Veterinary Medicine - April 2008 - (Page 206)

Repetitive licking PEER-REVIEWED TABLE 2 Useful Deﬁnitions for Understanding Abnormal Repetitive Behaviors Stereotypies: Repetitive, invariant behavior patterns with no apparent goal or function. Stereotypies are thought to be associated with suboptimal environments in captive animals. They may vary in cause and appearance.1 Stereotypies are not the same as compulsive disorders. Not all stereotypies become compulsive disorders, and not all compulsive disorders are stereotypical in appearance. Pacing by caged wild animals is a common example of a stereotypy. Obsessive-compulsive disorders or compulsive disorders: A psychiatric condition in people recognized by the American Psychiatric Association in which the obsessions consist of recurrent, persistent, and intrusive thoughts or images that cause the patient anxiety. The compulsions are the repetitive behaviors that the patient feels driven to perform to prevent or reduce the anxiety.2 Since we cannot know for sure that animals experience obsessions, many veterinary behaviorists prefer to use the term compulsive disorders when referring to animals.1 Examples of these include tail chasing, spinning in circles, and ﬂank sucking. Anxiety: An anticipation of danger. It is differentiated from fear in that the dangers are unknown or imagined.3 Anxiety may occur as a result of conﬂict or frustration. For example, dogs with a thunderstorm phobia often begin showing signs of anxiety at the ﬁrst sign of rain (e.g. wind, changes in barometric pressure), before a storm actually begins. Conﬂict: Occurs when an individual is motivated to perform two opposing behaviors.4 An example is a dog that is interested in approaching its owner but is afraid to do so because of possible punishment or scolding. Frustration: Occurs when an individual is motivated to perform a behavior but is prevented from doing so.4 An example is a dog that is conﬁned behind a barrier but is highly motivated to be with other dogs or people on the other side of the barrier. Displacement behavior: A normal behavior shown at an inappropriate time. It appears out of context for the situation.4 For example, a cat may be startled by a loud noise and dart away several feet but then suddenly stop and begin grooming itself. Both conﬂict and frustration may result in an animal’s displaying a displacement behavior. Redirected behavior: When an animal is motivated to perform a behavior but cannot gain access to the primary target of the behavior, it redirects the behavior to an alternative target.4 For example, if two leashed dogs begin ﬁghting, as the owner pulls one dog away, it turns and attacks the owner. REFERENCES 1. Hewson CJ, Luescher AU. Compulsive disorders in dogs. In: Voith VL, Borchelt PL, eds. Readings in companion animal behavior. Trenton, N.J.: Veterinary Learning Systems, 1996;153-158. 2. American Psychiatric Association. Mood disorders. In: Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4th ed. Washington D.C.: American Psychiatric Publishing, 1994;422-423. 3. Beaver BV. The veterinarian’s encyclopedia of animal behavior. Ames: Iowa State University Press, 1994;19. 4. Landsberg G, Hunthausen W, Ackerman L. Stereotypic and compulsive disorders. In: Handbook of behavior problems of the dog and cat. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier Saunders, 2003;195-225. Treating this condition simply requires identifying and thoroughly cleaning all areas where food has been dropped and limiting the dog’s access to these areas. Using child gates to keep dogs away from the areas where children eat is a good idea. Attention-seeking behavior Many dogs that begin licking surfaces for any reason learn that performing the behavior results in a response from the owner. Even if that response is punishment, it may be rewarding to a dog that desires attention. Once dogs learn that a certain behavior results in attention, they are likely to repeat the behavior. Finding out whether the behavior occurs when no people are present is the best way to determine if attention seeking is an important factor contributing to the licking behavior. The ideal way to do this is by videotaping the dog when it is alone. A video camera can be aimed at the general area where the dog spends much of its time and left recording when the owner leaves. Dogs whose behavior demonstrates an observer effect (they demonstrate the behavior less or not at all when no people are around) are unlikely to be experiencing a true compulsive disorder. Treatment for attention-seeking behaviors requires that the owner completely ignores the dog whenever it begins performing the behavior. Tell the owner not to speak to the dog or even make eye contact and to leave the room if possible. If an owner can do this consistently, the behavior will eventually stop; however, initially, there may be a dramatic increase in the behavior (called an extinction burst) as the dog attempts to get the attention it is used to.14 If owners want the behavior to eventually stop, they must ignore this behavior completely, no matter how annoying it may be. DIAGNOSING ABNORMAL REPETITIVE BEHAVIOR Once medical problems have been ruled out, the licking can be called an abnormal repetitive behavior. In the literature, behav- 206 April 2008 VETERINARY MEDICINE

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Veterinary Medicine - April 2008 Contents Letters Leading Off The Veterinary Medicine Interview: Dr. Barrak Pressler Idea Exchange Help! My Dog Licks Everything An Update on Anaplasmosis in Dogs CE Form Advertiser Index Marketplace/Classifieds Mind Over Miller

Veterinary Medicine - April 2008

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