Behavior Modification In The Shelter
Kelley Bollen, MS, CABC and Behavioral Consultant for the Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, gives a presentation at the 2012 ASPCA/Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Conference. Kelley shares her expertise with the audience to assist shelters with the identification of animals and situations where behavior modification has the opportunity to produce positive results. She also discusses techniques for modifying behavior.
- 1.
Behavior modification in a shelter can be tricky because:
- A.
The shelter environment is not conducive for effective behavior modification.
- B.
Staff and volunteers in a shelter are usually not interested in behavior modification.
- C.
Behavior modification takes too long and therefore should not be attempted.
- D.
Learning behavior modification techniques is too difficult.
- E.
Behavior modification is not effective in treating behavior problems exhibited by animals.
Correct Answer
A. The shelter environment is not conducive for effective behavior modification. -
- 2.
What are the two types of behavior modification techniques used most often:
- A.
Flooding and counterconditioning.
- B.
Desensitization and counterconditioning.
- C.
Classical conditioning only.
- D.
Operant conditioning only.
- E.
Both A and B.
Correct Answer
B. Desensitization and counterconditioning. -
- 3.
A fearful dog will need:
- A.
Calm social interaction.
- B.
Non-threatening exposure to the world.
- C.
Lots of confidence building.
- D.
Systematic desensitization and counterconditioning (if the fearful stimuli can be identified).
- E.
All of the above.
Correct Answer
E. All of the above. -
- 4.
Behavior modification for pushy, unruly, low impulse control dogs:
- A.
Cannot be done because these types of dogs are too difficult to work with.
- B.
Is not difficult to carry out in the shelter or home environment.
- C.
Involves consistent clear communication, physical and mental exercise, and lots of training and impulse control exercises.
- D.
Involves exposure to a lot of fear emitting stimuli.
- E.
Does not involve regularly scheduled training and feeding schedules.
Correct Answer
C. Involves consistent clear communication, pHysical and mental exercise, and lots of training and impulse control exercises. -
- 5.
For dogs who exhibit handling issues:
- A.
One of the first things to do is to have a veterinarian examine the dog to rule out medical issues that may be causing the dog to be in pain.
- B.
The cause is always related to under-socialization and therefore a behavior modification program for remedial socialization should be started.
- C.
The cause is always related to a bad previous experience with handling and therefore a behavior modification program to expose the dog to positive handling should be started.
- D.
Systematic desensitization and counterconditioning is not helpful.
- E.
A behavior modification program to resolve the handling issue always takes a long time.
Correct Answer
A. One of the first things to do is to have a veterinarian examine the dog to rule out medical issues that may be causing the dog to be in pain. -
- 6.
Working with dogs who exhibit resource guarding can be risky.
- A.
True
- B.
False
Correct Answer
A. True -
- 7.
Two very important skills to teach a dog with possession guarding are:
- A.
"Take It" and "Drop It"
- B.
"Leave It" and "Take It"
- C.
"Leave It" and "Drop It"
- D.
"Leave It" and "Come"
- E.
"Drop It" and "Come"
Correct Answer
C. "Leave It" and "Drop It" -
- 8.
Important consideration(s) when working with dogs who exhibit resource guarding is (are):
- A.
Food bowl aggression is easier to modify than possession aggression because it is a very specific event.
- B.
Dogs who exhibit possession aggression can show it with anything they think is worth guarding.
- C.
Even if you work through several items, there may still be things the dog guards in the future.
- D.
Behavior modification does not generalize easily.
- E.
All of the above.
Correct Answer
E. All of the above. -
- 9.
Dog to dog aggression usually stems from frustration.
- A.
True
- B.
False
Correct Answer
A. True -
- 10.
We hope you enjoyed the presentation. A certificate of attendance in your name will be awarded at the end of this quiz. To assure us you have viewed the entire presentation, please check the appropriate box.
- A.
I certify that I have listened to the entire presentation.
- B.
I have not listened to the entire presentation.
Correct Answer
A. I certify that I have listened to the entire presentation. -
- 11.
Barrier frustration by dogs:
- A.
Is not seen very often in a shelter environment.
- B.
Is caused by the social nature of dogs (i.e., dogs are compelled to greet others and when they are physically prevented from doing something they are highly motivated to do, they become frustrated).
- C.
Often begins by aggression towards cats who walk by their cage.
- D.
Is usually just seen when dogs are outside and confined in a fenced-in area.
- E.
Is not helped by a behavior modification program.
Correct Answer
B. Is caused by the social nature of dogs (i.e., dogs are compelled to greet others and when they are pHysically prevented from doing something they are highly motivated to do, they become frustrated). -
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