereotypes.

The present study surveyed the owners of more than 30 breeds of dogs using the Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire (CBARQ), a validated and reliable instrument for assessing dogs’ typical and recent responses to a variety of common stimuli and situations.

Two independent data samples (a random sample of breed club members and an online sample) yielded significant differences among breeds in aggression directed toward strangers, owners and dogs (Kruskal–Wallis tests, P < 0.0001). Eight breeds common to both datasets (Dachshund, English Springer Spaniel, Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, Poodle, Rottweiler, Shetland Sheepdog and Siberian Husky) ranked similarly, rs = 0.723, P < 0.05; rs = 0.929, P < 0.001; rs = 0.592, P = 0.123, for aggression directed toward strangers, dogs and owners, respectively.

Some breeds scored higher than average for aggression directed toward both humans and dogs (e.g., Chihuahuas and Dachshunds) while other breeds scored high only for specific targets (e.g., dog-directed aggression among Akitas and Pit Bull Terriers).

In general, aggression was most severe when directed toward other dogs followed by unfamiliar people and household members.

Breeds with the greatest percentage of dogs exhibiting serious aggression (bites or bite attempts) toward humans included Dachshunds, Chihuahuas and Jack Russell Terriers (toward strangers and owners); Australian Cattle Dogs (toward strangers); and American Cocker Spaniels and Beagles (toward owners).

More than 20% of Akitas, Jack Russell Terriers and Pit Bull Terriers were reported as displaying serious aggression toward unfamiliar dogs. Golden Retrievers, Labradors Retrievers, Bernese Mountain Dogs, Brittany Spaniels, Greyhounds and Whippets were the least aggressive toward both humans and dogs.

Among English Springer Spaniels, www.elsevier.com/locate/applanim Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Applied Animal Behaviour Science xxx (2008) xxx–xxx * Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 215 898 1004; fax: +1 215 746 2090.

E-mail address: serpell@vet.upenn.edu (J.A. Serpell). 0168-1591/$ – see front matter # 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2008.04.006 Please cite this article in press as: Duffy, D.L., et al., Breed differences in canine aggression, Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. (2008), doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2008.04.006

http://140.122.143.143/yuyinghs/yuyinghsu/papers/DuffyHsuSerpell2008.pdf

Sunday 28 June 2015

Here are the findings from a decade of deaths in Australia at the hands, or paws, or jaws, or hooves, or whatever from the animals that have claimed human lives here in Australia during the last decade.

Animal related deaths in Australia:

During the 10 year period in question there were 254 deaths in Australia identified as animal related. Let’s see who is responsible, starting with the biggest culprits:

Horse, pony or donkey – 77 deaths
Cow, bull or bovine – 33 deaths
Dog – 27 deaths
Kangaroo – 18 deaths
Bee – 16 deaths
Shark – 16 deaths
Snake – 14 deaths
Crocodile – 9 deaths
Ostrich or emu – 5 deaths
Others, including fish, sheep, goats, camels, cats and jellyfish – 39 deaths

The actual cause of these fatalities varies with top of the list being falling off a horse, pony or donkey, followed by being crushed or trampled by one. These creatures along with cows, bulls, kangaroos, ostriches, emus and bovine animals were also responsible for a good number of motor vehicle accident fatalities between them, over 50 in all.

Deaths caused by dogs were mainly by bite, although three people died due to motor vehicle accidents caused by dogs and nine people simply fell over a dog. One person during the decade fell over a cat and died, as was mentioned in the video.

Death by bee was always as a result of anaphylactic shock.

I don’t think you need me to tell you how sharks, snakes and crocodiles claimed their human lives, but here’s a clue. None of them involved motor vehicle accidents.

http://www.bobinoz.com/blog/12250/australias-most-dangerous-animals-a-decade-of-death/

AUSTRALIAN DOG BITES CAUSING DEATH 1995 - 2011

It is believed that approximately 28 dogs were involved in 11 deaths between 1995 and 2011 in Australia. One dog caused 6 fatalities (55%), Two dogs caused 2 fatalities (18%), Three to four dogs caused 2 fatalities (18%) and 11 dogs caused 1 fatality (9%). Ref 3

The four most popular Registered Pure-bred dogs according to the Australian National Kennel Council) were: Labrador Retriever (8.3%), German Shepherd (6.3%), Staffordshire Bull Terrier (5.9%) and Golden Retriever (4.8%) in eighth place is the Rottweilers (2.4%).

Breeds involved in human deaths were: Rottweiler (4), Siberian Husky (1), Cattle Dog (1), Rottweiler X German Shepherd (1), Dingo X Labrador (1), Pit Bull X Mastiff (1), Great Dane X Mastiff (1), Great Dane X Bull Terrier (1), Medium size mixed breed (3), Large mixed breed (3) and Giant Mixed Breed (11) including Greyhounds, Mastiffs and Irish Wolfhounds.

Australia has an estimated dog population of 3,400,000 and an average of 1.1 fatalities per year (33 over the last 30 years), equating to one death per 3,090,909 dogs.

The following table shows the breeds responsible for these deaths.

Australian Dog Breeds Causing Death. YR 1995 - 2011

Breed	Deaths
Rottweiller	4
Husky	1
Cattle dog	1
Rottweiller GSD X	1
Dingo X lab	1
Pit bull X mastiff	1
Great dane x Mastiff	1
Gread dane x Bull terrier	1
Medium sized mixed breed	3
Large mixed breed	3
Giant mixed breed (11)	11
total	28

From such relatively low numbers of deaths caused by dogs in Australia you might wonder why breed specific legislation (BSL) is being proposed.

Because the American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) is not recognised as an official breed in Australia it isn't included in the statistics. It is believed that there are nearly 70,000 Pure-bred, registered “Pit Bull Types” (Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Bull Terrier & Bull Terrier) currently in Australia. Add to this number the unregistered 'pit bulls' and cross breeds and the numbers could be much higher.

It is believed that the American Staffordshire bull terrier (9,000 pure bred and 34,000 mixed breeds) is replacing the banned pit bull breeds such as the APBT.

The relatively low rate of one fatality per year in Australia makes extrapolation of these statistics useless.

http://www.dogwalkersmelbourne.com.au/articles-dog-walking-pet-sitting/133-dog-kill-statistics

Australian DBRF'S--RSPCA Victorian chief executive Maria Mercurio says the policy has changed since 2009 as there is a lack of research showing pit bulls or any other breed is more prone to attack. "The statistics just aren't there," she says. "Most breeds of dogs can be aggressive and be violent if they are trained and kept that way. We have matured, and our opinion and our policy has evolved."

AUSTRALIAN DBRF'S....

INFANTS and young children remain most vulnerable to dog attack, with two children killed in NSW in the past five years, one in Western Australia, and another little girl in Victoria.

Two-week-old Kate Morey didn't stand a chance when her family's pet Siberian husky attacked her in her cot in Perth in 2007.

A nine-week-old girl from Pakenham on Melbourne's southeastern fringe also died after being dragged from her cot by the family rottweiler in the same year.

In NSW, three-year-old Ruby-Lea Burke died after being savaged by four bull mastiff crosses in the home of her babysitter at Whitton in 2009.

And in 2006, four-year-old Tyra Kuehne wandered into a neighbour's backyard and was killed by up to six dogs in Warren, 540km northwest of Sydney.

The dogs were various crossbreeds of boxer, greyhound, pit bull and mastiff, and had been trained for pig-hunting.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/dog-fight-brews-over-tough-laws/story-e6frg6z6-1226131681378

Saturday 20 June 2015

"PITBULLS" are just DOGS after all?

Researchers from the American Academy of Family Physicians report that more than 4 million people are bitten by dogs each year. Of these, approximately 800,000 (or about 45 percent) are under the age of 14. Dozens die as a result of these injuries.

Nearly 35 million American households own canines, many more than one, meaning there are more than 55 million dogs in the country. Most of them are never going to be a threat. However, just about any dog has the potential to hurt someone if the circumstances are just right. About half of all reported dog bite cases involve a pet that is owned by either the family of the victim or neighbors.

Often, these involve an animal that is not provoked. Sadly, a large number of deaths involving babies and dogs occur when the baby is simply sleeping.

Even if a bite isn't fatal or cause severe injury, there is a possibility you could be at great risk for an infection. About 20 percent of people bitten suffer some degree of infection. People with the following conditions are at particular risk:

Chronic edema (or insufficient blood flow) to the arms or legs;
Diabetes;
Immune deficiencies;
Liver disease;
Mastectomy;
Those with prosthetic joints or valves;
Lupus.

While any dog has the potential to inflict harm, some breeds are known to have a history of greater aggression than others. These include: Cocker Spaniel, Chow Chow, German Shepherd, Grate Dane, Pit Bull, Rottweiler, Siberian Husky, Doberman Pinscher, Collie, Bull Terrier.

By contrast, the least aggressive dogs - those considered to be "family dogs," are: Boxer, Golden Retriever, Dalmatian, Irish Setter, English Setter, Labrador Retriever, English Springer, Spaniel.

Of course, there are Gold Retrievers that have been known to bite, and Rottweilers that are gentle to a fault. It depends on a myriad of factors, but the point is, every dog should be approached as if it has the potential to inflict injury to either you or your child.

CAUSES OF DOG AGGRESSION

Your neighbour may blame you for your dog’s aggressive behavior, but even people who understand dogs and raise them kindly can have a dog who behaves aggressively. Other people may be the ultimate “alpha” and yet end up with an aggressive dog. And some dogs who were abused never become aggressive. Some dogs will even behave more or less normally until the dog matures socially around 2 or 3 years of age. So what are the causes of dog aggression?

What we do to make dog aggression worse

Much of the time people simply have not be taught how to treat dogs (for example, many dogs do not like being hugged) or how to recognize the early warning signs, such as staring, stiffening, licking of the lips when the dog is not hungry, or yawning when the dog is not tired. When the signs are not recognized the aggression appears sudden when in fact, the dog is not suddenly aggressive at all. They have been giving us warning signs and we have been missing them.

The issue: Most canine behavioral problems either involve normal behaviors that people don’t like or understand or anxiety-related concerns that comprise true behavioral diagnoses. – Dr. Karen Overall, Dumbed down by dominance, 2012

In many cases the dog has an underlying condition – often one of anxiety – that can attract the kind of responses from humans that make the situation worse. Either we become frustrated or we take on bad advice such as intimidating the dog as a way to try to deal with it. Unfortunately outdated methods that have been popularized by the media can make dogs who are predisposed to aggression worse (see the world’s worse dog aggression advice). Your dog’s behaviour may attract negative responses from other dogs as well, as other dog may sense your dog is not behaving normally and become concerned. When we react with leash corrections we can cause this conflict to grow.

We don’t always meet the needs of dogs and this can cause problems. Dogs need stimulation, exercise, social experiences, proper diet, a certain amount of freedom in many conditions. A dog that is left along for long periods of time, is left outside all day on the end a leash, is ignored, boredom, frustrate, etc. is going to have more problems than one whose needs are met.

There are ways to minimize this by treating the dog’s aggression using an effective treatment program with methods based on science such as the one outlined in The Dog Aggression System Every Dog Owner Needs e-book. The e-book also details the kinds of signs to look at for that will help you predict when aggression might occur.

It’s very common for people to feel guilt about their dog’s behavior, because most people feel they have done wrong. It is so common that people will sometimes deny there is a problem, or procrastinate on getting help. The e-book is a good low cost option for people to learn about how to improve a dog aggression problem.

Health concerns that can cause dog aggression

There are many reasons for dog aggression. Sudden aggression in dogs might be a result of medical issues that contribute to dog aggression or simple pain or discomfort of any sort. It is very common for dogs that are seen by a veterinary behaviorist to also have medical conditions as well. Your first step should be to see a vet. However, even when the dog’s aggression is completely a result of pain, it is very likely that you will need to do behavior modification to changer the associations your dog developed while the situation developed. In addition congenital diseases, disorders or conditions that have occurred in the womb or present close to birth but not necessarily genetic may also play a factor.

Biological contributions that can contribute to dog aggression

There is plenty of evidence that dogs with serious aggression are functionally different than non-aggressive dogs. Serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain helps cells communicate to one another. It has been implicated in aggression across species. New research suggests that changes in serotonin could be a result of the brain producing less neurons (certain brain cells). Genetics, hormones and interactions between the nervous system and the endocrine system as well may play a part in the development of aggression. As of yet, we have virtually no data on whether dogs can be born with conditions similar to Aspergers or Autism in humans that may cause problems for dogs in social settings.

This does not mean they are beyond help however. There are ways to manage and treat dog aggression just as we would treat people with behavior challenges. This may include anything from modifying the environment around the dog, to medication to improve dog aggression, to behavior modification.

Poor socialization history

There is a critical period in a dog’s development where dogs need to be socialized. They need to be socialized to a great number of things to become comfortable later on in life. But more importantly they need to exposed to these people, animals and situations in a way that results in a positive experience. Dogs that have negative experiences during this critical phase may find it very difficult to overcome them without a slow and gentle behavior modification program.

The early critical phase is not the only time dogs can develop aggression as a result of negative situations. This can happen at any time. For example, dogs that are exposed to abuse, or who get attached by other dogs, or who are frequently put into frustrating or fearful experiences may develop aggression. But if it happens later in life, it is usually a little easier to change.

Next steps for your aggressive dog

Consult your veterinarian to rule out any medical causes of aggression.
Discontinue anything you are doing to make your dog become aggressive.
Ensure your dog’s needs are being met adequately.
Look into an effective treatment program. You vet may be able to recommend you to a veterinary behaviorist. In less serious cases, a force-free trainer who uses positive methods, and has a good background in successful treating aggression may be able to help.

If you want to learn more about treating dog aggression, The Dog Aggression System Every Dog Owner Needs ebook was written to help you with just that.

https://k9aggression.com/dog-aggression-overview/causes-of-of-dog-aggression/

Thursday 28 May 2015

A New Study discussing the reliability of visual breed identification

In a new study that was just released, researcher Victoria Voith once again exposes the challenges of identifying dominant breeds of mixed breed dogs, even by "experts" in the field. I think the research is important for a lot of reasons (some different from what others have surmised), and worth reviewing as the world of DNA genetics testing continues to challenge what we think we know about canine genetics, and rapidly adding knowledge to the field.

The Study

In the study, more than 900 people who had professions in the field of animal welfare were asked to watch a 1 minute video of 20 dogs that showed the full view of the front and side of the dog, along with the weights, age, and sex of the dogs. All participants noted that they're breed identification was sometimes used for record keeping purposes and were largely made up of kennel staff, Veterinary Assistants, Animal control Field officers, dog trainers, or other animal control or veterinary/behavior triaining staff.

The survey participants then had to answer the following questions:

Do you think the dog is purebred? yes/no

If yes, what breed to you think it is?

If No, what do you think is the most predominant breed?

What do you think is the second most predominant breed? If you are unsure, write "mix".

The answers were then compared to the DNA results for the dogs.

The Dogs

Before I get into the results for this, I want to discuss the dogs used, and DNA as a whole. It's very important to note that at this point no one is saying that DNA tests are 100% reliable. Even the researchers who are creating the tests note this. Currently, the Mars Wisdom Panel test (which was used for this analysis) says it has a 90% accuracy rate across all first generation crosses. As dogs get further removed from pure heritage, the results get less and less accurate.

It's very important to note in this study that only ONE of the 20 dogs used came back with 50% or more of any one breed -- so only ONE fell within the 90% accuracy range. So, essentially,we cannot have a lot of certainly of the actual DNA results of almost any of the dogs in the study. However, with the other 19, we can be 90% certain that the really are very mixed breed dogs and not predominently any one breed. I think this is very important in how the results are analyzed.

The Results

While this study is far from conclusive because of the very small sample set of dogs, I do believe the initial results are very interesting.

Based on the study results, for 7 of the 20 dogs, more than 10% of the responents thought that the dog was "probably" a purebred dog. For three of the 20, 19% or more of the respondents thought the dog was probably a purebred dog (one of these three was the only dog in the study with a mix of 50% of any one breed - Miniature Pincher - and the majority of respondents incorrectly ID'd the dog as predominently Carin Terrier).

Also of note, there was agreement among 50% or more of the respondents in the predominent breed in only 7 of the dogs -- and in 3 of them, the visual ID did not match ANY of the DNA identification. In the other 13 dogs (65%) there was no majority guess among the panel.

In 14 of the 20 dogs used, less than half of the guesses included a breed that was even detected by the DNA results. And for one of the dogs, exactly zero of the 859 respondents correctly identified a breed of dog in the mix (and this was the dog with highest breed concentration).

Discussion

It's important to note why this data is important. In the United States, more than 40% of the canine population is mixed breed.

For decades, the only possible way to identify mixed breed dogs was through visual identification, and many city juristictions have used such identification to influence their animal control policies.

However, we are now getting a lot of science-based data on the efficacy of such ideals, and the results don't support visual breed ID as a basis for policy:

- Visual ID of dogs is highly inaccurate when compared to DNA results

- The Visual ID of mixed breed dogs is highly subjective, as most 'experts' don't agree on the breeds based on looks

- Even those well-educated in the field are susceptible to judgment biases

Thus, statistical data that has often used to promote breed-specific policies is, and has been, based on visual breed identification that is proving itself to be highly subjective and inaccurate. And if public policy-makers want to rely on scientific and accurate information for their decisions, then the best solution will be to focus solely on behavior-based ordinances that target how dogs (and owenrs) BEHAVE, not how they look.

Here's a link to the entire Voith Study (very detailed)

Here's a link to the National Canine Research Council's overview of the study.

Here's a link to a very nice visual chart that shows the dogs and the study results for the dogs.

Posted at 11:24 AM in Academic Papers, Breed Mis-Identification, Genetics, Science | Permalink

http://btoellner.typepad.com/kcdogblog/2013/05/a-new-study-discussing-the-reliability-of-visual-breed-identification.html

Rethinking Dog Breed Identification in Veterinary Practice

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[Abstract Only] Image by Flickr user Rob Swatski, under Creative Commons License

The visual identification of dog breeds is made more difficult when assessing mixed breed dogs. This paper examines whether it is useful for veterinarians to attempt to visually identify mixed breed dogs, especially as a means of predicting future health problems that may be associated with certain breeds. The study recommends that animal hospitals adopt a policy of not using visual identification, and instead explain to their clientele that only purebred or DNA tested dogs will be identified by breed, while others should be identified in different, non-breed specific ways.

Abstract:

Despite the popularity of pure bred dogs in popular culture, and events such as dog shows, almost half (44%) of the dogs living in the United States are mixed breed. For many of these dogs the lineage is almost or completely unknown, and breed is assigned based on visual appearance. Of course, as this paper notes, "it is possible to describe dogs without assigning a breed. In fact, in previous times, dogs were characterized not so much by breed as by their personality." In the past, dogs have been identified as hunting dogs, guard dogs, lap dogs, etc; and in recent times, the American Kennel Club labeled mixed breed dogs that participate in obedience and agility competitions as "all-American dogs." Visual inspection is the most common way of trying to identify the parentage of mixed breed dogs at veterinary hospitals across the U.S. That being said, there are problems with this kind of visual identification. With hundreds of recognized breeds out there, it is almost impossible to accurately identify mixed breed dogs with complete certainty.

Considering that certain health problems are associated with specific dog breeds, misidentification of breeds could potentially lead to misdiagnoses or missed preventative measures. Likewise, considering that many states and countries have breed specific bans in place, misidentifying a dog breed could have dire consequences for the dogs in question. In some cases, vets could potentially be accused of intentional misrepresentation of dog breeds if they got it wrong. Because of these factors, the authors of this study "strongly recommend" that vets adopt a "consistent use of a single non-breed-based term to identify all dogs of unknown lineage, regardless of appearance and regardless of any previous identifications that might have been made." They add that "it is ill advised to alter a dog's medical record, including changing the breed identification, without documenting the change and explaining why the change was made." The researchers advise that it is not a good idea to retroactively apply the policy to existing patients, "unless a DNA analysis has been done to substantiate the change in breed identification and a copy of the test results can be included in the patient's medical record." They also recommend that vets communicate this new policy to new and existing patients with a simple statement such as this: "Because new scientific evidence has called into question the accuracy of visual breed identification of dogs, our hospital has adopted a policy to not identify canine patients by predominant breed unless the dog is purebred, the predominant breed of the dog's parents is known, or the dog's lineage has been established through the use of DNA analysis."

Ultimately, the authors of this paper wish to encourage "a paradigm shift in the veterinary profession's approach to canine breed identification. Specifically, we believe that veterinarians and animal shelters should adopt a policy to avoid visual breed identification of any dog of unknown lineage and should train their staff on the rationale for this policy, including the drawbacks of visual breed identification and misidentification." They note that "this does not preclude including breed information in the medical records of dogs when the owner has actual knowledge of the dog's lineage or when breed identification has been determined by means of DNA analysis." Considering the numerous problems that can arise if dogs are misidentified, it seems like a safer policy to use going forward.

Original Abstract:
Dog breed identification is deeply rooted in veterinary practice. Practice management programs, diagnostic service request forms, and government forms, including health certificates and rabies certificates, all require information on dog breed. Owners may ask for assistance in identifying the breed of newly acquired dogs, and veterinarians frequently use information regarding dog breed to assess the risk that dogs will develop various breed-specific medical problems. However, the utility of breed identification in veterinary practice may not be clear for mixedbreed dogs, particularly when parentage is unknown and must be guessed at on the basis of appearance.

http://avmajournals.avma.org/toc/javma/241/9

Spot Check Number: 2708

Researcher/Author: Robert john Simpson, DVM; Kathyrnjo Simpson, DVM, MPH; Ledy VanKavage, JD

Animal Type: Companion Animals, Dogs

Record Type: Journal article

Research Method: Unknown or Not Applicable

Geographic Region: United States National

Number of Participants: Unknown

Population Descriptors: Mixed breed dogs, veterinarians

Year Conducted: 2012

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Wednesday 27 May 2015

Aggression between Dogs in the Same Household What causes conflict between dogs living in the same home? Post published by Stanley Coren Ph.D., F.R.S.C. on Apr 22, 2014 in Canine Corner

dog canine pet human animal bond aggression conflict fighting stress

My home typically contains two or more dogs, and research has shown that having more than one dog is typical for nearly one third of dog owning households in North America. In a multiple dog home probably one of the most disturbing situations is when there are aggressive incidents between the dogs. These are not only disturbing for the peace and happiness of the humans living there, but it can also be quite dangerous for the dogs and for the people who try to intervene and break up the fight. A scientific report published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association* looked at this issue, specifically assessing the characteristics of the dogs involved and what can be done to help eliminate the problem of fighting among dogs living together.

Researchers Kathryn Wrubel, Alice Moon-Fanelli, Louise Maranda, and Nicholas Dodman, recruited 38 pairs of dogs that came to the Animal Behavior Clinic at Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in Grafton, Massachusetts specifically because they were involved in aggressive incidents with their housemates. The research team then conducted in-depth interviews and administered a number of questionnaires in order to determine the characteristics of dogs which had been involved in such situations. Later on they would prescribe a treatment method for the problem.

The first thing that might be surprising to most people is that female dogs are more often involved in such fights then are males. Only 32% of the aggressive incidents involved conflict between two males, while in the remaining 68% females were active participants. This is consistent with some previous research which has shown that when females get into an aggressive situation injuries are apt to be more severe and the fight tends to be longer and more furious.

If we look at the overall characteristics of the dogs involved, we find that the instigators of the aggression are usually the dog who has been most recently brought into the household (70%). Furthermore in 74% of the cases it is the younger dog that starts the fight. These fights are often a surprise to the owners, since 39% of them claim that the dogs usually get along with one another most of the time. The conflicts can be quite intense which is proven by the fact that 50% of them required veterinary care for the dogs and 10% of them required medical attention for the owners who tried to intervene. The reason that the owners were placing themselves in jeopardy was because 54% of them felt that the fight would not stop unless they separated the dogs physically, and only 8% of them successfully separated the dogs using learned obedience commands.

What tends to trigger a fight among housemates? The actions of the owner, such as paying attention to one dog rather than the other, are a trigger for 46% of the pairs. Simple excitement, usually involving the owner's arrival or other activities was involved in 31%. Conflict over food was involved in 46% of the pairs while found items or toys are triggers in 26%.

There appear to be a number of risk factors which the study isolated for one or both of the dogs. Among the pairs of dogs involved in aggressive incidents 41% had at least one member who had lived in multiple households. When at least one of the dogs in the pair was 12 weeks of age or older when adopted the rate of conflict was 39%, dogs adopted from a shelter were involved in 33% of the cases and dogs from pet shops in 16%.

There is some evidence that dogs involved in aggressive situations with the dogs that they live with do have a tendency to show aggression in other situations. For example, 40% have shown aggression to other dogs, 27% have shown aggression toward humans living in the household, and 27% toward human strangers, but most distressingly 20% have shown aggression toward their owner.

Aggression may not be their only problem since 50% of the pairs of dogs involved in conflicts had at least one member with noticeable separation anxiety, and 30% had phobias, fearfulness, and other forms of anxiety.

The good news is that aggression between housemates does appear to be treatable using behavioral techniques that owners can institute at home. The first of these is the technique that Nicholas Dodman calls "nothing-in-life-is-free". This simply requires the dogs to respond to some simple learned command (such as "sit", "down", "come" etc.) before they get any resource that they want (their meal, a treat, petting, attention and so forth). The second of these involves "supporting" one of the dogs, meaning that the chosen dog gets everything first (food, treats, attention etc.). Here the problem is which dog to select, and a pragmatic way of doing this is to choose the dog that is larger, stronger, healthier, more active and so forth. An alternate way (which seems to fit with human notions of priority, deference and respect, is to select the "senior" dog, where here the word "senior" means the dog which was in the household first, and has lived for the owner the longest. Both of these methods work, but not instantaneously since on average the data shows that noticeable improvement does not occur until more than five weeks after the process starts. The "nothing-in-life-is-free" technique produced improvement in 89% of the pairs, while the "senior support technique" produced improvement in 67% of the pairs. The researchers suggest that these techniques work for two reasons. First, because the dogs must act in a controlled manner, this takes some of the excitement and arousal out the situation. Secondly, because events occur in a predictable order, and the dogs learn that each of them will eventually get what they want and no conflict is needed.

It is important to note that the sex of the dogs not only makes a difference in the likelihood of conflict but also in the likelihood of improvement with behavioral treatment. As we noted in the beginning of this article, female dogs are more likely to engage in conflicts with their housemates and their fights are apt to be more serious. This is consistent with the fact that the improvement with behavioral treatment is found to be less pronounced, although still significant, in female pairs. In the male-male pairs, conflict was reduced in 72%, of the cases while for male-female pairs the reduction was 75%. In the female-female pairs the reduction was for only 57%, which, although not as large as in the other pairings is still a reasonable improvement rate, and well worth the effort.

To read more about canine aggression click here.

Stanley Coren is the author of many books including: The Wisdom of Dogs; Do Dogs Dream? Born to Bark; The Modern Dog; Why Do Dogs Have Wet Noses? The Pawprints of History; How Dogs Think; How To Speak Dog; Why We Love the Dogs We Do; What Do Dogs Know? The Intelligence of Dogs; Why Does My Dog Act That Way? Understanding Dogs for Dummies; Sleep Thieves; The Left-hander Syndrome(link is external)

Copyright SC Psychological Enterprises Ltd. May not be reprinted or reposted without permission

*Data from: Kathryn M. Wrubel, Alice A. Moon-Fanelli, Louise S. Maranda, and Nicholas H. Dodman (2011). Interdog household aggression:38 cases (2006–2007). Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 238, 731–740

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/canine-corner/201404/aggression-between-dogs-in-the-same-household

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