Capital Behaviour - Behawiorysta COAPE Edynburg

28/10/2024

Totally agree!

This is becoming a welfare issue!

Im tired of hearing “the vet says there is no pain” by a guardian after they have taken their dog to the vet. It leaves me deflated and frustrated and feeling so sorry for the dog.

Myth Bust:

PAIN CANNOT BE RULED OUT IN ANY ANIMAL (dog, cat, horse or hamster), by anyone!

* A quick palpation - CANNOT RULE OUT PAIN

WHY?

The dog may shut down due to environmental factors or dislike of a strange human touching them, they keep still to get it over with ASAP!

The dog may be over aroused or overwhelmed by the clinical environment (excited/scared etc) to the point that adrenaline is so high it blocks pain!

* Blood Tests - CANNOT RULE OUT PAIN

There is currently NO blood test that can detect pain.

* Diagnostic imaging - CANNOT RULE OUT PAIN

Yes they can pick up a variety of conditions, but even the GOLD standard MRI doesn’t pick up everything, but NONE of them can detect PAIN.

Just because a source cannot be found doesn’t mean there is no pain.

PAIN is subjective, it is whatever that being (human or animal) perceives it to be!

Pain can come in many different forms, it is extremely complex, and can effect the individual in many different ways. A dog may get injured, the injury may have healed, but the pain remains … this is known as maladaptive pain.

Behaviour can be a HUGE indicator for PAIN:

* There could be a change of behaviour that has been directly caused by PAIN.

* There could be a worsening of behaviour due to an increase or new presence of PAIN.

* There could be a lack of “normal” behaviour due to PAIN.

* There could be behaviours that are present but that the guardian/owner don’t deem to be problematic that are indicators of PAIN.

* The dog may have ALWAYS displayed behaviours that are indicators of PAIN, but they have been ignored and put down to “just the way they are”.

* There may be NO problematic behaviours at all …. And the dog might still be in PAIN!

* The dog might be energetic, always on the go … and still be in PAIN.

* The dog might be lazy … and still be in PAIN.

* The dog may zoom up and down stairs … and still be in PAIN.

Diagnosing PAIN is not simple and can be difficult to get on top of.

A PAIN relief trail can be great! But often only one type of analgesic is tried and sometimes this doesn’t get results leading to the ASSUMPTION that there is no PAIN!

Here’s why:

* The drug was only trialed for 2 weeks - when living with chronic pain it can take longer to relieve. 2 weeks is not enough.

* The drug used wasn’t targeted to the type of pain the animal is feeling; soft tissue, bone, nerve or a combination of all.

It might take a number of different medications or a combination OVER TIME to see a difference.

ALWAYS keep in mind, NO ONE can rule out another being’s PAIN.

NO ONE. Not me. Not you. Not a Doctor. Not a Vet.

15/10/2024

DISTANCE ASSISTANCE
It’s not easy having a reactive dog. As much as we may feel frustrated, restricted, angry or even ashamed or embarrassed, our reactive dogs are also experiencing a range of negative emotions when they react to something that triggers them.

This reaction is usually caused by anxiety, fear, feeling threatened, frustrated or related to pain.

These emotions cause high levels of stress and stress prevents both us and our dogs from being able to process information, think clearly or learn a different, more acceptable way of reacting to whatever triggers us.

This is why creating enough distance is so important. I’m really scared of snakes and even struggle to look at them. The only thing I want to do is run away and create as much distance as possible.

If someone was restraining me, forcing me to sit down and look at the snake while trying to feed me my favourite chocolate, telling me there was nothing to worry about or trying to educate me about the specific species, it would do nothing to alleviate my fear and would only increase my stress levels.

Doing this at a sufficient distance, where I felt safe would be far more effective and my stress levels would be much lower. In time, with patience and practice, I may even be able to get much closer to the snake without having a negative reaction.

The same principle applies to reactive dogs. Creating sufficient distance where they can see the trigger but still feel safe and don’t react is the best way of helping them to cope with their feelings.

Some dogs (and people) may never be able to decrease that distance and that’s also okay.

Accept your dog for the unique individual they are, keep working on the things you can change and accept the things you can’t.

26/09/2024

HUMAN DIRECTED AGGRESSION AND THE USE OF AVERSIVES

I’ve had several dogs come to me in the last year who have aggression issues around people that either started or became much worse after they’d had aversive training. By aversives we mean the use of slip lead corrections, body jabs, rattle cans, prong and Ecollars etc. Some dogs went for general loose lead/recall/obedience training but became so scared after the use of aversives that they are now lunging at or even biting people who approach them or try to handle them. Some were already worried about people (growling or barking etc) and are now lunging or attempting to bite people. Some have bitten their owners since this training.

These dogs didn’t have these issues beforehand and they’ve become so scared of what people may do to them now that they are showing aggression. Some of them are now misinterpreting normal human interactions with them and see people as a threat to their safety and are using aggression to try and keep people away. By normal human interactions I mean people taking collars and leads off, reaching out to touch them, walking past then when they are resting etc. These dogs are traumatised by what’s happened to them, there is no other way of describing it.

I used to see dogs like this (who’ve shown aggression after aversive training) once or twice a year and now it’s something I see several times a month and it’s really concerning. There are some really unskilled trainers out there using aversives which is extremely worrying; if an unskilled trainer gets it wrong using reward the worse that happens is the dog gets fat, if you are an unskilled trainer using a shock collar there’s a huge risk of fallout.

Aversives are sold as a ‘quick fix’ they make dogs stop behaviours that people don’t like (running off/barking/stealing things) but there is always a huge risk of a fall out. It’s no surprise really that doing or using something that causes fear or pain may make an anxious dog worse.

None of this is the owners fault either, all have incredibly kind and loving families who weren’t aware these methods would be used or who didn’t realise the implications. They’ve done nothing wrong and are now left to try and repair the damage that’s been done. I feel so sad for the lovely families and their dogs as they’ve been really let down.

There’s no quick fixes to changing emotions, it takes time and patience and who often we are trying to rebuild confidence that’s been lost and help dogs recover from previous trauma (of all sorts). There’s a huge risk with quick fixes and it’s like playing roulette- you may have an incredibly robust dog and get ‘lucky’ and have no negative consequences from using aversives but it may break another dog and leave you with a terrible fall out. Just not worth the risk when we have alternatives

Laura McAuliffe, 2024, Dog Communication

07/09/2024

Good morning..

23/08/2024

How to recognise dog might be in pain? It’s not that obvious. See some tips below ⬇️ ⬇️

DOGS IN PAIN STILL RUN AND PLAY

This is Twig my yorkie, as many of you know she was born with deformed back legs. She has patella issues, cruciate issues, malformed hocks and also elbow disease.

Despite all of this, Twig would play all day. She is a young dog and would run non-stop, play with toys, play with my other dogs 24/7 if she could. She always wants to go for a walk- she never wants to turn to go home, she would walk all day if you let her.

She’s never grumpy, never shows any aggression even when she’s in pain. She partially ruptured a cruciate a few months ago and despite not being able to use her leg she was still desperate to go for a walk and kept dropping balls in my coffee (obvs I didn’t let her walk or play!) 😳

She has phases where her legs are really bad and she is in pain. It would be really easy for me to think she’s ‘fine’ and not in pain as she would still play all day if I let her. My only behavioural signs of pain with her are that she wakes in the night and takes a while to settle again and she barks a bit more than normal at outside noises.

I’ve also seen night-waking with my Dalmatian, Lucky, when he was in pain and my first sign of his back issues was that he would wake up and wander around in the middle of the night. He also still wanted to walk and play.

People often think that a dog who is in pain won’t want to go for a walk but dogs in pain are often still keen to go for a walk and they will want to chase a ball etc and play if you let them. Don’t ever assume they aren’t in pain because they want to run and play!

Signs of pain can be subtle and these are some that I commonly see in dogs I work with -

🛌 They may wake in the night or find it hard to settle in the evening, pacing or moving from bed to bed

🐕 They may vocalise more (whine or bark) and be more attention-seeking (nudging your hand to stroke them all the time or following you from room to room)

🛋️ Hesitating or unable to climb on/off the sofa, go up the stairs or get in and out of the car or needing a bigger run up to get in. Being slower to get up from resting.

😔 Being unhappy about being handled (groomed/dried etc) or unhappy about people sitting next to them on the sofa or walking past their bed

🐩 Changes in interactions with other dogs on walks- less keen on interacting or less keen on certain types of play etc

🏀. Lying down on walks or walking at a slower place but also conversely running excessively (‘runners high’ endorphins make them feel good temporarily)

You may also notice physical changes (the way your dog moves or the way their body looks.

💊 Please chat to your vet if you see any changes, dogs don’t suddenly change and start or stop doing things for no reason.

Pain is one of the primary causes of many aggression in dogs. Dogs also often don’t stop running and playing when they are in pain- signs of pain can be subtle and easy to miss so please, please seek advice from your vet if you see changes

Laura McAuliffe, Dog Communication 2024

22/08/2024

Zabawa jest również bardzo potrzebnym, niezwykle istotnym elementem w terapii zachowania!

Ethology,Neuroscience,Applied Animal Behaviour,Sentient,Sentient beings,Emotions,Animal Welfare,Dog,Cat,Training,Dog behaviour,Cat behaviour,Animal behaviour,Animal rights,Enrichment,Agility,Dog agility,Cat toys,Dog toys,Animals,Behaviour courses,Behaviour problems,Naughty dog,Naughty cat

22/08/2024

‼️UWAGA‼️
Sprawdzajcie kompetencje behawiorystów i trenerów!! 🐩🐈🐕‍🦺🐕🐈‍⬛🦮
Popularność w social mediach to stanowczo za mało ‼️‼️
Najważniejsza jest wiedza, doświadczenie i etyka pracy.

Bardzo istotne sprawy ‼️ zachęcam do przeczytania👇👇

06/08/2024

Knowing which professional you need to contact to help you with your pet is vital. Use this handy infographic to decide whether you need a trainer or behaviourist. Keep In mind, some behaviour challenges may require both training and behaviour modification so often these go hand in hand. What's great is that when you choose a COAPE Certified Animal Behaviourist, you can be sure that they have the skills to help you with both training and behaviour. ​
​
For a list of COAPE-endorsed trainers and behaviourists you can go to our website here: https://coape.org/find-a-behaviourist/

07/06/2024

Nie milkną echa dramatycznych wydarzeń na Wyspach Brytyjskich z udziałem psów typu American XL Bully, w konsekwencji których władze UK wprowadzają kolejne zakazy w hodowli i posiadaniu psów.

Zapraszamy do zapoznania się z komentarzem Magdy Jelińskiej, który ukazał się na łamach Polish Express
Magda jest behawiorystką COAPE mieszkającą w UK, jest również współtwórczynią akcji

link do artykułu:
https://www.polishexpress.co.uk/kobieta-zostala-zagryziona-przez-wlasne-psy-to-znow-american-xl-bully/

Nie od dzisiaj wiadomo, ze psom typu bull bardzo często przypina się łatkę bestii, psów niebezpiecznych, agresywnych. Oczywiście bull może stać się niebezpieczny, ale nie bez przyczyny!
Do znudzenia będziemy Wam przypominać, że dbałość o zdrowie i emocje zwierzęcia w połączeniu z zaspokojeniem jego potrzeb adekwatnych do gatunku, typu i rasy, umiejętność prawidłowej komunikacji ze zwierzęciem bez użycia przemocy, to klucz do szczęśliwego, harmonijnego i przede wszystkim BEZPIECZNEGO życia ze zwierzęciem, które zaprosiliśmy pod swój dach.

Przeczytaj list otwarty i podpisz petycję
https://www.przemoctoniepomoc.org/listotwarty.php



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grafika: pies Farciarz Fundacja Skrzydlaty Pies

18/05/2024

Akcja ma na celu szerzenie świadomości, czym są awersyjne metody szkoleniowe

16/05/2024

Daj głos swojemu psu podpisując petycję przeciw stosowaniu przemocy w szkoleniu! Jeśli chcesz, aby portret Twojego zwierzaka pojawił się w kolejnych postach, dodaj w komentarzu pod postem zdjęcie z imieniem Twojego psa lub kota!

https://przemoctoniepomoc.org

10/05/2024

10/05/2024

🐕‍🦺🦮CANINE COMMUNICATION CLASSES🐕🐩
with Paulina Ziółkowska 😍
Thanks Gosia Dogs & the City
for organising! 🤩

18/04/2024

Totally agree!! Well explained 🤩

05/04/2024

20 PROBLEMÓW Z KARĄ
#9 Kara może prowadzić do apatii i/lub wyuczonej bezradności.

Jednym ze sposobów reakcji zwierząt na awersyjny bodziec, którym może być rażenie prądem, wbicie się kolców kolczatki w szyję, zaciśniecie się pętli dławika na gardle, jest bezczynność.
Skoro jego ruch/działanie skutkuje pojawieniem się kary, tym bardziej, jeśli owa kara pojawia się w nieprzewidywalny, losowy sposób, bezczynność w odczuciu samego zwierzęcia może okazać się najbezpieczniejsza.

Wiele zwierząt karanych rutynowo przestaje wykazywać się inicjatywą, aktywnością, przestaje prezentować wiele zachowań, również tych dających korzyść.
Zwierzęta stają się coraz bardziej ostrożne, wycofane, apatyczne. A to już prosta droga do poważnego syndromu stresu zwanego wyuczoną bezradnością, który wiąże się z depresją.
Pies z czasem może popaść w stan, w którym przestanie w ogóle próbować uniknąć kary.
Jednym z najpoważniejszych problemów ze stanem wyuczonej bezradności jest to, że zwierzę, dla niewprawnego oka, może wydawać się spokojniejsze, a nawet zrelaksowane(!)
Doprowadzenie zwierzęcia do stanu wyuczonej bezradności jest oczywistym znęcaniem się nad nim. Tutaj nie ma miejsca na jakiekolwiek próby racjonalizowania i tłumaczenia!

Więcej na ten temat przeczytasz w artykule dr Karoliny Westlund:
https://www.przemoctoniepomoc.org/artykul.php?id=11

21/01/2024

Kolejny raz zawiódł człowiek.. 😡

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-68021353?fbclid=IwAR0HvOra1G2n0n6FmgfBk-GN77tz5N12x9bn0Oqb_QqpcSMMbelVTrZradk_aem_AVNdNbkudSmGm171LpA7oFR-If1lSzZ4NljwwqUhVOYmJkU_uH6z930KF7w2pU-Su-c

The breeding, selling and abandonment of the animals will be outlawed in line with England and Wales

29/12/2023

FEROCIOUS FIREWORKS
I’ll be spending New Years Eve at home, in my pajamas, cuddled up with my dogs, as I always do.

Fireworks are something I dislike intensely. They are not only terrifying for so many different animals but are also dreaded by caring people, who have to watch, often helplessly as their dog suffers through the deafening bangs.

Shelters become overrun with lost dogs, dogs are knocked over by cars or go missing in their attempt to escape, they jump through glass windows, over high walls, have heart attacks, seizures or worse.

As there’s very little we can do to prevent other people from doing what they do, the best solution is to do all we can to minimize the impact this has on our dogs.

All dogs are different and there’s never a guarantee that these methods will work. Some dogs are just the way they are because of genetics, their experiences, learning history, health conditions, age etc.

Here are some helpful links if you’d like more information on some ideas that may help –

1. Counterconditioning / desensitization
https://illis.se/en/cc/

2. Noise of fireworks for desensitization training –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7FANXaanG4

3. Thunder phobia and sound sensitivities - Patricia McConnell
https://www.patriciamcconnell.com/dogs-and-fireworks/

4. Dogs and fireworks (30+ proven techniques to eliminate noise phobia) – Karolina Westlund, PHD
https://illis.se/en/eliminating-firework-and-thunder-phobia-in-dogs/

5. Calming dog music – Pet Calming Maestro, Lisa Spector (Lisa’s music helps me relax and fall asleep quicker too!) https://lisaspector.com/dog-gone-calm/

6. Thundershirt / anxiety wraps
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmwgw2actJg

Wishing you and your dogs a calm, peaceful, uneventful beginning to 2024

28/11/2023

Dla przypomnienia: różne znaczenia psiego UKŁONU 🦮🐕‍🦺🐩🐕

09/11/2023

Bardzo ważne! Pamiętajcie, że zwierzęta z natury doskonale kamuflują ból i swe słabości. To, że pies czy kot, nie wokalizuje, czy nic po nim nie widać, nie musi oznaczać, że nie odczuwa bólu i dyskomfortu.
Badajcie regularnie swoje czworonogi! 🙂

03/11/2023

Dogs behave the way they do for many reasons. They do NOT do things deliberately to be stubborn or ‘naughty’, nor do they aim to assert control. Outdated mythologies and training methods have detrimental effects on well-being and strain the relationship between a dog and their caregiver.

🧬A dog's breed and genetic makeup can play a significant role in determining certain behavioural traits. Dogs have genetic predispositions and breed-specific tendencies that contribute to their behaviour.
Some breeds are predisposed to specific behaviours, such as herding, hunting, or guarding.

The environment in which a dog is raised and lives can profoundly impact their behaviour. Early socialisation, which involves exposing a puppy to a wide range of people, animals, and environments during their critical developmental period, is crucial for building confidence and shaping a dog's social behaviour to reduce fear or aggression.

Overstimulation can cause all kinds of unwanted behaviours as it overwhelms their senses and can lead to hyperactivity or erratic responses. For example, if a dog is exposed to loud noises, multiple people, and various stimuli all at once, or on a daily basis, they might exhibit excessive excitable behaviour, poor impulse control, become agitated and exhibit behaviours like jumping, barking, or pulling on the leash, as their senses are overwhelmed by the excessive input.

Previous experiences and learning consequences can influence a dog's behaviour. Traumatic experiences, in particular, can lead to fear, anxiety, or aggression.

How a dog is trained and educated by their caregiver or handler can significantly affect their behaviour. Consistent, positive reinforcement-based training can lead to desired behaviours, while harsh or inconsistent methods can result in confusion or fear.

A dog's health, including their physical and mental well-being, can influence their behaviour. Illness, pain, or discomfort can lead to changes in behaviour.

A dog's emotional state, including fear, anxiety, and excitement, can affect their behaviour. For example, a fearful dog may display unpredictable defensive reactive behaviours or might avoid any encounters and run away trying to hide. While a confident dog may exhibit playfulness and a relaxed demeanour.

A dog can become frustrated and destructive if their mental and physical needs are not met. This dog, full of pent-up energy and boredom, may become frustrated and exhibit poor impulse control. In their frustration, they might resort to destructive behaviours, such as chewing furniture, digging up the garden, or incessant barking. This destructive behaviour is often an expression of their frustration and an attempt to alleviate their built-up energy and mental stress.

The type of diet a dog receives can significantly influence their behaviour, with high-quality nutrition promoting better energy levels, mood, and overall well-being, while poor diet choices can lead to issues like irritability, hyperactivity, or digestive problems.

As dogs age, they may experience canine cognitive decline, which can manifest as changes in memory, learning, and behaviour. This condition can lead to increased confusion, disorientation, and altered social interactions in older dogs.

It is really important to understand that each dog is unique, and their behaviour can vary widely, even within the same breed. Dogs use body language, vocalizations, and other forms of communication to express their needs, emotions, and intentions. Understanding a dog's communication cues is essential for interpreting their behaviour.

03/11/2023

Oto fragment opinii profesora Petera Neville’a na temat wykorzystania metod awersyjnych w szkoleniu psów.

Jej całość znajduje się pod tym linkiem ⬇️

https://przemoctoniepomoc.org/Peter%20Neville.php

Po przeczytaniu opinii, nie zapomnij o podpisie pod petycją, który możesz złożyć na tej samej stronie 😊

https://przemoctoniepomoc.org

24/09/2023

‼️❗️‼️❗️STOP PRZEMOCY WOBEC ZWIERZĄT❗️‼️❗️

Zapraszamy do podpisywania petycji na stronie przemoctoniepomoc.org.
Udostępniajcie! 👇Każdy głos się liczy! 💪💪

Akcja ma na celu szerzenie świadomości, czym są awersyjne metody szkoleniowe

06/09/2023

Good management.. 🧠👀👇

That is the first step❗️Always ‼️

💪Set them up for success 🐕‍🦺🦮🐩🐕🐈‍⬛🐈

ARE YOU MANAGING?
Are you managing your dog’s environment to prevent or improve unwanted behaviour?

As people, we tend to prefer and look for the more complicated solutions to problems. This tendency is termed “complexity bias” - the tendency to prefer complicated explanations and solutions instead of looking for the simpler ones.

Surely a complicated, time consuming, detailed solution has to be more effective, superior, impressive, or correct?

Complexity bias is so relevant when it comes to changing a dog’s unwanted behaviour. We often get so stuck on trying to modify behaviour through counter conditioning, desensitization or detailed training plans when sometimes the simplest solution to the problem lies in simply managing the environment.

Dogs will do what dogs do – when an opportunity arises to help themselves to food left on a table, to bark at the gate at anyone passing by, to have a drink from that big water bowl at the perfect height, that we call a toilet, to running off with irresistibly smelly dirty underwear, to rummaging through bins in search of anything that may or may not be edible, to running out an opened door in search of adventure - the list is long - dogs will be dogs.

Parents of little children use management all the time without giving it much thought. Baby locks on cupboards, covers on electrical sockets, valuable or dangerous items put far out of reach, fences and locks around pools, etc. We wouldn’t just train a toddler not to stick their fingers in an electrical socket, not to open cupboards, not to touch a hot plate – it’s far safer, simpler and logical to first manage the environment, to prevent potential incidents.

The same principle should apply to managing a dog’s environment to prevent unwanted behaviour.

The more a behaviour is practiced the more difficult it is to prevent. The more a behaviour is rehearsed the better dogs become at it.

Preventing the behaviour from happening in the first place by using management is the logical, simple and effective way to address it.

Be a good manager – it’s far less stressful, for both people and dogs than supporting complexity bias.

24/08/2023

Bardzo gorąco zachęcam zarówno opiekunów psów, jak i kotów, do wysłuchania dzisiejszego, darmowego LIVE’A, niezastąpionej Dr Martyny Woszczyło, dotyczącego zaburzeń depresyjnych naszych zwierząt. Naprawdę warto! 😄