Can animals have depression

• Let's put it this way: they take into account in their activities that dealing with different biological species. But to understand is to classify, make the difference consciously. This, of course, does not happen.

  A lot depends on how ontogeny went domestic animal (especially the period from birth to separation from the mother). If during the period early ontogenesis, an animal devoid of biological mother, interacts a lot with a person as a main person, and a person cares for him, ensures his safety, that is, it is likely that such an animal would largely identify yourself with people. nine0003

• So is it better to take puppies from mother early?

• No, better on time. If you take away ahead of time, how many do, the process of ontogenesis and the process of emotional behavior regulation. If a dog is taken away from its mother too early, it will there may be problems with the development of "novelty", exploratory behavior, fears are formed, such animals will have problems with social behavior - interaction with other individuals, as well as maternal behavior. The puppy or kitten must spend with the mother, brothers and sisters set for his biological species term. AT in the case of pets, it is necessary that human. If we want to have a pet dog or cat, then a person must interact with momma to cubs become part of their relationship. nine0002 If, on the contrary, you pick up a puppy or kitten from the street too late, he won't be socialized enough in relation to a person. Especially if his mother is hiding in the basement or, say, in abandoned household facilities and does not interacts with people.

Photo: Shutterstock

• Is it possible to say that animals have bad or a good mental state? Do they get sad?

• They have depressive states - monkeys have this even shown on the basis of hormonal changes. Experts in such cases say that the animal is experiencing prolonged stress. If you are under stress for a long time, psychosomatic disorders, great apes have neuroses, many mammals phobias, obsessive fears. The mechanisms of psychiatric or near-psychiatric states may be similar to human, and may be completely different. Although there is a lot in common. nine0008

• Which cases can be considered alarming? When I like should the owner of a cat or dog contact a zoopsychologist?

• Who will you contact if they are not available? There are people, who are engaged in the correction of animal behavior due to their rich experience, a large number of books read and abilities. It seems to me that when such people are called zoopsychologists, this is not very good. There are very smart and talented professionals who correct the behavior of animals, specialist trainers. As a rule, they work not so much with animals, how many with their owners. nine0002 Specialists are rarely consulted due to poor the mental state of the animal. In a modern urban family, a dog or the cat is included in the structure of communications in a particular family system. Often a dog or cat in such a system has problem behavior. An analogy can be drawn: if a child behaves bad, then he does it in order to switch attention to himself - then mom and dad, for example, will stop quarreling. When psychologists work with such families, they find out what function the child's behavior serves. As as a rule, this is a symptom that communication is broken somewhere between the spouses. Often an animal's misbehavior performs a similar homeostatic function. nine0003

  Somehow the owners of my acquaintance turned to the trainer Rottweiler - a divorced woman with a daughter - complaining about his aggression. He could, for example, go to the kitchen, open the refrigerator and start eating food. From point of view behavior correction, it is not so difficult to wean a Rottweiler from such behavior: we we negatively reinforce his behavior, for example, when he opens this door refrigerator, a pan with nuts falls on him - and he gets scared. The trainer quickly coped with this, her Rottweiler obeyed perfectly, but his mistress, on the contrary, had more and more complaints of aggression. How then it turned out that she broke up with her husband because of his aggressiveness - she had victim behavior, and with the dog she applied the same interaction patterns. In other words, her behavior in every possible way provoked the dog to display aggression. nine0003

  This is often the case - a symptom of bad dog behavior before certain limits supported by the family. Articles are published even abroad, who say that if a family often asks about bad behavior of the dog, then the main owner is rarely present at receptions specialist. Or the family suddenly stops seeing a specialist. The question is not dog, the question is why the family needs her bad behavior.

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• When dogs bark at each other in the street, what do they convey information?

• They may not transmit any information, but simply get excited. There is an affiliation behavior - behavior that confirms inclusion in the group. If one dog barks, the other will also bark. Bark sync is a common form of affiliation. There is also the so-called contagious behavior, contagious. If at a certain level of excitation, one animal begins to perform some action, such as barking, then the other dog, being at a certain stage excitement, will also bark. If one dog runs in a certain direction and the other dog is "wound up", it will rush in the same direction. People have too there are examples of contagious behavior: when someone nearby yawns, you start yawning too. nine0008

• What is the difference between the human signal system (language) and animal signaling system?

• Fundamental differences. There are certain properties of communication that human language has and does not have animals. For example, the symbolic function of language is that animals cannot invent symbols and freely operate with them, using them as a means for thinking and managing one's own behavior. They can only react. Add meaningful sentences, designate, convey information they cannot. Human communication performs an important informing function: "Beware, the snake is crawling!" A dog or cat may react if they see a snake, but if the snake is quiet creeps in your direction, but you do not see it, an animal won’t come up and say: “Turn around, to someone is crawling for you!” When you come home the dog tells you whining, tail movements, jumps, pantomime, movements “how glad I am for you see". But she won't tell you what happened while you were gone. She won't tell about how she was waiting for you to come, and where she thought of going with you. Dogs, like cats, live only "here and now" and always in their state. nine0008

• slippers and other unexpected places, what do they mean by that?

• In cats, and especially in cats, smell is strengthening of the "I". Therefore, very often a cat begins to mark, because she anxious. Cats don't like novelty. For them, any new smell, permutation furniture, the appearance of another animal, especially another cat, is a big stress. A man with a strong smell came in, she peed in his shoes. Not because a bad person, but because the smell is new, sharp - and therefore disturbing. New filler, tray in a different place, appearance child - all this can cause anxiety in a cat, and they will go to mark everything with their own smell, thus strengthening your "I": when you smell everywhere, you calmer. nine0008

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• Is it true that pets take on personalities? hosts?

• Not directly adopted, but some fit. For example, a dog is very good at "reading" intentions. his master. If the puppy was raised correctly - with mom and under supervision a person, he very quickly learns to look a person in the face. We are like you in primates, establishing and maintaining contact is eye contact. For communication of dogs as a biological species contact eyes is also characteristic of communication and initiation of each other's actions. The last thirty years by people as welcome pets select those individuals who successfully master human non-verbal communication. More control now selection of cats, but this was done later than the selection of dogs - cats are increasingly also begin to look into the eyes. nine0002 There was such an experiment: the owners left their dogs in room with experimenters who laid out a piece of food on the table. And host strictly said "no". And he left. And the dog was either given this piece to eat, or shifted this piece higher on the cabinet. And when the owners came back, they were told: “You know, your dog listened to you and didn’t eat a piece” or “Your dog didn’t listen to you and ate a piece. ” And looked at how the dog met the owner. If the owners were told "Your dog ate the cookie", she ate or not eat it, she still looked guilty. And if the owners were told “Your dog didn’t eat anything”, the dog never looked guilty, she ate is it a cookie or not. nine0003

  The dog had time to respond to an involuntary change in the host's facial expressions and take on a "guilty" look. Animals much higher rate of exchange of communications. You and I are very slow compared to animals. The dogs took on a "guilty" look, not because they were tormented by conscience about the unfulfilled command, but because of the dissatisfaction of the owner.

• or not? What do they rely on?

• First of all, predictability. In addition to the benefit that "this being" brings, animals are favored by those who are predictable. If the dog starts to growl at one of your guests, then something is wrong with her. incomprehensible in this person. Many dogs attack lame people, invalids or children, because they do not understand them, are not used to them. And more banal a situation when someone comes to the house and is afraid of a dog - then she can also show aggression. nine0008

• Can physical punishment be used against cats and dogs?

• Physical punishment and negative reinforcement are two different things. Physical punishment carries more than our human morality: "I punish you for this and that reason." physical punishment involves explaining to the dog why we are doing it. In this regard, for animals physical punishment is unacceptable, but without proper application no negative reinforcement. nine0002 Pets do not have the question “Why?”, They have the question “Can I?” or "Can't?" Negative reinforcement should occur at the moment when the animal does something. Big mistake to do this when the owner comes home and sees that the dog or cat has spoiled something. And the animal meets the owner at the entrance - and if you scold, then it is negatively reinforced not that it did an hour ago, namely that it rejoices at the return of the owners home.

  Physical punishment involves an explanation of the reason: why not do something. It's completely useless if we we deal with animals. nine0003

• What is the feeling of a host? When a cat or dog an understanding is formed that a person is a master?

• Cat differs from dogs. Dogs live in hard enough structured groups, and in them the roles are distributed. Cats may live crowded, but they do not form groups with differentiated roles. For a cat, stability and predictability are important the place where she is. When leaving for the country, it is better to take the dog with you, and the cat better to leave at home. For her, moving is a big stress. to a man when he gets pets, you must definitely believe that he is unique for them. But need understand that dogs move from one owner to another fairly easily if the new owner provides a clear communication system. living in the family, the dog assigns a role to each family member - and it will be differentiated treat people according to the role he sees. The cat is not distributes roles, she knows the routine. nine0008

• Why are dogs easy to train and cats hardly?

• There are many more forms in the potential behavioral repertoire of the dog as a species behaviors that we understand. A solitary cat has fewer of these forms. And the dog makes everything clearer to us ways, and we use these methods for ourselves. Different forms of their biological lives are used by people in different ways.

  They are trained differently because some canines, and other cats. How do cats mainly hunt? They hide one by one. Dogs hunt in a group, follow the trail. Since the dog lives in a group and must to settle a lot, she has many forms of greeting and options for ritual behaviors - that is, more possibilities that we can change by learning. nine0003

• Is it true that cats have no fear of heights?

• Yes.

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• Why do they regularly fall out of windows?

• Because they jump out and miss. Or simply fall down. Domestic cats, unlike yard cats, do not have much experience jumps. We do not allow dogs to walk on the ledges, otherwise they would fall out more often than cats. nine0008

• pet that you love him?

• Very often people who attribute to animals human qualities do not satisfy biological the needs of these animals and destroy them with this. Notable examples are when dogs dressed in human clothing. When dogs, cats, parrots are given food, which they cannot eat, guided by the principle of "the owner is very tasty", when a rat is carried on the shoulder wherever possible when they come home, a hamster sleeps, and they push him with a finger with the words "hello, I have come" or when the children swaddle kittens and play with them with dolls. This is the dissatisfaction of the basic biological needs inherent in a particular species of animal. When the dog is not taken out for a walk, but forced to pee at home. Or when they lead the dog, she sniffs urine marks, and they pull her by the leash and say "let's go. " The person is very often insists on increased tactile contact with an animal that does not wants. Dogs and cats are often bred as another person, only a more "simplified" kind. nine0008

• Can we say that cats and dogs experience gratitude? If, for example, they are taken from a shelter?

• It's one thing when a pet dog loses its owners - It is right to take her home from the shelter. There are dogs with different behaviors profiles, not family, who grew up without a person - these are also rebuilt shelter staff. In this case, difficulties may arise when keeping in a city apartment: dogs can howl, destroy the house, bad driving. If she was taken from the street too late, she would not adapted to life in the family, it will be bad to “read” a person and be afraid of everything. Abroad, there is a strict selection of dogs in shelters. The ones that don't get through tests for tolerance to a person, to children, to physical impact, there put to sleep. nine0002 If you adopt an animal from a shelter, you need to know the history his getting there. Must be willing to serve specific needs such animals.

  If the cat lives in the basement, take it from there in no time in which case it is not possible. If you want a quality pet, you need to take it from similar conditions: let's say you live outside the city - take a cat that was born outside the city.

  In order for an animal to experience a sense of gratitude, it you need a lot of cognitive abilities, which he does not have. The animal must be able imagine what would have happened to him in the future if you had not appeared and saved him, and evaluate the past - the opportunities that she had and which now there is no. This is anthropomorphism, it is natural for us. Dogs and cats can feel relieved if they lived in stress: the coat shone, improved digestion, relaxation. But not gratitude. nine0003

Interview

• Nastya Krasilnikova (Afisha Daily)

Do dogs get depression?

Can animals, in particular dogs, suffer from depression? The answer is not as obvious as it seems. Over the past decades, the dog has become a true friend and companion for humans. Less and less often, dogs are bred for protection, hunting or grazing, that is, for the activity for which they were originally tamed. In modern cities, a dog is sometimes the only close being for its owner, and not just a friend of the popular expression. This is a full-fledged member of the family, the same as a child, and sometimes more. nine0003

However, having lost its exclusively working tasks, the dog acquired typically human problems. People call depression the disease of the 21st century. How do behavioral disorders in companion dogs manifest themselves in the 21st century? And can they be called depression? Let's try to figure it out.

Depression - what is important to know

Depression (from the Latin deprimo - to suppress, press (down)) is a mental disorder of a person, in which there is oppression, depression, a general decrease in mood and pessimism. nine0003

The typical symptoms of depression - depression, fatigue and anhedonia - in dogs are rather signs of somatic disorders. Lethargy, refusal to play and walk, decreased appetite in pets can indicate various diseases and are non-specific symptoms.

But what is often attributed to a lack of education, on the contrary, can be symptoms of a violation of brain biochemistry, for example, a decrease in the level of serotonin and dopamine in the synapses (such disorders are recorded in people with depression). And in dogs with such disorders, there is uncleanliness, aggression or separation anxiety (separation anxiety). And it is these behavioral disorders that owners most often care about. nine0003

Such disorders are studied by behavioral veterinary medicine, the terms "psychiatry" and "psychology" in the animal world are incorrect. Behavioral medicine has become widespread and has developed rapidly since the 1990s. It became clear that many animals could be helped to avoid conflict with their owners and even euthanasia in severe cases of behavioral disorders. It turned out that this or that “parting” with a pet more often occurs not because of ordinary diseases, but because of behavioral disorders. nine0003

Signs and Symptoms of Depression in Dogs

Let's take a look at some of the most common dog behavioral problems an owner may experience. Recall that they are often biochemically similar to depression in humans. And the drugs that behavioral medicine doctors prescribe for pets are the same antidepressants that people use.

• Uncleanliness - that is, urination and defecation in the wrong places (in the house).

When evaluating the uncleanliness of a dog, one should take into account its age and the normal number of urination acts per day. You can not demand "patience" from a puppy who urinates every 1-2 hours during wakefulness and 1-2 times at night at 2 months. In addition to age, you need to understand how often the dog is taken outside, whether it is trained in the rules of behavior in the house, whether the pet has diseases of the genitourinary, gastrointestinal tract, anatomical defects or neurological abnormalities. In addition to puppies, older and pregnant dogs need more frequent walking. If the above causes are ruled out, behavioral problems should be considered. nine0003

Urination at home may be associated with anxiety, primarily separation anxiety from the owner. Other reasons may be marking the territory (both in males and females), urination as a manifestation of submission, due to overexcitation, fear, to attract attention. A behavioral medicine doctor will help you to understand the intricacies of a dog's behavior

How can you help such a pet?

First of all, take them for a walk more often. During the period of toilet training with a puppy, you need to walk at least four times a day, and preferably more often. For the correct behavior on the street, one must praise, treat with a treat. Growing up, dogs clearly understand what the owner expects from them on a walk. But even with an adult dog, it is better to go out not two, but three times a day. Long patience is not physiological and can lead to health problems. In addition to "sanitary" functions, walking for a dog is communication with relatives, a surge of energy, exploring the territory and other people's marks. That is, physical and mental stress, which reduces the level of anxiety and excessive excitability, thereby contributing to normal behavior at home, including in the absence of the owner. Owners of dogs with whom even the simplest training is regularly engaged, the frequency of complaints of destructive behavior is much lower than in people with pets left to their own devices. nine0003

• Aggression is a very common and most dangerous behavioral disorder in dogs, which, unfortunately, is not always manageable. Correctly identifying the causes of aggression is not an easy task even for a specialist.

Aggressiveness in dogs in general is species-typical behavior. Aggression in animals allows you to survive in a pack, get food, protect yourself and your puppies. In the conditions of life with a person, the aggression of a pet becomes absolutely unacceptable. The exception is working, police, hunting and shepherd dogs, in which adequate and appropriate aggression is a normal and indispensable condition of service. nine0003

Of course, in order to assess aggression, you need to carefully study the living conditions of the dog and understand the patterns of situations in which the pet becomes aggressive. For example, you should not allow children or strangers to climb into the “nest” of a recently born female or take a bone from a hungry male. Aggression in these situations is easily explained by typical species behavior. Dog owners should definitely learn typical aggression postures and explain this to their children. Bared teeth, hair rearing at the withers are the characteristic signals that the dog gives in advance, before attacking. There are also more subtle points worthy of separate discussion. In any case, a person and a dog, despite the proximity and coexistence, are different species with different behavior. For example, the sharp squeal of a child may be misinterpreted by the dog as a signal given by the victim. Conflict in this case is inevitable. nine0003

There are different types of aggression, depending on the cause. The most common are territorial aggression (when a dog defends its territory), dominance aggression (can be towards both people and animals), aggression associated with hormonal status (in a female protecting puppies or in males during a "dog wedding") , aggression associated with food, "cowardly" aggression associated with fear. As a rule, the latter type is explained by the increased anxiety of the companion dog and in reality, from the point of view of a person, nothing threatens her. Such behavior looks inadequate, can be dangerous for others and must be corrected by specialists - a dog handler and a behavioral medicine doctor. nine0003

• Separation anxiety or separation syndrome. Another behavioral disorder in dogs that may be similar to human depression. Indeed, dogs with increased anxiety respond well to antidepressant treatment, suggesting a similar chemistry of these behavioral disorders. The symptoms of separation anxiety manifest themselves in the absence of the owner. It can be howling and barking, self-traumatization (obsessive licking of paws, for example), destruction of the apartment. There are methods for correcting this behavior, based on keeping the dog apart - first a short one, and then a longer one. Such upbringing requires patience and perseverance from the owner. For pharmacological support, a veterinarian should be consulted. nine0008

Do dogs get postpartum depression?

Childbirth in the animal kingdom is a normal phenomenon. In a pack of dogs, a pregnant female is not considered sick or infirm, otherwise the animals would not be able to breed and maintain population numbers. In the animal kingdom, females who have given birth do not know the concept of depression.

In domestic dogs, it happens that the female, after giving birth, does not experience maternal instinct and rejects the puppies. This happens after a caesarean section, when the body is not hormonally ready for childbirth. Sometimes this happens after natural childbirth. The reason for this phenomenon in this case is not clear. However, it is known that this behavior can be inherited and repeated in the same female. Perhaps this is due to a violation of the biochemistry of the brain, in particular, with insufficient synthesis of neurotransmitters that affect the production of hormones responsible for maternal behavior. Such dogs should be excluded from breeding work. nine0003

Dog diet for behavioral disorders

The brain is the body's main energy consumer. And the pet takes energy from the food offered by the owner. Therefore, the importance of proper balanced dog nutrition cannot be overestimated. And a dog with behavioral disorders needs a special diet. This food is PRO PLAN® Veterinary Diets NC NeuroCare Complete Dietary Dry Food for adult and senior dogs to support brain function. The specially selected ingredients of this ketogenic diet improve brain function by providing an alternative source of nutrition.

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