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HUMANS AND DOGS : A LOVE
AFFAIR
Humans are not the only ones that can experience
hallucinations, aggressiveness, barking, anxiety or nervous breakdowns.
Certain dogs are also afflicted. Sometimes, the owner wonders if the dog's
behaviour, sometimes amusing, sometimes irritating, is not attributed to his
coming unhinged. Unless one is as gifted as the legendary Dr. Doolittle to
communicate with animals, it is sometimes difficult to know what is ailing
our four-legged friends and what causes their mood shifts. In the light of
these difficulties, we search for explanations so as not to lose one's
temper and have to resort to euthanasia. Ethological data allows us to
identify the cause or the source of the stress, to understand the why and
the wherefore, and thus be able to modify the animal's behaviour on our own.
Ethology is a scientific discipline which studies the behaviour of a species
in its natural habitat. Furthermore, ethology incorporates many disciplines,
such as genetics, veterinary medicine, physiology, psychology, neurology,
and many more.
If a dog runs after its tail until he's dizzy, chews
everything in sight in your absence, is aggressive with your mother-in-law,
or runs away to the neighbour's house, he surely must be crazy! In
appearance, sometimes because of an out-of-the-ordinary personality, these
behaviours denote a much deeper feeling of ill-health. When a dog displays
such and such a behaviour, he is looking to modify a situation or an
environment to his advantage. One could therefore say that his behaviour is
normal, even it is a hindrance. The source of the problem is related to
training or a fault in the relationship with the owner. On the other hand,
the behaviour cannot modify the situation in a positive way. For example, in
the case of a dog that bites his master many times, this behaviour no longer
allows group cohesion to be maintained, and then becomes a pathological
behaviour pattern.
The ethologist proceeds in behaviour analysis, as well as
in the problematic situations related to it. Of course, the ethologist
conducts a study of the milieu, the relationship between the owner and his
dog, clinical signs, and observes the various behaviour patterns. It is
important for the ethologist to understand the origin or the main source of
the problem. In other words, the problem is not always the owner's fault.
Ethology allows us to improve the dog's well-being,
and consequently, that of the owner, by objectively identifying the problem
situations, as well as various avenues of treatment, depending on the breed
of dog. Ethology is a fascinating discipline, where one never ceases to
discover new things. It allows us to save our animals. Recently, many
professional ethologists and clinicians recommend that simple procedures be
used to control or modify behaviour. However, this attitude is much more
efficient if a device is used (such as Spray Commander®), in order to
educate the animal properly. He will learn to understand what is allowed and
what is not, without any possibility of confusion. And, it is always
essential to be very patient. |
