Corridan Claire Lorraine, Dawson Susan E, Mullan Siobhan
Animal Welfare & Ethics, UCD School of Veterinary Science, Belfield, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland.
Research Fellow in Psychology, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.
Animals (Basel). 2024 Jan 31;14(3):459. doi: 10.3390/ani14030459.
Dog caregiver reporting on the spectrum of fearful-aggressive behaviours often describes 'unpredictable' or 'exaggerated' responses to a situation/animal/person. A possible explanation for these behavioural responses considers that the dog is reacting to triggered memories for which the dog has a negative association. For many dogs undergoing veterinary behavioural treatment or rehabilitation through a canine rescue organisation, the assessing clinician relies on "proxy" reporting of the history/background by a caregiver (dog owner, foster carer, or shelter personnel). Detailed information on the event or circumstances resulting in this negative association may be limited or absent altogether. Consideration of a trauma-informed care (TIC) approach, currently applied in a wide range of human psychology and social care fields, may be helpful in guiding the clinical approach taken. The literature relating to adverse early experience (AEE) and trauma-informed care (TIC) in puppies/dogs compared to children/adults was evaluated to identify common themes and conclusions identified across both species. In the absence of known/identifiable trauma, behavioural assessment and management should consider that a 'problem' dog may behave as it does, as the result of previous trauma. The dog can then be viewed through a lens of empathy and understanding, often lacking for dogs presenting with impulsive, reactive, or aggressive behaviours. Assessment must avoid re-traumatising the animal through exposure to triggering stimuli and, treatment options should include counselling of caregivers on the impact of adverse early experiences, consideration of the window of tolerance, and TIC behavioural modification techniques.
照顾犬只的人在描述恐惧攻击行为的范围时，常常会提到对某种情况/动物/人的“不可预测”或“过度”反应。对这些行为反应的一种可能解释是，犬只正在对触发的记忆做出反应，而这些记忆对犬只来说有着负面关联。对于许多通过犬类救援组织接受兽医行为治疗或康复的犬只，评估临床医生依赖照顾者（犬主、寄养者或收容所工作人员）对病史/背景的“代理”报告。导致这种负面关联的事件或情况的详细信息可能有限，甚至完全缺失。考虑采用目前在广泛的人类心理学和社会护理领域应用的创伤知情护理（TIC）方法，可能有助于指导所采取的临床方法。对与幼犬/犬只相比儿童/成人的不良早期经历（AEE）和创伤知情护理（TIC）相关的文献进行了评估，以确定两个物种中共同的主题和结论。在没有已知/可识别的创伤的情况下，行为评估和管理应考虑到一只“问题”犬只之所以如此表现，可能是先前创伤的结果。然后可以通过同理心和理解的视角来看待这只犬只，而对于表现出冲动、反应性或攻击性行为的犬只，人们往往缺乏这种同理心和理解。评估必须避免通过暴露于触发刺激而再次伤害动物，并且治疗选择应包括就不良早期经历的影响对照顾者进行咨询、考虑耐受窗口以及采用创伤知情护理行为修正技术。
