Elimination of Undesirable Responses in Animals: Desensitization and Counterconditioning

Desensitisation and Counterconditioning

Overview

Helen Zulch
Overview
Introduction - setting the scene
Desensitisation
Counterconditioning
Practical Application

Introduction

· Behaviours we observe have many
possible causes
. Sometimes those causes are a
negative emotion engendered by the
stimulus
•
fear, anxiety ...
· Or, overexcitement, overarousal etc
· To change the behaviour in a welfare
sensitive manner, we need to change
· Emotion and/or response

Introduction to Comfort and Response

. Make the dog / cat feel comfortable
about the stimulus
· Or even better feel positive about the
stimulus
· And (or) respond appropriately
Behaviour modification

Approaches to Modifying Behavior

. There are many approaches to
modifying behaviour
· In general can break down as
. Risk assessment & mitigation
· Restricting further development
of the problem in the immediate
term
. Resolve the behaviour long term
· Different choices - case dependent

Restriction Examples

· Restriction ...
. For example, you many need to
. Restrict movement (lead)
. Restrict ability to perform behaviours
. Modify the environment - e.g.
restrict access, remove stimuli
· Modify social interactions
. May be short or long duration of
implementation, but generally
implemented immediately with goal of
preventing behaviour being practised

Behavior Modification Breakdown

· In general can break down as
· Risk assessment & mitigation
· Restricting further development
of the problem in the immediate
term
· Resolve the behaviour long term

Resolution of Behavior

· Resolution
· Change the behaviour that is associated
with the stimulus
. Or change the emotion associated with
the stimulus
· in order to change the behaviour

Resolution and Stimulus Association

· Resolution
· Change the behaviour that is associated
with a stimulus
. Or change the emotion associated with
the stimulus
· in order to change the behaviour
Desensitisation &
Counterconditioning

Desensitisation and Counterconditioning Types

· Desensitisation
· Systematic desensitisation
· Counterconditioning
· Operant & Respondent

Desensitisation

· "a reduction in emotional or physical
reactivity to stimuli" APA
. The process of reducing sensitivity to a
stimulus through a structured procedure
of graded exposure to a stimulus

Aim of Desensitisation

Aim to
· Reduce/eliminate unwanted response
· e.g. fear, anxiety (may be manifest as aggressive
response)
. Inappropriate responses caused by over arousal that is as
a result of positive emotion
. Desensitisation is not only useful in negative emotional
states

Systematic Desensitisation Process

MW
Systematic
Desensitisation
· First teach relaxation
· Then introduce the
graded exposure

Applications of Desensitisation

A Few
Applications
Fear of noises
U
Barking / lunging at people / dogs
Dislike of handling
C
Anxiety in the vet practice
Excited barking and excessive
activity when the doorbell rings

How to Desensitise

How?
· Break the stimulus into component
parts
· If practical
· Draw up a schedule of exposure
· Least intense to most intense (least
intense must be below dog's
threshold for reaction, but
noticeable)
· Separate components
· Combinations of components

Aggressive Response Example

How?
•
Example -
aggressive response
to children playing
· Possible
components?

Stimuli Presentation Order

· Present the stimuli in order, from least
intense to most intense
How?
. Ensure that the animal is showing no
reaction before moving to the next level
. Animal can be doing almost anything as
long as it is not reacting
. Ideally when relaxed? Not essential
· Teach a relaxation protocol?

Systematic Desensitisation and Relaxation

· First teach relaxation
· Sit, lie down, relaxed focus
· Then initiate a desensitisation
procedure
Systematic
Desensitisation
. Move forward only whilst the animal
can maintain relaxation
. Can be thought of as partially counter
conditioning as remaining relaxed is
incompatible with being fearful, for
example.

Practical Example of Desensitisation to Noise

Practical
Example - DS
to noise
88 90 92 94 96 98 100 102 04 8 9
80 90 60
70
60
55

Counter-Conditioning Inquiry

What about
counter-
conditioning?

Counter-Conditioning

· Elicit an alternative response to a
stimulus
· Emotional or behavioural level
· Stimulus which previously evoked a
negative response now evokes a
positive response
· Stimulus which evoked inappropriate
response now evokes appropriate
response

Operant vs Respondent Counterconditioning

Operant VS
respondent
counterconditioning

Operant Counter Conditioning Diagram

RA
TUPE
76
Engineere
NONDARA
QF6
SUPE
L
Engineere
NONDARA
SUPE
216
Engineere
MONDA
Operant Counter Conditioning

Respondent Counterconditioning Practically

ΔRespondent
Counterconditioning
Practically
· The presence of the stimulus predicts
the presentation of a desired item
. Most desirable thing to dog
· Food, toy, game ...

Respondent Counterconditioning Practical Steps

Respondent Counterconditioning
Practically
· Find something the pet will do anything for
. Restrict access to the item at other times
· Arrange a situation where you can control
the eliciting stimulus

Stimulus Gradient Planning

88 .90 92 94 96
80
90
70
60
55
CONF
AUTO
· Plan your stimulus gradient list
. The stimulus broken into its component parts
(if practical)
· Schedule of exposure
· Least intense to most intense
. Separate components
· Combinations of components

Respondent Counterconditioning Implementation

Respondent
Counterconditioning
Practically
· Present the eliciting stimulus at a level
that does not evoke a response (below
threshold)
Immediately ...
· Present the desirable item
Then ...
· Remove the eliciting stimulus
Immediately ...
· Remove the desirable item

Respondent Counterconditioning Order and Strength

Respondent
Counterconditioning
Practically
. The eliciting stimulus becomes the
predictor of the desirable item
Order matters!
· gradually increase the strength of
the eliciting stimulus
· present all components of the
eliciting stimulus separately if at all
possible
. then combine them

Respondent Counterconditioning Pairing

Respondent
Counterconditioning
Practically
· On every occasion the desirable
stimulus is paired
. It doesn't matter WHAT the animal
is doing
. BUT the animal needs to notice it!

Respondent Counterconditioning Outcome

Respondent
Counterconditioning
Practically
Now ....
· Children/sound etc = food
Therefore
· Children/sound etc = positive

Operant Counter Conditioning Practically

Operant Counter
Conditioning
Practically
· Also known as response substitution
· Uses a conditioned response to control
undesirable behaviour
· "Sit stay" for example
· Can use it irrespective of the emotion
underlying

Operant Counterconditioning Motivation

Operant
Counterconditioning
Motivation to perform the
incompatible (desirable)
behaviour must be stronger
than motivation to perform
unwanted response - at the
time you start in situ training.
1

Practically Speaking: Teaching Behavior

Practically
Speaking ...
· Teach a suitable behaviour
· Independent of stimulus eliciting
inappropriate response
· That is incompatible with the response
currently seen
· Go to your bed
· Look at me
· Sit calmly
etc

Practically Speaking: Establishing Behavior

Practically
speaking
· Once this behaviour is
· very well established
· is performed willingly by the animal
· has a good history of reinforcement
· has been practiced in a number of
different environments (if
appropriate)
Then you can begin the counter-
conditioning procedure

Practically Speaking: Desensitisation List

Practically
Speaking
. You also need to have planned your
desensitisation list
· The stimulus broken into its
component parts (if practical)
· Schedule of exposure
· Least intense to most intense
· Separate components
· Combinations of components

Practically Speaking: Protocol Implementation

Practically
Speaking
. Now you can implement the protocol ...
· At a level where the stimulus is
noticeable to the dog but does not elicit
a reaction
. ask for the trained behaviour
· reinforce the trained behaviour
· stop reinforcing the behaviour when
the stimulus is no longer present

Practically Speaking: Anticipation and Strength

Practically
Speaking
. Once the animal is either
· responding with complete reliability
when the cue for the behaviour is
given
· and is ignoring the stimulus
· Or ideally
· anticipating the cue when the
stimulus is perceived
. And initiating the incompatible
behaviour
. Then move onto the next level of
stimulus strength

Practically Speaking: Stimulus as Cue

Practically
Speaking
· Over time the SP (linked to undesirable
response) supersedes SP2 and
· SD will then elicit the desirable
response
Stimulus BECOMES cue
· Note ...
· SP, needs to be noticed by the dog
when/before SP2 is presented or learning
can't occur

Practical Implications and Safety

Practically
This Means
. The animal is allowed to look at the
stimulus
. Will need to take precautions - lead,
muzzle
. If the animal reacts must have a plan
· Essential not to reinforce reaction
. But never compromise safety
. Be VERY careful of behaviour chains !!!

Reality of Counter Conditioning

In reality
. Usually you have both operant and
classical counter conditioning occurring
at the same time
· Which is more prevalent will depend on
what you are doing & how

Real-World Examples

In reality
· E.g.
. You feed your dog every time you see
another dog in the street
· Over time, your dog looks up in
expectation of the treat (when another
dog appears)
. Now you are effectively reinforcing an
incompatible behaviour

Dog Mat Example

Or
· Your very excited and
friendly dog is taught to
go and lie on his mat
when visitors arrive
· The doorbell signals "go
to your mat" - which
you reinforce
· Over time, relaxation on
the mat should start to
occur, so you eventually
get a change in
physiological state along
with the change in
operant behaviour

Considerations for Learning

Remember to consider
. Can the animal learn what you need it to?
· Do you need medication?
· What to choose
· DS? DS&CC?
. Think about WHEN to implement your
programme
· Unwanted exposure to triggers during
the protocol

Maintenance and Safety

Remember
. Will usually need to maintain pairings over
time
. Build a remedial training schedule into your
plan
. Think about safety
· Lead (or 2?), muzzle, barriers
. You work at the animal's pace - all those
working with the animal need to be able to
read body language

Real World Challenges

In the "Real
World"
· Controlled environment is a luxury
- Aggressive behaviour vs noise fear
- Need to be creative
· Set up real world situations
- Without risk (?)
- Will usually utilize additional
techniques (e.g. move behind, turn
and go etc)
· Always have an emergency plan

Ad Hoc Counter Conditioning

What about "ad hoc" CC?
· Pair positive with stimulus as and when
· "I like surprises"
Riemer, S., 2020. Effectiveness of treatments for firework fears
in dogs. Journal of veterinary behavior, 37, pp.61-70.

Another Practical Example: Vacuum Cleaner Fear

Another Practical Example
Dog "doesn't like the vacuum cleaner":
· What does he do - tries to escape, cowers
· Assessment - fearful

Additional Considerations

As well as the
protocol
· Always consider
· What else you need to consider / put in
place
. From the client's perspective
· From the dog's perspective

Conclusion

. It is usually possible to eliminate
undesirable responses
. It takes consistency and dedicated time
· Carefully structured
· The programme chosen must be
appropriate
· Animal
· Client
· Record keeping