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.
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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.
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