Fear In Dogs Research Articles

Assessing fear of novel and startling stimuli in domestic dogs

Dog attacks on humans are a community issue and, while defensive and offensive aggression are implicated, little is known about the motivational basis of these attacks. Defensive aggression arising from fear may be implicated in some attacks and thus research on measuring fear in dogs is clearly required. The aim of the present study was to examine the validity of several measures of fear of novel and startling stimuli previously identified in the authors’ laboratory. Anxiolytic drugs have been shown to reduce fear behaviour in rats in novel situations and thus an anxiolytic drug, clomipramine, was used in the present study to examine the validity of these previously identified measures of fear. Twenty-four dogs of varying breed, age and sex were used in a cross-over design, involving a placebo treatment and a clomipramine treatment. It was found that when the dogs were medicated with clomipramine for 6 weeks they were quicker to approach and spent more time near the stimulus (P<0.05) in a novel object test. Furthermore, there was a tendency (P=0.06) for a treatment by order interaction in which treatment with clomipramine in the first period but not the second period was associated with reduced latency to approach and increased time spent near the stimulus in the startling test. There was no treatment effect on latencies and entries to areas in a light/dark test and an elevated plus maze test. These results indicate that a number of behavioural variables in two of the tests, the novel object and startling test, are measures of fear of novel and startling stimuli, respectively, in dogs and furthermore provide a useful methodology to study fear-induced aggression in dogs.

Pets Help Teach in Speech-Language Pathology Sessions

Pets Help Teach in Speech-Language Pathology Sessions

Fear of dogs in a community sample: Effects of age, gender and prior experience of canine aggression

An investigation was conducted into human fear of dogs and experiences of canine aggression in an adult community sample (n = 292). Consistent with expectations, it was found that, while fear of dogs was relatively common (present in almost half the respondents), fear of dog attacks was less so, and extreme fear of dog attacks was very rare. Women, middle-aged and older adults were more likely to fear dogs than men and younger adults, while older people were more likely than younger ones to fear dog attacks. Reported encounters with canine aggression, particularly threatening behavior, were relatively common, but having been attacked by a dog was less strongly related to fear of dogs than having been threatened by a dog. Logistic regression analyses revealed that being female, having been threatened by a dog, and being older were strong predictors of dog-related fear, while being older and obtaining higher scores on a measure of trait anxiety predicted fear of dog attacks.

Editorial

Editorial

Dog training as a violence prevention tool for at-risk adolescents

Humane education programs often target at-risk children and seek to teach empathy and gentleness with animals, but few of these have been assessed. This prospective, longitudinal study examined the effects of “Teaching Love and Compassion” (TLC), a humane education program employing educational group discussions and dog training for seventh-grade, inner city youth in Los Angeles, California. The TLC program is offered to groups of 10 to 12 students during their three-week vacation at the year-round school. Students for the experimental and control groups were selected from the pool of those scoring below the 25th percentile in reading and mathematics. The study, conducted over a two-year period, assessed four successive sessions, comprising an experimental group of 41 children and a control group of 42 children. In morning sessions, the experimental group had discussions focusing on interpersonal issues and conflict management. In the afternoons they were taught the proper care and obedience training of shelter dogs. Pre-, post-, and follow-up tests, specially developed to accommodate the children's reading ability and scheduling constraints, were given to both the experimental and control groups to assess their knowledge of animal care, conflict management skills, attitudes toward self and others, and fear of dogs. Members of the experimental group increased their understanding of pet care and the needs of animals and retained this information more than did the control group for all four TLC sessions, both at post-testing (F=58.4, p=0.0001) and follow-up testing (F=18.9, p=0.0001). At post-testing, the experimental group showed a trend toward a decreased fear of dogs (F=3.6, p=0.062), that was significant at follow-up testing (F=4.2, p=0.019). For these children who are exposed to daily violence and aggression to people and animals, these modest changes were associated with the three-week intervention.

Intensive behavior therapy camp for patients with OCD

The treatment of an 11-yr-old boy's multiple-supported fear of dogs is described. A variety of coordinated, learning-based procedures, each of which was directed toward eliminating either the fear or altering circumstances conducive to that fear, were employed. Recovery was complete and had been maintained at a 2-yr follow-up.

Origins of fear of dogs in adults and children: The role of conditioning processes and prior familiarity with dogs

One hundred adults and 30 children completed questionnaires to investigate fear of dogs. Dog fearful adults asked to recall the origins of their fear reported classical conditioning experiences more frequently than vicarious acquisition or informational transmission. Overall, however, there was no difference in the frequency of attacks reported by the fearful and non-fearful groups. Significantly more fearful than non-fearful adults reported little contact with dogs prior to the onset of their fear which suggests that early non-eventful exposure to dogs may prevent a conditioning event from producing a dog phobia. Most adults reported that their fear began in childhood, and dog fears were more frequently reported by children than by adults. In the aggregate, however, dog-fearful adults and children differed in several ways: children were more likely than adults to report having received warnings about dogs, but also to recognize the potential attractiveness of a friendly dog. Unlike dog-fearful children, dog-fearful adults reported many other fears in addition to their fear of dogs. A better understanding of fear of dogs in adults may depend on discovering why some dog-fearful children, but not others, apparently lose their fear of dogs as they become older.

An epidemiological survey of dog bites presenting to the Emergency Department of a children's hospital

German shepherds are the most popular registered breed of dog in South Australia, but are also the most hazardous to children, biting more often and more severely. A study of the victims of dog bites presenting to the Emergency Department of the Adelaide Children's Hospital over an 18 month period revealed that, although many breeds were involved, only German shepherds were implicated more frequently than their prevalence in the community. Attacks occurred most often in a domestic setting involving a friendly dog that was known to the victim. Boys were more often bitten than girls and children aged 1-6 years most commonly involved. Injuries to the face and scalp were frequent and the usual ones to require admission for suture under general anaesthetic. Some scarring was a common sequel and resulting fear of dogs remained with some children. Most attacks were reported to be unprovoked and a previous biting history on the part of the dog was uncommon. Parents who are contemplating obtaining a dog for a family pet should be made aware of these facts and advised regarding the biting hazards and possible prevention. The German shepherd situation especially should be brought to their attention.

Brief report: Contact desensitization in the treatment of dog phobias in persons who have mental retardation

AbstractIn comparison with the research done on phobias in non‐retarded individuals, there is a paucity of research in the treatment of phobias in persons with mental retardation. In this study, contact desensitization was evaluated as a treatment for two individuals who have mental retardation and an intense fear of dogs. Following base‐line assessment using a behavioral avoidance test (BAT) measuring actual approach behavior, treatment was implemented in a multiple base‐line across subjects design. Contact desensitization resulted in the elimination of avoidance behavior in both subjects during the BAT. Measures of generalization in an outdoor setting, and maintenance during a two‐month follow‐up, showed that the clients continued to be free of avoidance behavior. The implications for further application and research are discussed.

Treating dog phobia in residents of a large mental handicap hospital: A POSSIBLE BRIEF APPROACH

The use of live modelling was found to be effective as a brief method of reducing institutionalised residents' fear of dogs. The results for a group of four people with mild to moderate mental handicaps are presented, together with a full discussion.

Fear of dogs

SUMMARYAdults living in a mental handicap hospital, for whom fear of dogs was a problem, were included in a group treatment programme. Treatment involved gradual desensitisation over a period of 21 weekly sessions, making use of video and modelling procedures, and exposure to four different dogs. At the end of treatment, the majority showed an increased ability to cope with dogs. This improvement was maintained after nine months in those who had the opportunity to practise.

Prolonged in vivo exposure therapy with a 70-year-old woman

A 70-yr-old woman with a debilitating fear of dogs was successfully treated in five sessions of in vivo exposure therapy, each lasting approximately one hour. This improvement followed 3 yr of unsuccessful verbal psychotherapy and self-administered gradual in vivo desensitization. Treatment gains were maintained at 6 month follow-up.

Multiple impact behavior therapy in a child's dog phobia

The treatment of an 11-yr-old boy's multiple-supported fear of dogs is described. A variety of coordinated, learning-based procedures, each of which was directed toward eliminating either the fear or altering circumstances conducive to that fear, were employed. Recovery was complete and had been maintained at a 2-yr follow-up.

Vicarious extinction of avoidance behavior through films: an initial test.

In a recent study, Bandura, Grusec, and Menlove (1967) provided evidence that children's phobias may be vicariously extinguished through the direct observation of a fearless peer model. Groups of preschool children who displayed a considerable fear of dogs observed another child make progressively longer and more active advances to a live dog during eight modeling sessions. Control groups met for an equal number of sessions but were not exposed to the model's performance. The modeIing procedures proved to be highly effective in increasing these children's willingness to approach dogs when compared to the controls. The present study was designed to explore the possibiliry that a similar effect can be produced with filmed rather than live models. Assessment of avoidance behavior, both before and after the presentation of modeling films, was made by asking the children to stand at the distal end of an 18-ft. runway which led to a play pen containing a large German shepherd. The children were asked to walk toward the dog as close as you want to go and, if they approached to zero feet, were asked to pet the dog and feed him a piece of frankfurter. Of 40 preschool boys thus tested, 18 did not initially approach to zero feet. These children were divided into two groups, matched for initial avoidance, and used for the remainder of the experiment. The nine male Ss in the film-modeling group saw an 11-min. color film sequence depicting a series of interactions between a large German shepherd and another child of their age and sex. The control group, matched for initial avoidance of dogs, was not exposed to this manipulation. The film, which was accompanied by a sound-track, was analogous to the procedures used by Bandura, et al., in that the modeled aversive stimuli gradually increased in intensity. Thus, the first scene of the film shows Peter, who is 10-yr.-old, playing with the dog, Then Eric, aged 4, gradually approaches Champie and is only later shown interacting vigorously with him. The final scenes show Eric and Peter playing together with Champie. The subsequent post-test revealed that eight of the nine boys in the film group were now willing to approach, pet, and feed the live dog. Only three of the nine boys in the control group approached to zero feet during this post-test. A Fisher's Exact Test reveals a probability of .03 for this difference between groups (or one more suggestive) occurring by chance. These findings are, of course, no more than an initial demonstration. An extensive research program is planned to provide a detailed examination of the possibilities and limitation of film-therapy of the rype described in this report.'

Chronic anxiety symptomatology, experimental stress, and HCI secretion.

PREVIOUS experiments demonstrated significant increases in HCl secretion during experimentally produced chronic fear in dogs and monkeys * and during sustained examination-period in undergraduate students.11Indices of the HCl secretion of a chronically anxious patient were higher during five very anxious psychoanalytic hours than during five relatively nonanxious hours.13Other investigators, largely in studies of single subjects, have reported similar results.† Evaluation of those studies reporting a negative ‡ or a variable relationship17between HCl secretion and anxiety is hindered by a lack of either adequate experimental controls or sufficient data. These studies have been discussed in more detail elsewhere. § The primary interest of this report is the implication of these results for the unqualified use of Cannon's3emergency theory of emotions as a basic concept in psychosomatic theory. The apparently consistent finding of increased HCl secretion during sustained anxiety in controlled experiments is just