Dogs under free ranging conditions will live in mixed sex, mixed age social groups. Relative social ranking is primarily determined by age although sex may play a role. Sexual maturity in domestic dogs occurs between 6-9 month of age while social maturity begins to develop at 18-36 months of age. Social maturity is also the time during which problem aggressions and anxieties develop. Roaming, mounting, urine making and intrasexual fighting are facilitated by sex hormones, particularly testosterone. These problems are often prevented or greatly reduced by neutering especially in male dogs.

Between 3 and 8 weeks of age, dogs tend to focus on other dogs (if available) for their social stimuli, and between 5 & 12 weeks of age on people. Dogs are most receptive to learning how to deal with novel enrironment and stimuli until about 16-20 weeks of age. Dogs kept exclusively kenneled or not exposed to people after 14 weeks of age may have severely undeveloped social skills.

Dogs develop a preference for elimination at approximate 8.5 weeks of age and this may be the best time to adopt a puppy unless there is no other choice. Puppies should not be adopted until atleast 7 weeks of age.

BEHAVIOURAL PROBLEMS

The two most common behavioural problems in pets are :

• Those associated with aggression
• Those associated with Canine elimination.

ASSOCIATED WITH AGGRESSION

Some of these problems include :

Dominance aggression/Fear aggression/Food related aggression/Idiopathic aggression/Inter-animal aggression/Maternal aggression/Predatory aggression & Territorial aggression.

Dominance aggression has the following necessary condition :

Abnormal, inappropriate, out-of-context aggression (threat, challenge or attack) consistently exhibited by dogs toward people under any circumstances. The behaviour once it begins will become more visible and consistent.

Fear aggression has the following necessary condition :

Aggression that consistently occurs with behavioural and physiologic signs of fear as identified by withdrawal, passive, and avoidance behaviours associated with sympathetic branch of autonomous nervous system. Fear aggression does not have to occur consistently, although identification of the fearful stimuli will permit assessment of the extent to which the behaviours are consistent and pose a predictable risk.

Food-related aggression has the following necessary condition :

Consistent aggression that is exhibited in the presence, and only in the presence, of pet food, bones, biscuits, home made food etc. Food related aggression can be a singular diagnosis, unrelated to any dominance aggression.

Idiopathic aggression has the following necessary and sufficient condition :

Aggression that occurs in an unpredictable manner not associated with either stimuli noted for any other behavioural aggression.

Maternal aggression has the following necessary condition :

Consistent aggression directed toward puppies in the absence of pain, challenges, or threats. Also unprovoked, age-inappropriate attacks on puppies by mother. When maternal aggression is profound, it is very easy to recognize.

Predatory aggression has the following necessary condition :

Quiet aggression or behaviour with subsequent predatory behaviour staring, salivating, body lowering, tail twitching etc. consistently exhibited in either circumstances associated with predation.

Territorial aggression has the following necessary aggression :

Aggression that is consistently demonstrated in the vicinity of a mobile ( car) or stationary area when that area is approached by another individual. The aggression intensifies with decreasing distance despite attempts at intervention, correction, or the desire on the part of the approaching individual.

TREATMENT OF BEHAVIOURAL PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH CANINE AGGRESSION

The treatment of aggression can be complex and may best be performed by a specialist. The first step in treating any aggression is to obtain an accurate diagnosis. Then, any provocative circumstances must be avoided repetition of aggression teaches the dog how to be better at executing it and reinforces the association between context and behaviour. Most behaviour modification focuses on counterconditioning and desensitization using food treats or rewards. Owners must understand the difference between these and bribes, which will guarantee treatment failure. The first step in this treatment program is to reach the dog to defer to the owner for everything he or she wants. The goal is not make the dog “submissive” but rather to teach the dog to attend to the owners for cues as to the appropriateness of its behaviour. Dogs defer to other dogs by sitting or lying down and waiting for cues that tell them when they can proceed with their next sit behaviors. Sitting or lying down acts as a “stop” command and allows owners to regain control of the situation. Head collars can be of great help in treating all problems – canine behaviors involving aggression – and can render any aggressive dog safer. Almost without exception, physical punishment, including the use of prong collars and electric shock collars can make an already aggressive dog worse. Antianxiety medications (eg. Amitriptyline, clomipramine, fluoxetine) have been helpful in treating the anxiety associated with the aggression and in facilitating the behaviour modification.

BEHAVIOURAL PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH CANINE EXAMINATION

Some of these problems are:

• Excitement urination
• Incomplete housebreaking
• Marking behaviour
• Submissive urination

Treatment

Appropriate housebreaking in dogs involves exposure to the preferred substrate for elimination at 8.5 weeks of age, the absence of physical punishment, the emphasis of positive reinforcement and frequent trips to the desired area (as often as every hour for small puppies). Exercising dogs within 15-30 min. of eating and immediately after play or if they slow down, can greatly help speed the house breaking process. As with all behavior problems, behaviors that are correlated with the elimination must be avoided. Prevention is paramount, and owners should know that puppies obtained from pet stores are usually much more difficult to housebreak than those obtained from better sources.

The normal cutaneous microbial flora comprises both resident and transient bacteria. The resident flora tends to be consistent within an anatomic area, is normally harmless, and may inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria. The balance of resident bacteria is maintained by skin pH and moisture, sebum production and the staratum corneum. Under certain conditions that disrupt the normal bacterial barriers, both transient and resident bacteria may cause pyoderma. The resident flora of the canine skin is composed of Micrococcus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, alpha-and beta-hemolytic streptococci, Acinetobacter, gram-negative rods, diphtheroids, and Clostridium. Krogh and Kristensen consistently isolated micrococci, alpha-hemolytic streptococci and Acinetobacter from the skin of cats. Some controversy exists about whether Staphylococcus aureus is part of the normal resident cutaneous bacteria. In at least two studies, S. aureus was readily isolated from the skin of normal dogs and cats. However, Ihrke and co-workers were unable to isolate S. aureus from the shoulder and tailhead region of normal dogs, and they concluded that it is not a normal resident. Nontheless, S. aureus should be considered normal flora; it is apparently more widely distributed among dogs than among cats. Dogs with chronic seborrhea or eczema that have no suppurative lesions have more aerobic microorganisms and a greater number of sites from which S. aureus can be isolated. In these dogs, S. aureus is frequently cultured in the absence of grossly visible pyoderma. The growth of S. aureus is significantly heavier in specimens taken from affected skin areas than in those from adjacent clinically normal areas. Apparently, S. aureus has the potential to rapidly colonize traumatized, inflamed, or seborheic skin. These factors must be considered when interpreting the significance of positive bacteriological cultures. Finding S. aureus on the haircoat of clinically normal dogs indicates that hair, rather than skin, is the source of secondary infection of canine dermatological lesions. Certain common Antibiotics employed in the treatment of Pyoderma Antibiotic Efficacy Against Staphylococcus aureus (% of isolate killed) Efficacy Against Gram-negative organisma (% of isolate killed) Dosage Route Gentamicin 90 80 2-4mg/kg,t.i.d. IM Kanamycin 90 50 6-8mg.kg,b.i.d. IM Cephradine 90 50 15mg/kg,t.i.d. PO Chloramphenicol 90 50 30mg/kg,t.i.d. PO Oxacillin 90 10 20mg/kg,b.i.d. PO Erythromycin 75 10 10-15mg.kg, t.i.d. PO Lincomycin 75 10 15mg/kg, t.i.d. PO Troleandomycin 75 10 20mg/kg, t.i.d. PO Trimethoprim-sulfadiazine 50 50 30mg/kg, once daily PO Ampicillin 25 50 20mg/kg, t.i.d. PO Penicillin G 25 10 20,000U/kg, q.i.d. IM Tetracycline 25 10 20mg/kg, t.i.d. PO IM = Intra Muscular PO= Oral