ANSC 378 – Companion and Performance Animal Behaviour Fall 2011
LECTURE TIME: Monday, Wednesday & Friday 11:00 – 11:50am in room NRE 1-143
INSTRUCTOR:
Dr. Clover Bench, PhD 3-10U Ag/Forestry Centre Office Tel: (780) 492-9081
E-mail: [email protected] MARKER:
Courtney Felton, M.Sc.
Dept of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science
OFFICE HOURS:
Office hours will be held Wednesdays 1:30-3:30pm (combined with ANSC 376) or by appointment (arranged via Moodle messaging) in 3-10U Ag/For by Dr. Bench (our course marker does not hold office hours). Feel free to call for anything urgent. For less pressing matters consider asking your question at the next class meeting time. If you must send e-mail related to the course, start the subject line with ANSC 378 (preferable to email course-related questions using Moodle).
PREREQUISITE:
ANSC 120 (strongly recommended), or Level 3 university biology and consent of the instructor (if you require instructor consent, you will need to meet with Dr. Bench sometime BEFORE the end of the first week of class!). In the absence of ANSC 120, you will need to have taken courses in the Biological Sciences and have courses or previous experience in Theories of Learning (eg. PSYCO 104 or PSYCO 105). All prerequisite waivers are granted on a case-by-case basis by the instructor. It is strongly recommended that students in the course be *60 or higher (this will become a requirement for the course in Fall 2012).
You are responsible for picking up the waiver form from the ALES Undergraduate Student Office and bringing it to Dr. Bench.
Students with Special Learning Needs: Students with special learning needs or who require additional exam time (as identified through the University of Alberta’s SSDS program) are required to identify themselves to Dr. Bench within the first week of class. In particular, please arrange a time for Dr. Bench to meet with you to go over your individual needs to be successful on assignments and exams, as well as to explore how you learn best (eg. visually, hands-on, etc). Students in the SSDS program will be required to inform SSDS of exam dates and times for the ANSC 378 course and for getting the appropriate forms to Dr. Bench at least a week ahead of exam dates. Dr. Bench will provide the exams to SSDS personally and pick them up afterwards.
RESOURCES/READING:
Required readings will be posted on Moodle as pdf documents, weblinks, or given as handouts in-class.
Recommended Resources:
1. Hart, B., Hart, L., & Bain, M. 2006. Canine and Feline Behaviour Therapy. 2nd Edition.
Blackwell Publishing. 373 pp. (Available in the Univ of Alberta Bookstore)
2. Malone, J.C. 1990. Theories of Learning: A historical approach. Wadsworth Publishing.
ISBN: 0-534-05760-8
3. Price, E.O. 2008. Principles of Applications of Domestic Animal Behaviour.CAB International. ISBN: 978-1-84593-398-2. (Available in the Univ of Alberta Bookstore)
MOODLE:
Grades, lecture notes, assignments, certain readings, links, articles and other items of interest will be posted on Moodle (ANSC 378). We will also use the Moodle discussions and email features. Please get acquainted with Moodle, as we will be using it throughout this course (and it is part of your participation mark!).
OBJECTIVES:
This course is a broad overview designed to help you (in no particular order):
Recognize some of the applications of animal behaviour (ethology) in companion animal training, therapy and behaviour modification.
Learn about the behavioural repertoire of various companion (eg. dogs, cats, birds and exotics) and performance animal (eg. horses) species.
Learn about scientific methods used to study animal behaviour, as well as how to read and interpret journal articles in animal behaviour science relating to companion and performance animals.
Become involved with community organizations involved with companion and exotic animals (eg the Edmonton Valley Zoo), while utilizing your knowledge in companion and performance animal behaviour.
Learn and discuss animal behaviour concepts and theories.
An important additional objective in this course will be to help you improve your spoken and written communication skills (eg. through written and oral assignments).
EVALUATION:
Please note: Implementation of the Official University Grading System:
Throughout the term, raw marks will be assigned to reflect performance on each component of the course. Letter grades will only be assigned to the final distribution of mark totals.
COMPONENT VALUE DUE DATE
Participation in-
class 5% Throughout
Participation in
eClass discussions 5% Throughout
Assignment 1 10% Fri-14-Oct
Mid-term exam 25% Mon-17-Oct
Assignment 2 25% Wed-30-Nov
Final exam 30% Tues-20-Dec
TOTAL 100%
Important Information:
Note the midterm will include all material covered to that point in the course (both material covered in class and the assigned readings)
The midterm exam will include multiple choice as well as written questions.
The final exam will be scenario-based and be completely written questions.
Assignment #1 is to be done individually, while Assignment #2 will be done in assigned groups of 2-3 students.
Throughout the term, marks will be assigned to reflect performance on each component of the course (in percent form). Letter grades will be assigned at the END of the term and will be based on the final grade achieved in the course out of 100.
Course grades will be assigned according to the following percentage cut-offs (rounded up to the nearest whole number).
95-100 A+
92-94 A
89-91 A- 85-88 B+
82-84 B
79-81 B- 75-78 C+
72-74 C
69-71 C-
<69 will be assigned accordingly D to F
PARTICIPATION: Marks for this component will be assigned based on you making useful contributions to discussions on Moodle (5% of course mark) and also your involvement in class (eg.
interacting with lecturers, participating in class discussions, contribution towards group assignments, etc; another 5% of course mark).
Note: In addition to participating in class (5% of course mark), all students are expected to contribute to at least 2 discussion threads, and lead at least 2 discussion threads on our course Moodle website during the Fall term in order to receive full participation credit (Moodle; another 5% of course mark).
Do not leave these until the last week of class!!
The more you participate in this course, the more you will get out of it, and the better you will do in the course overall. All students in the course are encouraged to take an active role, ask questions, participate in discussions, make suggestions, and offer ideas and input. This course offers many opportunities to get in contact with the instructor for additional assistance: in-class, via email, through Moodle, office hours, etc. in addition to guest lecturers and opportunities to get involved in animal behaviour seminars, conferences, workshops and research outside of class.
INSTRUCTOR’S EXPECTATIONS OF STUDENTS:
All students are expected to master the basic concepts of the course. You will best meet the course objectives by being prepared for class, by reading the assigned material, actively participating in discussions, meeting deadlines for graded coursework, and collaborating with fellow class members when appropriate (eg. group assignments and studying for exams). As parts of the course involve discussion and interaction with classmates, attendance is imperative.
A NOTE ABOUT CELL PHONES AND TEXTING IN CLASS:
Cell phone ringing, taking calls, and texting are not permitted during class time. You are asked to either turn off your cell phone or switch it to vibrate during class. Texting during class is distracting to fellow students as well as to the instructor, and is considered unprofessional behaviour. Please come to class ready to participate in class discussions and activities without your cell phone.
E-mail policy: E-mail volume is a problem for most instructors. Limit e-mails to brief clear questions that require brief answers. Do not expect to receive replies outside of university business hours (Mon- Fri, 08:30 to 16:30 h). Every effort will be made to reply to messages within 48 h. Do consider that some questions are easier to discuss and deal with in person. When you email, please include ANSC 378 in the subject line.
General: The use of electronic devices such as mobile phones, iPods, calculators, laptops, etc., is not permitted during examinations. Appropriate professional behaviour demonstrating respect for fellow students and instructors is expected. Students registered with Specialized Support and Disability Services (SSDS) who will be using accommodations in the classroom {or the lab}, or who will be writing exams through SSDS, are required to provide a “Letter of Introduction” to the course instructor by the end of the first week of class. Those students who need accommodated exams must provide the instructor with an “Exam Instructions & Authorization”
(orange) form one week before each exam.
Academic Integrity: “The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behaviour (www.ualberta.ca/secretariat/appeals.htm) and avoid any behaviour which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.” (GFC 2003)
Code of Student Behaviour: “All students at the University of Alberta are subject to the Code of Student Behaviour, as outlined at http://www.ualberta.ca/~unisecr/policy/sec30.html. Please familiarize yourself with it and ensure that you do not participate in any inappropriate behaviour as defined by the Code. Key components of the code include the following statements:
* 30.3.2(1) No Student shall submit the words, ideas, images or data of another person as the Student’s own in any academic writing, essay, thesis, project, assignment, presentation or poster in a course or program of study.
* 30.3.2(2) c. No Student shall represent another’s substantial editorial or compositional assistance on an assignment as the Student’s own work.”
*Please speak with the instructor if you have any questions or concerns about the Code, particularly as it pertains to the definition of plagiarism in assignments, internet research, using the same work as part of assignments in more than one course or lab, etc.
If you are out sick or are absent from class: If you experience flu-like symptoms (eg. fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, etc) during the term, follow Alberta Health’s guidelines (available on the Alberta Health website) and self-isolate until symptoms have passed (usually about a week). Also, contact Dr. Bench via email and let her know you are in self-isolation so she knows you will be missing class as a result. Every effort will be made to have all lectures, assignments, and announcements posted on-line Moodle so any student(s) in self-isolation can continue to participate in class as much as possible. The same is also true of any medical emergency that may arise (eg.
surgeries, hospital stays, family emergency, etc) that you have no control over.
Ultimately, you are responsible for making sure you get all missing course material (eg. course lectures, reading material, etc) and keeping in communication with the course instructor about any possible impact your absence may have on assignments, participation in class, or exams.
Communication with the course instructor allows for each student situation to be handled on a case- by-case basis. If you miss class, you are asked to contact a fellow classmate FIRST to get caught up on any missing lecture materials. Lectures are also posted on the Moodle website.
EXAMS: There are no “make-up” mid-term exams in this course. If you are unable to write the mid-term, for any reason, the value of that exam can be transferred to the final exam, but only if you apply in writing to the instructor, to do so. Your application must be received within 2 days of the missed exam date (and include documentation if relevant) for your excused absence.
Sample questions will be provided on Moodle to illustrate the basic format of the exams, the types and numbers of questions that have been asked over the past 2 years. The content of the exam questions will be modified though, to reflect the current textbook and assigned readings for the Fall 2011 term.
ASSIGNMENTS:
*Learning to be concise is part of these exercises. Please submit all written assignments typed, double-spaced, page-numbered, minimum margins of 2.5 cm (1 inch), Times New Roman font, 12 pt.
Presentations (eg. assignment #2) should be done using Power Point, conscious of your use of colours (eg. for those who are colour-blind), font size, diagrams, etc for easy reading.
*Please put only your student ID(s) on your individual papers, not your name. For the group assignment, please use your group name.
*In the name of sparing trees, feel free to print your assignment double-sided.
*Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the date indicated. Good excuses are really hard to come by so please make it easy on all concerned; get started early and finish it with time to spare.
*Late assignments must be hand-delivered to Dr. Bench. They will be date and time stamped, and de- valued by 20% of their original worth, for every 24 h they are late. Example: If you hand-in Assignment 1 at 11:00 h on the day after it was due, but managed a perfect grade, you would get 8 of the 10% original worth.
* The following assignment summaries are provided to give you a good idea of what is involved in each project. For assignment specifics, please refer to assignment handouts provided in class (each assignment will be officially handed out in-class).
* To help guide you with planning out your study efforts, an estimate of the time required for each assignment has been provided. This is a general guideline and each person will vary in how long it takes them to complete an assignment compared to another. A good rule of thumb…how ever long you think it will take you, budget for an additional 1/3 longer!!
ASSIGNMENT 1 : Shaping animal behaviour
Assignment 1 is an individual paper no longer than 4 pages (+ training sequence/enrichment diagram). The general subject of your paper is to shape a behaviour in a companion or performance animal.
Each student will be randomly assigned a behaviour to shape in an animal during the first lecture.
Write a 4 page paper arguing how you would go about training your animal to exhibit (or not exhibit) the behaviour and why this is the best approach. This is largely an argument-based assignment, and you will need to provide sound reasoning for why your way is the best approach. Papers will be graded based on the strength of the argument made and depth of the training plan provided. Give details of the sequence involved in shaping the behaviour, the training technique involved, why it was chosen over other alternative approaches (what are the alternatives?), rewards used and why, how long training is expected to take, and how the desired behaviour is to be maintained in the long-term. Note: As part of this assignment, you are not to use clicker training.
Details for Assignment #1 are posted on our course Moodle website.
“Training Strategies” Discussion/Lab for Assignment 1 on Fri-23-Sept
Papers will be due on Friday, October 14th, 2011 by 11:00am.
Please NOTE: On Mon Nov 14
th, we will discuss in-class the ideas generated from the first assignment. As part of the assignment, diagrams are included which will be compiled (without student names or IDs) to share with the class for ideas (this will help with assignment #2). In previous classes, students have recorded video of their own pets doing the tricks or have acted out how animals would use the enrichment. You are welcome to do this as well for Mon Nov 14
th, however it is not a requirement. Just let Dr. Bench know in advance if you wish to submit a video clip (should be in a digital format) for this particular class lecture.
Assignment Part 1 is worth 10% of your final grade.
Time estimate: (about 15 hours) Developing an outline = 1 hr Writing paper = about 3 hrs/page Diagraming training sequence = 2 hrs
ASSIGNMENT 2: Designing an Animal Enclosure for the Edmonton Valley Zoo
Designing an Enriched Enclosure (Done in groups of 4 students each)
Dates of your group’s presentation will be determined by which animal enclosure you have been assigned. Group presentation orders will be assigned randomly in class through a draw. Each group should have 4 members. Once your group is formed, please submit a list of your group members to Dr. Bench. The general subject of this paper is to design an enriched zoo enclosure.
Enclosures to be designed this term will be determined by Dr. Milton Ness of the Edmonton Valley Zoo (each group will be randomly assigned an enclosure in class).
Based on our fieldtrip to the Edmonton Valley Zoo on Saturday October 15th, your group’s task is to assess a zoo enclosure on environmental enrichment and the effect on the behavioural needs of the housed animal. Each student group will present a 5 page paper
(+references on page 6 and enclosure diagram on page 7; thus, 7 pages max)
and a 10 minute presentation on their recommendations on how to improve the animal enclosure. Keep in mind that all papers will eventually be submitted to the Edmonton Valley Zoo to provide input on potential renovations to the enclosures. Thus, keep in mind cost of the renovations, long-term sustainability of the enriched enclosure (how often does it need to be re-stocked, cleaned, etc), how much labour is involved?, what types of animals and how many can be housed?, space requirements?, etc. What are the desired outcomes you are looking to achieve through these modifications to the enclosure? Is there anything about the current enclosure you would leave as it is? Be as thorough as possible in your analysis and recommendations. Each paper will need to include at least 5 primary scientific journal article references and will be due
Wed-Nov 30th for all groups. Presentations should preferably be done using PowerPoint andinclude detailed sketches or drawings of your enclosure (as best as your talent allows). Group presentations will take place the last full week of class (Wed Nov 30 , Fri Dec 02, and Mon
Dec 05) and members of the Edmonton Valley Zoo staff will be invited to the presentations.“Designing an Animal Enclosure” Discussion/Lab for Assignment 2 on Wed-09-Nov. Dr. Milton Ness will be present at this discussion/lab period to answer any additional questions you have about the animals to be housed in your enclosures.
This assignment is worth 25% of your final grade.
Details for Assignment #2 will be posted on our course Moodle website once Assignment #1 has been handed in (after Oct 14
th).
Time estimate: (minimum of 50 to 60 hours for the whole assignment; shared by group members as a whole)
Finding references (on-line = 3 hrs; at library = 6 hrs) Reading references = 30 min to 1 hr per reference Developing an outline = 3 hrs
Writing paper = about 4 hrs/page; including group review and stitching together individual sections
Preparing oral presentation = 4-6 hrs Group work = 1-2 hrs per required meeting
Fact finding trips (eg. Back to the zoo, visiting other zoos, talking to experts, etc) = 2-3 hrs per trip
Group work can be both very rewarding and challenging (eg. making schedules work, figuring out group dynamics, meshing ideas, etc.). Part of this assignment is about working together AS A TEAM to find solutions to a welfare issue. As such, you are encouraged to explore each others ideas, be flexible with one another as needed, support one another, and share the work load of the assignment equally. Each group will be graded in-part based on how well it works together as a team, and each member of the team will provide input on how much each member contributed to the completion of the assignment. I recommend that ALL group members review the final paper of the assignment BEFORE it is handed in, and that ALL group members participate in the preparation and presenting of the oral portion of the project.
Note: Additional information with regard to assignments will be provided in lecture and on Moodle under “assignments”. The above summaries are to give you an idea and general criteria for the assignments you will be expected to complete during the course term. You are responsible for making sure you (and your group) have enough time to complete each assignment by the designated due date.
Guidelines for Literature References in ANSC 378: Companion Animal Behaviour
1. All literature citations should conform to the most current formatting style of the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science (AABS).
2. All papers should include a literature citation section with:
a. Emphasis should be on primary references b. No more than 10 references total
c. No more than one review (secondary) reference
d. No graduate theses or dissertations (not only are these hard to come by, but they are often hundreds of pages long; also see guideline #3)
e. No on-line references (ie websites, wikipedia, etc) will be allowed
3. As a general rule, you should be able to produce a hard copy of each reference if asked to do so by Dr. Bench (this is to ensure that you have READ every reference yourself, as this is assumed to be the case if you have included a reference in a course assignment).
FIELDTRIPS:
You will note there are two fieldtrips planned for this course (both on Saturdays).
These fieldtrips are not mandatory, however they will help you substantially in putting what you have learned in class into practice (and for making professional connections in the Edmonton community). For the Edmonton Valley Zoo trip, at least one member of each group should attend so information can be gathered about your animal enclosure.
Bring your camera to the zoo!
LECTURE SCHEDULE (Tentative; topic subjects and dates may change):
NO. DATE GENERAL TOPIC
READINGS (Behaviour Therapy book – optional) Introduction and Theories of Learning:
1 Wed-07-Sept Introduction to ANSC 378
2 Fri-09-Sept Theories of Learning (Thorndike’s Connectionism) (Student picture day)
3 Mon-12-Sept Behaviourism
4 Wed-14-Sept Shaping Behaviour (Conditioning) 5 Fri-16-Sept Theory of Reinforcement
6 Mon-19-Sept Motivation, Drive and Goal-Directed Behaviour 7 Wed-21-Sept Theories of Learning (cont)
8 Fri-23-Sept Training Strategies/Zoo Enrichment (Assign 1 Discussion/Lab)
Normal Behaviour for Companion and Performance Animals (by Species):
9 Mon-26-Sept Wild vs. Domestic Animal Behaviour (an
Ethological View) Chap 1
10 Wed-27-Sept Dog Behaviour 11 Fri-31-Sept Cat Behaviour
12 Mon-03-Oct Dog and Cat Behaviour (cont) 13 Wed-05-Oct Horse Behaviour
14 Fri-07-Oct Bird Behaviour
Mon-10-Oct Thanksgiving Holiday – No Classes – Enjoy!
15 Wed-12-Oct Species-Specific Behaviour (cont)
16 Fri-14-Oct
Exotic Animals Kept as Companion Animals CLASS PICK – Species of Topic
(ASSIGNMENT 1 BEHAVIOUR PAPERS DUE to Dr.
Bench; Name challenge quiz)
Sat-15-Oct FIELDTRIP to Edmonton Valley Zoo
Mon-17-Oct MID-TERM EXAM Material to 14-Oct
Problem Behaviour (by species), Modification and Therapy 17 Wed-19-Oct Handling, Restriction and Movement
18 Fri-21-Oct Disease Behaviour: Veterinary Perspective – Dr.
Craig Wilkinson Chaps 2 and 7
Oct 24/25
Louis Hyndman Lecture – Dr. Peter Sandoe (Ethics of Animal Use) Keynote Speaker at Lister Conf Centre
19 Mon-24-Oct Behaviour Modification – Use of “Enrichment”
20 Wed-26-Oct Common Behaviour Problems: Dogs Section 2 21 Fri-28-Oct Common Behaviour Problems: Cats Section 3 22 Mon-31-Oct Common Behaviour Problems: Horses
23 Wed-02-Nov Common Behaviour Problems: Birds 24 Fri-04-Nov Common Behaviour Problems: Exotics (for
previously chosen species)
25 Mon-07-Nov CLASS PICK – Common Behaviour Problem Topic of Choice (not previously covered)
26 Wed-9-Nov Designing an Animal Enclosure (Assign 2 Discussion/Lab) – with Dr. Milton Ness
Fri-11-Nov Remembrance Day Holiday – No Classes – Enjoy!
27 Mon-14-Nov Shaping behaviour and Zoo enrichment – what you learned from your assignment #1
28 Wed-16-Nov Behaviour Modification - Clicker Training – What is
it and is it worth the effort? Chaps 3 and 4 29 Fri-18-Nov Behaviour Modification – Medication – Dr. Craig
Wilkinson Chaps 5 and 6
Sat-19-Nov FIELDTRIP to Edmonton Humane Society Special Topics
30 Mon-21-Nov Companion Animal Welfare: Pedigree Dogs Exposed documentary
31 Wed-23-Nov Edmonton Humane Society – Behaviour specialist 32 Fri-25-Nov Dogs with Wings service dog training organization
– Director of Training
33 Mon-28-Nov Performance Animal Welfare: Horsemanship – Adrienne Herron
Wed-30-Nov Assignment #2 Presentations
(papers due for all groups) Zoo staff invited Fri-02-Dec Assignment #2 Presentations Zoo staff invited Mon-05-Dec Assignment #2 Presentations Zoo staff invited
Wed-07-Dec Companion Animal Behaviour Charades! Invite a Friend!
Fri-09-Dec Course Summary Review for those interested Special Time TBA
END Tues-20-Dec FINAL EXAM @ 9:00 AM (Location TBA) ALL material to 28- Nov
*Additional exposure to animal behaviour and animal welfare may be offered as opportunities arise to have visiting guest lecturers and possibly field trips (outside regular class time) scheduled according to convenience and student interest (e.g., Alberta Farm Animal Care Conference).If you are interested in getting involved in animal behaviour and welfare (applied ethology) research, contact Dr. Bench at [email protected].
