ACUTE MANAGEMENT OF PROBLEM BEHAVIOUR
Management is critical for any behavioural problem. It serves to provide safety and/or stops the escalation of the behaviour while you work on a behavioural modification program.
Safety: Often there is potential for injury. Aggressive pets may harm targets via biting/scratching. In cases of anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorders, the pet may inflict injury upon itself. Owners must engage in steps to protect the safety of others and the pet. Proper containment is indicated at all times. The level of containment will vary between cases but minimally should include secure property fencing or the pet being leashed when not enclosed in home property.
Interrupting the escalation of the problem behaviour: When the pet engages in the undesirable behaviour, there is usually pay-off/reinforcement for the pet. When a dog barks aggressively at a person passing by the house, their retreat rewards the aggressive display. When a dog urinates on the rug, the immediate relief of an empty bladder makes the pet more comfortable. The following steps will interrupt
the escalation of the problem behaviour:
■ Identify and avoid triggers for undesirable behaviour. Examples follow:
Interdog aggression: Avoid high-density dog areas/times on walks; if you do encounter other dogs, create space between your dog and the other dog.
Owner-directed aggression: Avoid triggers, don’t disturb when resting, don’t allow dog on bed if dog is aggressive when disturbed in bed; feed dog without disturbances for food aggression, etc.
Aggression to visitors to home: Place dog in another area before allowing visitors in house.
Dog with separation anxiety: Avoid leaving alone in home for periods that evoke the distress.
■ Don’t respond to undesirable behaviour with interactive aggression/punishment:
Punitive responses often escalate the problem. An animal in an aggressive state is highly aroused and highly reactive. Pets with aggression or other problem behaviours may have underlying anxiety. Aggressive responses will likely aggravate the condition and may result in injury.
■ Don’t respond to undesirable behaviour with comforting: While trying to reduce
anxiety/distress, comforting from the dog’s perspective is very similar to praise.
The dog may misinterpret this interaction and think you actually like the undesirable behaviour.
■ Respond in a calm, controlled fashion to undesirable behaviour: If you find something
after the fact (elimination/destruction), there is no helpful response. Clean it up and try to avoid the trigger circumstance that caused it in the future. If the pet is highly aroused and actively engaged in the undesirable behaviour, try to remove the pet from the situation or remove the trigger for the behaviour. Remain calm, give direction to the pet for an alternative behaviour, such as obedience commands, and recognize that this is a damage-control situation; you are trying to prevent this episode from making things worse. Since the pet is highly aroused/reactive/upset, these are not good training opportunities. If the pet is too aroused to follow a command, try “changing the subject” by offering another activity the pet may want such as a ride in the car. This activity is used to divert the pet in a critical situation only; repeated use could inadvertently reinforce the undesirable behaviour.
DESENSITIZATION AND COUNTERCONDITIONING: THE DETAILS
1. The goal is to help your pet learn new tasks to help them deal with situations, people, or places that make them fearful, anxious, or exhibit undesirable behaviour.
2. The first step is helping your pet to learn to relax and be calm on a verbal command.
Animals cannot learn if they are emotionally aroused.
a. See handout on Tranquillity Training Exercises.
b. This can be accomplished not only with training but with training aids such as a head collar.
3. The adult who has the most control over the pet should do these sessions.
a. For additional safety, a leash and/or a head collar or harness is advised.
b. For cats, a harness and leash or a crate may be necessary for control.
4. Be aware of the stimulus gradient before you start. (green/amber/red zones)
a. How does the response vary across the components of the stimulus? These may be distance, size, speed of approach, personal characteristics (hats, bicycles, age).
b. Then arrange the stimuli from the least likely to cause a problematic response to the one most likely to elicit the problem behaviour.
5. Establish a reward gradient. Find rewards that are extremely valuable, some of lesser value, and finally lowest value treats. Usually high value treats will be consumable people food. These should be reserved for treatment sessions and withheld at all other times.
6. Engage in daily training sessions lasting approximately 10 minutes.
a. Expose the pet to the stimulus at a level below that which evokes the anxious/ fearful/undesirable reaction.
b. When exposed to this low level stimulus, the animal should be rewarded for calm, relaxed, obedient behaviour. Rewards may include play, praise, tasty food treats, etc.
c. With success, gradually increase the intensity of the stimulus until it is at full strength without evoking a fearful/undesirable response.
d. If the animal responds with anxiety, fear, aggression, or any undesirable behaviour, the stimulus intensity was too strong. Do not reward or scold the pet but back away until the pet is calm.
e. Try to end each session with a successful exposure.
7. Avoid the following pitfalls, which will make progress more difficult:
a. All situations known to elicit undesirable responses must be avoided unless they are part of the controlled training exercise. This may mean curtailing walks, confining the pet when visitors come over, not allowing the pet outside in the yard unattended and off leash, not allowing aggressive displays at windows, doors, and fences.
b. Avoid long training sessions where the pet becomes distracted/agitated or upset.
c. If the pet becomes very reactive, the stimulus was too close or too intense, and future sessions must have better control of the stimulus intensity. You may need to be quite a distance away for the pet to be calm and controlled. Remember, the pet learns best when calm.
d. Progress slowly and be conservative in expectations. You want the pet to be successful and end each session on a positive response.
USING CLASSICAL COUNTERCONDITIONING TO CHANGE EMOTIONAL STATE
When a pet is showing an undesirable response to a stimulus, that response is usually associated with an underlying emotional state that is also undesirable. Anxiety, fear, and aggression are common motivational emotions for unwanted pet responses. To help the pet respond in a different way, it is useful to change the association with the stimulus and hence, the underlying emotional state. The goal is to change the meaning of the stimulus from one that predicts something unpleasant to one that predicts something desirable. Although some animals will respond to play, for most animals, the best way to do so is using food.
■ A first step in changing a response to a stimulus is to attempt to grade the response across varying characteristics of the stimulus. In other words, how does the pet respond to the stimulus as that stimulus changes either in its proximity, speed of approach, location, or other characteristics such as sound or size.
■ The next step is to find a reward that the animal finds especially enticing (an “A” treat), usually food and especially table food. It is important to have a gradient of reinforcers, from those that are extremely desirable to those that are less so. Extremely desirable rewards are saved for training and conditioning sessions.
■ Finally, two simple tasks must be taught to the pet.
_ The first is a task to get the pet’s attention. This can be as simple as teaching the pet to look at you using a phrase such as “watch me” or “focus.” The goal is for the animal to have eye contact for several minutes but remain neutral and relaxed. A leash and possibly a head collar should be used for additional control.
_ The second is a following command that allows you to leave the situation. The dog should learn to associate a phrase such as “let’s go” with turning 180 degrees and briskly walking the other way. This should be performed quickly, but without anxiety or tension.
■ Once the gradient of response to the stimuli and the gradient of rewards have been established and the pet can focus and then leave on command, it is time to begin the conditioning. Begin with the stimulus at the predetermined distance at which little or no response is noted. Have the “A” treat ready. Ask the pet to
“focus” and begin feeding the treat regardless of what the pet does as long as they are not lunging or barking. They can look at the stimulus. As the stimulus gets closer to the predetermined spot where undesirable behaviour is going to begin, quickly but calmly exit the situation using the “let’s go” command. Do several repetitions at the same distance.
Avoid the following pitfalls, which will make progress more difficult.
■ All situations known to elicit undesirable responses must be avoided. This may mean curtailing walks, confining the dog when visitors come over, not allowing the dog outside in the yard unattended and off leash, not allowing aggressive displays at windows, doors, and fences.
■ Do not attempt to remain longer than the dog can behave. If the dog becomes very reactive, the stimulus was too close or too intense, and future sessions must have better control of the stimulus intensity. You may need to be quite a distance away for the dog to be calm and controlled. Remember, the dog learns best when calm.
■ Limit the number of exposures within a training session. You want the dog to be successful and end each session on a positive response. The goal is for the dog to learn to associate the sight of the stimulus with something pleasant. This treatment can often help decrease the arousal level so that the dog
can be controlled during the situation.