Animal Behavior: Instinctive Behaviors, Learn from Models, and Distinguishing Abnormal Behaviors

1. Chapter 39 Animal Behavior

2. Instinctive Behaviors • Behaviors that occur naturally to an animal in a reaction to a stimulus • Can be observed between mother and her newborns • Marking – social and sexual purposes • Pheromones – present in the urine giving all who encounter the mark left by others • sexual receptiveness, eating habits, age, and overall health

3. Instinctive Behaviors • Mating • females in estrus give off pheromones that indicate she is ready to breed • males detect these orders and respond by locating the female and breeding with her • Predatory • in order to survive they must eat and food must be hunted

4. Instinctive Behaviors • Submission and dominance postures • show who is the leader or that they don’t pose a threat • Acquired through genetic makeup • each species brain is built differently • Maternal • mothers become protective and defensive

5. Learned Behaviors • Learning is the modification of behavior in response to specific experiences • Classified in various ways • Modification techniques • Conditioning • Modeling • Imprinting

6. Conditioning • Associate one stimulus with another • Process of teaching an animal an action in relationship to another action • Example • rewarding a dog for coming when a clicker sound is given

7. Modeling • Animal learns a behavior through watching other animals conduct the behavior • Example: • in a pack animal such as the wolf, hunting behaviors fit this category

8. Imprinting • Learned behavior • Must occur within a distinct time period • Allows animal to trust people • Attachment to an object that will emit adult behaviors • Can be generalized to all examples of the object

9. Distinguishing Normal from Abnormal Behaviors • Appropriate management and training • Understand animals’ natural instincts • Behavior problems • Improper handling or training techniques • Genetically related • Passed from home to home

10. Distinguishing Normal from Abnormal Behaviors • Learn to observe an animal’s body language • Coprophagic • Natural for some animals • For others, sign of problems • Abnormal behaviors may be common for one species and uncommon for another

11. Livestock Handling and Behavior • Predictable • Guidelines • Most livestock respond well to calm, quiet, and gentle handling • Fast or aggressive movements may cause livestock to react dangerously • Many are herd animals and should not be isolated

12. Cattle Behavior • Cattle can see 360 degrees around them • Cows are nervous • Cattle are easily startled by strange noises, people, and changes in environment • Announce your presence near a cow in a quiet and calm manner • Allow cow to settle down and become used to the environment

13. Horse Behavior • Have blind spots, need to work quietly and calmly around a horse • Allow horse to know where you are at all times, move slow, and talk gently • Being nervous makes the horse nervous • Approach from left shoulder

14. Swine Behavior • Sows are very protective of their young • Moving pigs is best done with panels or chutes • Young piglets should be isolated from the sow when veterinary attention is necessary • Pigs will bite when threatened or scared; will typically go for the legs and feet

15. Sheep and Goat Behavior • Flighty and panic easily • They are herd animals • Females are protective of their young • Sheep and goats will commonly butt when threatened • Sheep can be immobilized by sitting them on their rumps

16. Common Behavior Problems in Animals • Modification techniques – offered by veterinarian to restrain the animal and get rid of inappropriate behaviors • Important that any signs of a behavior problem are examined • Some problems are very difficult to modify; others may be easy handled

17. Inappropriate Elimination (House Soiling) • May be due to physical problems • Poor housebreaking techniques • More common in cats • Dislike litter boxes • too few litter boxes • litter not deep enough • wrong type of litter • liners

18. Barking • Natural behavior • Social instinct, communication • Attention seeking • Warning • Anxiety, fear

19. Aggression • Poses a threat to society • Results from many factors • Sexual or mating behaviors • Genetic disposition • Breed disposition • Improper training or handling

20. Aggression • Behavior causes • Fear • Territorial instincts • Possessiveness • Dominance • Pain • Mating or sexual behavior

21. Digging • Factors • Wanting to escape the confines • Trying to stay cool in summer or warm in winter • Predator instinct of wildlife • Separation anxiety • Boredom • Curiosity

22. Digging • Resolved by using a screen or other distracting items to block view of objects • Providing toys and other items for play • Cases of separation anxiety may need medication • Place the animal in an area where there is limited soil and ground for digging

23. Biting • Reflex inherited • Defensive reaction • Can cause severe injuries • It is essential to determine why the animal is biting • Biting issues can be resolved through training modification techniques

24. Chewing • Common in large animals • Habit, boredom, or nutritional deficiency • Cribbing – chew on an area, then suck in air • vice or bad habit that can easily be picked up by horses due to stress or modeling

25. Euthanasia • Too aggressive to safely be around people • Last resort to behavior problems • Discussion and approval by the veterinarian • Aggressive livestock can be potentially life threatening

26. Animal Behaviorists • Veterinary animal behaviorists – specialized veterinarians that have a special interest and experience in animal behavior problems • trained and licensed • prescribe drugs, familiar with modification techniques