The Science of Courthouse Dog Behavior

James C. Ha, PhD, CAABResearch ProfessorDepartment of Psychology, and Washington National Primate Research Center,University of Washington

Ha Lab

Education and Experience BA, MA and PhD in Biology

Emphasis in Animal Behavior 1990-1992 Research Scientist, University of

Washington 1992-present Research Faculty, UW 2004 Credentialed as Certified Applied Animal

Behaviorist

Also (past) Editor and (current) Ethics Editor of Animal Behaviour

12 years as Executive Committee member of professional Animal Behavior Society

Current US Delegate to International Ethological Society

Current Activities Research Scientist, Washington National

Primate Research Center (social behavior) Staff Scientist: Infant Primate Research

Laboratory (cognition) Research Affiliate: Center on Human

Development and Disability (child development)

Owner of Clinical Practice in Companion Animal Behavior Treatment (since 1999, over 1000 cases; expert legal witness >40 cases: civil, criminal, and Dangerous Dog)

Complex Social Behavior:

The Result of Higher

Cognitive Function

Complex Social Behavior:

The Result of Higher

Cognitive Function

Complex Social Behavior:

The Result of Higher

Cognitive Function

Credentialing in Applied Animal Behavior.– Three approaches to understanding dog

behavior The uniqueness of the dog/human

relationship.– Long co-evolutionary history

The requirements for “courthouse dogs.”– Requirements for training for rock-solid

responses.– The issues of using “rescued” dogs and

pet therapy dogs

Presentation outline

Three Perspectives of Dog Behavior:The Physiological ApproachFocuses on the biological mechanisms and control of behavior. Veterinarians.

Three Perspectives of Dog Behavior:The Experiential ApproachFocus on behavior acquired through learning or experience, emphasizing the principles of learning. Professional trainers.

Three Perspectives of Dog Behavior:The Ethological Approach Focus on adaptive (genetic) behavioral patterns for each species or breed, and interaction between genetics and learning.In dogs, breed-typical behaviors.Academic ethologists.

Three Perspectives of Dog Behavior:Applied Animal Behaviorists need to integrate, and are credentialed in, all three perspectives.

Credentials in behavior (ethology) training.Veterinary Behaviorist (DVM DACVB) Thru American College of Veterinary

Behaviorists 40-45 in countryCertified Applied Animal Behaviorist (PhD

CAAB) Thru Animal Behavior Society International professional organization At Associate (Master’s degree) & Full (PhD)

levels 45-50 in country

Specialists Trained to Deal with Dog Behavior Issues

Humans and dogs have evolved in very close, interactive proximity for >20,000 years.

Sympatric species: having evolutionary effects on each other.

What effects? Communication, and more:– “Genetic”, “intuitive” ability to monitor emotional

and behavioral state from external signals.– “Empathetic”: ability to read and properly react to

emotional signals, like body language and pheromones.

– More obvious communication: “referential pointing”

The Uniqueness of the Dog-Human Relationship

The Dog Genome Project 360 genetic diseases also found in humans 46% occurring in only one or a few breeds

http://www.vet.cam.ac.uk/idid/ Inbreeding:

– Portuguese Water Dog studies for hip dysplasia

– 6 ancestors account for 80% of gene pool of the current 10,000 dogs

Controlled by at least 3 genes, additive effect

Parker HG, Ostrander EA (2005) Canine genomics and genetics: Running with the pack. PLoS Genet 1(5): e58.

The Genetics of Canine Disease

Wolf/Poodle Example

Zimen, E. 1971. Wolves and King Poodle - Comparative behavioral observations. Piper.

Behavior Principles

1. Genetics: individual species (or breeds, in dogs!) are predisposed to perform certain behaviors. Innate behavior (“instinct”) & temperament.

2. Environment: environmental influences are overlaid on these predispositions. Learning, experience, and training.

What is the Result?o Evidence for physical and mental

calming effects of dogs is overwhelming: physical and psychological effects across short and long time frames (Wells 2009).

o Physical effects: petting an animal produces short-term decreases in blood pressure and /or heart rate.o These effects may be seen even in

individuals simply in the presence of a dog.

o Psychological effects: improved social communication and ability to make social contacts, reduced feelings of loneliness and isolation, and improvements in depression and self-esteem (reviewed in Wells, 2009).

What is the Result?

o So there are strong reasons why dogs fit into a very different relationship with humans than do, say, cats or guinea pigs.

o No other species as evolved under such truly long-term conditions of coexistence, and hence “understand” and respond to humans in the same way.

Not Just Any Dogs!o Mission-critical situations:

o Environments which cannot be controlled,

o Exposed to a wide range of stimuli (e.g., darkness, loud children, other dogs of a wide and unpredictable range of socialization and behavior, close quarters, loud sounds, humans acting or smelling “strangely,” perhaps ill or with mental illnesses),

o Must perform its function without fail and without exhibiting negative reactions of any kind, including barking, growling, snapping, or biting.

Not Just Any Dogs!o The consequences of a failure:

disastrous!o To the targeted individualso To the assistance or therapy program

or organizationo To the efforts to use dogs in such

situationso To the dog itself.

o Behavior: combination of genetic influences and learned contingencies, influenced by the internal and external environment of hormones, nervous system, diseases, aging, new environmental stimuli, and the continuous integration of the behaviors and responses of animals, especially other dogs and humans, around them.

Not Just Any Dogs!How can this be done successfully? Managing genetics:o Working with pure-bred lineage of low innate

reactivity,o Managing the pedigree to maintain low genetic

inbreeding,Managing environment and development:o Rearing for two years in a system that provides

exposure to a wide range of environments,o Evaluating dogs at or after two years old for

temperament, especially reactivity and rejecting the large proportion of dogs who don’t meet a high standard,

o Placing into a lengthy training program, including training for appropriate behavior in a wide range of real-life situations, using maximally effective methods.

Not Just Any Dogs!What’s the issue? o Increasing movement to recruit dogs from

adoption shelters or “pet therapy” programs for use in assistance situations like forensic interviews or court rooms.

o The vast majority of shelter dogs DO NOT meet the requirements for mission-critical assistance situations: unknown history, unknown genetics, limited assessment and limited training.

o Pet therapy dogs likewise do not receive appropriate screening or training. Unknown or mixed histories and poor assessment in working environments.

Not Just Any Dogs!

“I would argue that, for mission critical situations, in support of humans in public places, in emotionally-tense court rooms, with the less-predictable mentally ill, or in situations in which the health and even life of the dog and its human are at risk (e.g., the blind), dogs from shelters should not be used.”

Not Just Any Dogs!

Types of Training:o Positive Reinforcemento Punishment, or Aversiveo (other possibilities: extinction, negative

reinforcement)

Science of Learning:o Most powerful and “strongest” training

method is aversive.o Only method demonstrated to produce

rock-solid, mission-critical learning.

In summary, the take-home messages:

There is a real science of animal behavior, and credentialing of qualified experts.

Dogs have a unique and deeply strong relationship with humans, placing them into a special category of assistance animals.

There are well-supported reasons why shelter and pet therapy dogs are not qualified to perform in mission-critical situations, like court rooms.