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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 2, 1978)
1 'jHave personalities, hang-ups Dogs behave like humans THE BATTALION TUESDAY, MAY 2, 1978 "WNCRC YOU ALWAYS MY M KST fOt LISS" IBSON’S DISCOUNT CENTER Page 3 GIBSON S a-» MON.-SAT. SUN. 10-6 GOOD THRU SATURDAY By BEVERLY MANJEOT Dogs . . . strong, loyal, man’s ithfi.il companion. For centuries, lomesticated dogs have helped man hunt prey, pull wagons, cross ngerous land and protect man’s mily and home. Today, as a way of anks, he is loved, protected and ampered by man. Like individuals in the human ice, every dog has a distinct per- nality that influences the way he ill respond in various situations, ogs’ experiences, like our own, ay include pain, fear, anger, frus- ation, joy and pleasure. “All aimals have a different per- mality ranging from shyness to ag- ession,” said Dr. Mary Herron, an associate professor of veterinary atomy. An animal’s behavior characteris tics, like those of people, are a Iroduct of both his environmental d genetic influences. “Animals don’t have as many sychological hang-ups as people, jut they do have problems,” said Dr. Neil Van Stavern, assistant pro- »ssor of small animal medicine and Urgery. “For example, anxiety in Hiimals, like the stress that humans xperience, is depicted by ap- rehension, fear, trembling, shak ing and dilation of the eyes. “When treating an animal at the mall animal clinic, we try to keep ^stressful situations to a minimum by treating the animal on an out- atient basis instead of making it iay at the hospital. “The animal is confused and therefore frightened because he “Anxiety in animals, like the stress that hu mans experience, is de picted by apprehension, fear, trembling, shaking, and dialation of the eyes. doesn’t understand what is going Some animals will fight you till ey die while others will allow you to help them.” The early life history of a dog’s ehavioral development has been ivided into four stages. The first (stage is called the neonatal period dien the immature puppy remains near its mother because it is blind, said E.S.E. Hafez in his book, “The Behaviour of Domestic Animals.” “The first stage is from zero to four lays,” said Liz Kennedy, a junior ire-vet student. “This is the period diere the female dog tells her mppy how to react. For example, he’ll lick the newborn puppy and it ivill squirm, right itself and crawl.” The second stage is a transition leriod marked by rapid sensory and motor maturation. It is a period when the puppy’s muscle and ner vous system are developing, said Kenedy. | The third stage is a period of socialization that ends when the puppy is weaned from its mother, said Carol Pyka, a senior bio- Pedical science major. “The socialization process, which Iccurs between the third and welfth week of a puppy’s behavioral levelopment, is the most important ime in a dog’s life,” said Pyka. “It is the me when the dog realizes that leis a dog. It is called imprint learn- k” ; Imprint learning is a form of species identification, said Ken nedy. For instance, an infant duck will learn its behavior role from its nother. However, if during the im print stage the duck sees a balloon, it will begin behaving like one. The peak approach period occurs between the fifth and seventh week of the socialization process. During his period the puppy will actively ipproach anything it sees. This is a good time to introduce he animal to people because it is orming its attachments,” Pyka said. It doesn’t matter if the dog has a good or bad emotional experience. m. sivelyH’ ■edited .jn reset" 1 IXIS* At this stage, even if you beat him, he would still come back to you. “The eighth week of a dog’s de velopment is like the adolescent period in human behavior. It is a very critical time in the dog’s life because he will remember every thing bad that happens to him.” During this stage of behavioral development, personal contact is very important to the animal, said Herron. An owner must show the animal love and compassion by talk ing to it and petting it. The twelfth week is a period of peak avoidance. The puppy will stay away from people and other ani mals, said Pyka. “You can’t socialize a puppy after the twelfth week,” Pyka said. “If he isn’t socialized by now, he will re main a completely wild animal.” The final stage of behavioral de velopment is called the juvenile period, which continues until the animal reaches sexual maturity. “Behavioral development in a puppy can be compared to a child growing up, ” Pyka said. “Puppies go through some of the same trials and tribulations as children.” Dogs, like people, can determine the difference between two people and between two animals. The dog can’t see colors, but he can distin guish the difference between color intensities, shapes and sizes. A dog sees two distinct types of humans: the child and the adult, said Pyka. “Hats freak dogs out because they conform to the shape of the person’s head and make it difficult for the dog to distinguish the individual,” said Van Stavern. “The dog barks and bites the mailman because of the brown pouch he carries,” Pyka said. “The pouch is totally foreign to the dog. The dog reacts to the pouch because it looks like a deformity.” When given an opportunity, dogs are not only highly socialized among themselves, but also among man. Because man has been domesticat ing dogs snce 4000 B.C. they have adopted man into their social order or pack, said Kennedy. “Dogs are almost human-like,” said Van Stavern. “However, they’re much easier to get along with than other people. You couldn’t ask for a truer love.” The dog may be attracted to his owner because he considers him to be a pack member. Therefore, if during sexual excitement another dog is unavailable for mating pur poses, a pet dog may try and mount his owner’s leg. It is the dog’s way of showing love and affection. Often, dogs perform heroic acts to save their owners from fires, crashes or drowning. As a highly socialized and domesticated animal, the dog considers the safety and well being of another pack member before he considers his own. The domesticated dog may also howl like a wolf when he hears a telephone ring or a loud siren be cause he is trying to protect pack members from danger, said Ken nedy. Dogs often display the same frus tration characteristics as people, which may include a fear of people, severe shaking or trembling, run ning away, hiding, nervousness and anxiety. “Often frustration in animals oc curs because owners have mis treated them,” Herron said. “Poten tial dog owners should take their time selecting a pet. They should consider their own time availability, their life style and whether or not they want a playful or decorative animal. “For example, if you own a tiny apartment and are only at home at night a Saint Bernard would be an unwise choice. However, a pair of cats would be a better choice be cause they could keep each other company when you’re not around.” Weinstein said, “My dog Char coal is frustrated because he’s left alone at home a lot. Recently, his companion dog was put to sleep and now he won’t eat because he’s lonely.” Frustration may also be caused by constant inbreeding. Dogs may re spond to their frustrations by licking themselves till they are raw and bleeding, chewing on furniture, wetting the carpet, jumping over fences or being destructive toward others, Kennedy said. “Charcoal vents his frustration by chewing on things and tearing up “Dogs are almost human-like. However, they’re much easier to get along with than other people. You couldn’t ask for a truer love.” pillows and magazines,” said Weins tein. A dog owner should avoid hitting a frustrated or angry dog because pain creates aggression. The dog will bite as a form of defensive pro tection, said Pyka. There are two types of adult be havior patterns. The first type is called allelomimetie behavior. Dur ing this stage the dog spends most of is time with other dogs. The second type is referred to as the agonistic behavior pattern and it involves competition between animals* “A dog will stare down another animal to show that he is more dom inant,” said Pyka. “You can show your dog that you’re more dominant by staring him down.” Aggression is primarily demon strated among pack dogs in territo rial fights or when a dog marks its territory by urinating on it. A dog will also urinate on an object or per son when he feels threatened in order to show possession. “Aggressive dogs don’t usually fight to kill,” said Pyka. “The last thing a dog will go for is the neck because it’s the most critical area. “In a dog fight, when a losing dog finally realizes he is subordinate, he will roll over on his back to show his most vulnerable spot, his under side. The dominant dog will then open his mouth and put it over the subordinate dog’s nose as a soft re minder to remember his proper place. ” If during a dog fight, a more threatening event occurs, the two fighting animals will team together for protection. All animals must face the basic problems of food gathering, de fense, maintenance of territorial boundaries, courtship, mating and care of the young. Animal com munication has developed because of these problems. Dogs communicate with each other through vocalization and body postures. The most common dog vocalization is barking. When the dog barks, he is communicating an emotional state such as fear or plea sure and not a message. “Growling represents anger or aggression, whining is physical or mental unpleasantness, yelping is an expression of surprise, squealing is happiness, yawns and sneezes are associated with anticipation,” said Pyka. Postural communication refers to how the dog carries his head and body when approaching another animal. An aggressive dog ready to attack is characterized by a stealthy approach, crouched body, lowered head and erect ears. In contrast, a friendly, non-threatening dog will bound forward with its head up, ears back and tail carried loosely. TI 1000 CALCULATORS $Q99 Texas Instruments I NCORPORATED The word is out. The place is Jf lli IE A113 ClLAJfjf Veronica Jerry Elise Val Lynnell Charissa AGGIES! Douglas 209 E. University 846-4771 College Station (In the George Green Building) Q B w a C/Q P3 g s offers Student ID Discounts! 15% off of $ 50 00 or more 10% off of under $ 5Q 00 CASH PURCHASE ONLY We reserve the right to regulate the use of this privilege. 212 N. MAIN 822-3119 DOWNTOWN BRYAN Remember there's a special girl on your list . . . 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