Terminology Think Tank: Terminology of aggressive behavior

Abstract

a U a q d C s f o d i c t s i k d There are many approaches to classifying behavior probems, and it is important that an agreed upon terminology esults from this discussion. The approach that we use at ornell University is to classify the problem by the species that nitiates the behavior. For example, if a dog chases a cat, it ould be classified as a canine problem. The victim or the bject of the initiator’s actions is the next modifier. For examle, the dog is chasing the cat, or the dog is clawing and biting he woodwork. Because the species of animal and the object or nimal affected are objective, no one can argue about the lassification so far. When disagreements arise, it is in assigning motivation. Is he dog chasing the cat because he wants to play, or is it a redatory attack that will result in the cat’s death should the cat e caught? Is the dog chewing and clawing the woodwork ecause he is bored, because he is trying to reach a dog outside interdog aggression), or because he is upset in the absence of he owner (separation anxiety)? If the owner can describe the og’s posture, or if the dog will repeat the behavior in front of he veterinary behaviorist, its ear, tail, mouth, and general body osition can be a guide to the dog’s motivation. The most controversial terminology is that of classification f aggression. Everyone agrees that dogs growl, snap, and bite eople, but the types of aggression can be lumped into as few s 3 types (dominance over owner, to children, and to strangrs) (Hart and Hart, 1985) or as many as 15 types (Beaver, 999) (Table 1). One method of creating a terminology is to se an algorithm with a pair of descriptors at each choice point. ood examples of algorithms are found in Karen Overall’s ehavior Medicine for Small Animals (Overall, 1997). Let us