Behavior Counseling and Therapy 1.4

Behavior Counseling and Therapy 1.4

1. Dogs and Cats

   • Command Response Reward
     • Command and immediate reward
       • Be Consistent
       • No Punishment
   • Clicker Training
     • Signal to the animal that it preformed the right behavior
       • Given Reward
         • Associate clicker sound with reward
   • Extinction
     • Completely removing the reinforcement for the behavior
   • Aversion Therapy
     • Area
     • Unpleasant stimulus and an object that an animal may be marking, chewing or damaging
   • Avoidance Therapy
     • Behavior
     • Use of Negative Reinforcement to diminish a problem behavior
       • Pets will link the behavior with an unpleasant event and then avoid the behavior
         • Pet should not associate negative reinforcement with the owner
   • Habituation
     • Treat minor behavior problems
     • Surround the animal with the stimulus that causes the problem until the animal becomes acclimated to the stimulus
       • Not to be used with stimuli that causes aggression
   • Punishment
     • Eliminate undesired behavior
       • Never use to treat aggression
   • Counter Conditioning
     • Replace an undesired behavior with a desired one
       • Recondition the animal by taking a stimulus linked to a negative emotion and change it to a positive reaction
   • Desensitization
     • Diminishing a particular behavior by gradually exposing the animal to the stimulus
   • Environmental Modificatin
     • Some behavior issues can be fixed with changes in the environment
   • Surgical Approaches
     • Spay and Neuter

2. Birds and Rodents

   • Birds
     • Moving or covering the cage
     • Giving more stimulation
     • For Biting
       • Shouting Ouch
       • Wobble- Dropping the hand a few inches
         • Bird will lose balance and release grip
   • Rodents
     • Getting the rodent familiar with you, (Tub Method)

3. All Treatment Methods Require

   • Trust
     • Animals must trust a caretakers command
   • Reward
     • Stimulate changes in behavior
       • Edible
       • Vocal
   • Reprimand
     • Association between unacceptable behavior and potential danger or disorientation
       • Used to startle animal, not punish
       • Best when paired with firm "NO"
   • Consistency
     • All good behavior must be rewarded
     • All bad behavior must be reprimanded

4. Pharmaceutical Therapy

   • Considered after other methods have failed
   • Most common form is hormonal therapy
     • Administration of Gonadal Hormones (Progestin)
   • Calming Medications
     • Dominance Aggression
       • May occur when an owner attempts to assert dominance over a dog (Conflict Related Aggression)

5. Special Role of the Veterinary Technician in Client Education

   • Vet Staff should provide pet selection counseling before the owner acquires the pet
     • Most behavior issues arise when a breed or size of the animal does not fit the owners lifestyle
     • Behavior issues arise when owners impse inappropriate expectations on their pets
   • Decrease unnecessary Euthinazation