Animal BehaviorMs. Kristin Canga, RVT

“…For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.

-Rudyard Kipling, The Law of the Jungle

How Do Animals Learn?

Animals do not have a sense of morals.

Owners often project what they think on to the animals behavior.

Most animals learn in a similar manner, through associative learning. Respondent Conditioning(Also called classical or Pavlovian

conditioning.)Operant ConditioningRelies heavily on consequences

Associative learning

Occurs when an animal forms an association between two events. (Kind of like cause and effect)

Associations that are highly predictable will be learned the fastest.

Often called Stimulus-response relationshipsRelies on contiguity and contingency in order to

learn in this manner.Contiguity – relationship between 2 events in

both time and place. Contingency – describes the predictability of the

association.

Stimulus-Response Relationships

What does this mean? Something happens that stimulates a

response.

Can also be described as:Respondent behaviors

Respondent Behaviors

Also called Classical or Pavlovian conditioning

Utilize an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) that causes an unconditioned response (UCR).

SCENARIO:

-In cattle: Being milked (UCS) causes oxytocin release and milk letdown. (UCR)

After repeated associations between entering the milking facility and being milked, the response becomes conditioned: Approaching the milking facility (sights, and sounds associated)

becomes a conditioned stimulus (CS), results in milk letdown as a conditioned response (CR).

Scenario– Each day, you come home and drop you backpack

loudly on the kitchen table. Your cat associates the fear of the experience and the place in which experienced.

If this happens every single day, the cat will associate the kitchen table with fear.

This can backfire, and the cat can associate YOU with fear since you are also a common factor in the fear. (When my person comes home, I get scared)

How an animal associates these two things depends on the individual animal. (May include temperament and prior experiences)

Other Human Scenarios

You leave school to drive in Houston traffic. When you enter your neighborhood/apartment complex,

you have a sudden urgency to urinate.

You go out with your friends and have a little too much (Fill in your beverage of choice here) to drink. Every time you smell or even hear someone mention this

drink, you feel nauseated.

Scenario- A dog is fearful of strangers because he/she has never

been exposed to them in his or her life. When someone rings the doorbell, a stranger appears in the dogs home. - The dog will associate the ringing of the doorbell with a

stranger appearing and being afraid.

- Over time, the doorbell will be associated with fear.

Operant Conditioning

Important Terms to note: Reinforcement Positive reinforcement Negative reinforcement Correction/punishment Positive correction/punishment Negative correction/punishment Extinction

Operant Behaviors

Rely on consequences to be effective

Consequences help the animal increase or decrease the frequency of behavior.

Consequences MUST happen immediately after the behavior is performed.Consequences can be implemented through

“positive or negative” reinforcement OR

“positive or negative” correction/punishment.

Positive & Negative

Punishment and negative reinforcement are NOT the same!

Can be reinforcement or correction/punishment

SIMPLE math! Positive – ADDING something to the situation Negative – REMOVING something from the situation

Positive reinforcement can be over-used

Positive correction can be used incorrectly

Scenario- A dog jumps up on anyone that comes in to the home.

Every time the behavior occurs, the dog is pushed down, and talked to.

What is REALLY happening here? What would be a more effective solution? What would be ineffective to resolve the jumping?

Extinction of Behaviors

Defined: The process by which an association between two events is broken.

If behavior is no longer reinforced, the behavior should stop.Extinction practices usually cause behaviors to get

worse before they are eliminated.When reinforcement is stopped, the animal senses a

certain level of frustration and will INCREASE the behavior before it DECREASES!Called the “extinction burst”

Extinction, continued

Can be used to eliminate an undesirable behavior.

Requires 100% compliance by owners and ALL members of family in order to truly work.

Remember that the behavior often worsens before it goes away. This is NORMAL!

Can also result in the elimination of DESIRABLE behavior if not consistently reinforced.Wife requires dog to sit and stay before feedingHusband allows dog to follow to food and eat

without waiting.

Redirection during Extinction

Some animals need to be asked to do something else to “take their minds off” the behavior they normally do.

Be careful not to redirect too quicklyA jumping dog needs to be calm before touch or

voice is offered for redirection.

Make the two behaviors incompatible.A dog can’t sit AND jump on people simultaneously.

More slides are coming soon!