Course Title: Domestic Dog Behavior 103
Instructor: James O'Heare, MLBC, AABP-CABC
Course Description:
Domestic Dog Behavior is an exploration of species typical domestic dog behavior, including common problem behaviors. This course is designed to cultivate in the student a foundational comprehension of the evolution, domestication, behavioral development, social behaviors of the domestic dog as well as common problem behaviors, including aggressive behaviors, separation distress related behaviors, barking behavior, digging behavior, attention seeking, coprophagia, house soiling behavior, and jumping up behavior. The first topic discussed will be distinguishing between the various perspectives on behavior, including the psychological and ethological perspectives and the medical model approach as well as the natural science approach utilized in this course. Students will learn how evolution by natural selection works and explore the prominent hypotheses regarding the speciation event and domestication of the domestic dog. Species typical social behaviors and their function and the sensitive periods in dog development are covered. The notion of breed differences in behavior is discussed and breed categories explored. This course explores problem behaviors not by speculation about private mental experiences, but rather via a natural science behavior analytic approach. In other words, it looks at the behaviors themselves and the environmental conditions that set the occasion for them and maintain them.
Learning Objectives:
The objective of this program of study is to measurably expand the student's repertoire of behaviors in relevant areas of focus for the program of study. To complete this course of study, the student will:
- Contrast and compare the behavioral perspective on behavior with the ethological, psychological and medical model orientation
- Explain the process of biological evolution and outline the primary hypotheses regarding the speciation of the domestic dog
- Define and explain the notion of the human-dog bond
- Define and explain the notion of social behavior and a function based model
- Identify and describe the sensitive periods of the domestic dog
- Identify and describe the basic breed categories and their behavior tendencies
- Analyze problem behaviors via the principles of behavior and the contingencies they are a part of rather than with diagnostic labels and generalizations
- Discuss common problem dog behaviors including aggressive behaviors, separation distress behaviors, barking, digging, undesirable attention seeking, feces eating, voiding in the house and jumping up including common functions for these behaviors
Texts:
- General Behaviorology by Lawrence E. Fraley, Chapter 1. Natural Science of Behavior at http://www.behaviorology.org/pdf/gGenBgCh1NatlSciBeh.pdf
- What is behavior Analysis by Howard Sloane http://www.ptab.univ.gda.pl/co_to_jest_ab.htm
- Course Notes
Course Evaluation:
This course will be evaluated by short essay assignments that will reflect and demonstrate mastery of the course topics and achievement of the learning objectives. The final grade will be the mean average of the assignment grades.
Prerequisites:
- Principles of Behavior 104
CEUs: Continuing Education Credits Available. See Course Approvals page for credits.