PET Psychology Module 1

Module 1: Introduction to Pet
Psychology
In this first module, you will learn the following concepts
and how they can be applied for better interaction between you
and your pet:
What is animal psychology?

Theory of Evolution
History of animal psychology – Instinct, Learning,
Teaching
1.1 What is Animal Psychology?

Animal psychology, as defined by the
Merriam-Webster dictionary, is a branch of
psychology concerned with the behavior of
animals other than humans (Merriam-Webster,
2017). Ethology is the scientific and
objective study of animal behavior with a
focus on behavioral patterns that occur in
natural environments.
The objective of animal psychology or ethology is to view

animals in their natural habitat, in order to observe the
behavior at an evolutionary level. It can also include the
behavioral study of animals in a lab or in an unnatural
setting in order to assess instincts, learning, and training
abilities.
Naturalists such as Steve Irwin, Dian Fossey, Jane Goodall,

John Muir, John Audubon, and Rachel Carson have all studied
animals in their natural habitat, as a way to observe and
learn about their environmental and evolutionary adaptations,
as well as their behaviors. Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey, both
who have worked with primates in their natural habitat,
studied these animals in order to help the world understand
their unique attributes, behaviors and plight.
Other studies include those conducted on lab animals, to

determine their adaptation levels, evolutionary changes and
the ability to learn through concept formation.
Ethology includes disciplines such as neuroanatomy, evolution

and ecology.
Ethologists have studied specific behaviors, group behaviors,
communication, emotions, sexuality and cultural elements. The
goal of animal psychology is to not only understand the
elements of animal behavior, in order to improve training, but
also to ensure the well-being and survival of different
species.
When attempting to train pets, it is essential to understand

their natural behaviors, instincts and reflexes. Having
knowledge of animal psychology will prove to be a useful tool
in understanding why animals behave in a certain way; which is
important for pet-training. Ever notice a cat or a dog
continuing to exhibit the same behavioral patterns over and
over again? Well, there is a reason for this and we will
discuss it in more detail in a later module.
1.2 Theory of Evolution

Charles Darwin, was an English naturalist
best known for his studies of specimens from
around the world, which eventually led to
the scientific theory of evolution by
natural selection.
Evolution is the process of continuous change from a lower,

simpler state to a higher, more complex state (Merriam-
Webster, 2017). This occurs over several generations.
Through evolution, species, organisms and molecules adapt or

become extinct. As a result of this process, new species are
formed.
Evidence suggests that between 10,000 to 20,000 years ago –

during the most recent ice age – humans focused mostly on
hunting animals, rather than domesticating them since animals
were a primary source of food.
Furthermore, evolutionary evidence suggests that goats were

among the very first animals to be domesticated approximately
11, 000 years ago (9,000 and 7,000 B.C.) for meat, milk and
hides; followed closely by sheep.
In the United States, cats are the most popular house pet, but
they were not always domestic animals. Being innately solitary
creatures, cats preferred to live alone, in the wild. That is,
until demand for grains and other crops began to increase, as
this also brought an increase in mice infestations.
Eventually, this invited wild cats to roam and hunt among
humans, and, over time, people began to depend on the “pest
control” qualities of the feline.
Other animals were also domesticated, but not for food. Many
cultures began to rely on larger animals for work (also known
as “beasts of burden”). Eventually animals such as oxen or
horses were domesticated for the purposes of plowing and
transportation.
1.3 Historical Background

Scala naturae, or the “Great Chain of Being”
is a concept built on a strict hierarchal
structure of all matter and life. This
system was first proposed by Plato and
Aristotle and was the most accepted concept
of animal behavior in the world until the
19th century. Aristotle classified living beings on a pyramid
which represented animals at different levels.
The lower levels of the pyramid were filled with the simplest
animals, increasing in ability, intellect and behavior, all
the way to the very top of the pyramid, which starts with God.
The belief was that animals were created to fulfill a certain
purpose. Even during ancient times, it was evident that
animals could adapt and that there were many different
behaviors associated with them.
Despite these early observations on animal behavior, it would

take many years before the concept of animal psychology or
ethology would be put forward.
Initially, the world would first learn about evolution from
French naturalist, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. His theory stated
that animal physiology and behavior could change and those
changes would be reflected in the next generation. Lamarck had
some difficulty getting his theory known to the world. It was
not until Charles Darwin took Lamarck’s theories forward that
others started to make headway in understanding the behaviors
of animals.
George Romanes, Darwin’s protégé, started researching animal

intelligence, assessing anthropomorphic traits and cognitive
functionality in animals. However, Romanes did not gain much
support, even in the scientific community. Other ethologists
were looking at behavior as natural or instinctive. Scientists
began recording primary behaviors and the frequencies with
which these behaviors occurred in an ethogram. It was an
objective way to accumulate data.
The 1970s marked another change for ethology. John H. Crook,
an English ethologist, published a paper stating that there
were two types of ethology: comparative and social.
He further stated that most of ethology had been comparative,

with animals being examined against humans. He wanted
ethologists to examine groups of animals based on social
interactions and structure. The social aspects of ethology led
to new approaches such as animal cognition, comparative
psychology, behavioral ecology, and sociobiology.
Most biologists, vets, primatologists, anthropologists and

physicians now study animal psychology in order to study
animal social groups, animal welfare and animal cognition, to
apply it to their various fields of study, whether it is
specifically a study of human or nonhuman animals.
FACT
The oldest intact fossilized remains of a pet canine date back

33,000 years. It was discovered in Siberia in the 1970s.
Source:animalplanet.com
1.4 Components of Ethology
Dutch biologist and ornithologist Nikolaas “Niko” Tinbergen
stated that there are four categories ethologists must look at
when studying a group of animals and learning about their
behaviors: function, causation, development and evolutionary
history.
Ethologists need to ask:
How the behaviors affect the animal’s reproduction and

chance of survival?
Why does the animal respond with certain behaviors
rather than in a different way?
What stimuli create the response seen and how has this
response changed due to recent learning?
How will the behavior of an animal change as it gets
older and what experiences in early life were necessary
for the animal to show such behavior?
Does evolutionary history explain how the behavior
compares with similar behaviors in closely related
species, and how might the behavior have appeared in new
generations?
Tinbergen believed the answers to these questions to be

complementary instead of being mutually exclusive. In other
words, the answers to the behaviors shown must be found by
looking at the four levels: function, causation, development,
and evolutionary history.
As a trainer, animal caretaker or pet owner, you can examine

these same four areas about the animal’s behavior that you
see. You will have responsibilities in assessing behavior,
helping the animal learn and teaching them with appropriate
positive reinforcement.
The following are three areas that are important to animal

psychology:
Instinct
Instinct is defined as “a largely inheritable and unalterable
tendency of an organism to make a complex and specific
response to environmental stimuli without involving reason,”
according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary (Merriam-Webster,
2017).
Instinct is a behavior you see in any animal that is not
learned or taught.
It is a reaction to the environment, stimuli or situations

that the animal cannot control.
An example of instinct would be an animal defending itself

from a perceived attack, because it feels threatened. Imagine
a cat that scratches. Even if that cat is declawed, he or she
would still make a scratching motion, because that is its
natural reflex, or instinct.
German biologist, Oskar Heinroth, refers to instincts as a

fixed action pattern. Konrad Lorenz, an Austrian zoologist and
ethologist, who shares a Nobel Prize with Niko Tinbergen, took
this concept even further and stated that “sign stimuli”
create an instinctive response, which is a reliable response
based on that specific stimuli.
Learning
Learning processes include habituation, associative learning,
imprinting, cultural, observation and imitation.
Habituation is one of the simplest form of learning any pet or

animal can undergo. Rather than responding to stimuli, the
behavior becomes innate. You can think of this as a routine
the animal undertakes.
A good example of this is when a house pet or zoo animal knows

that it is about to be fed. Although the food is yet to be
given, the animal can associate familiar sounds or human
actions with it and when the animal recognizes those familiar
sounds or actions, it knows that food will soon follow.
Associative learning will be discussed further in concept
formation. However, it is a learning process where new
responses are associated with certain stimuli. Russian
physiologist, Ivan Pavlov – known primarily for his studies on
classical conditioning – is the discoverer of this concept.
An example of associative learning would be a dog showing

excitement when it sees a lead, because it has come to
associate the lead with a walk.
Imprinting is about discerning members of one species versus

other species. It is the way a baby penguin knows its mother
after it hatches. It is also the reason that unless an animal
is going to be domesticated from the wild, a human should not
interfere in its early days. By feeding a new baby, the animal
could assume the human is its mother or relative versus the
actual mother.
Cultural learning is seen in pack behaviors.
Young animals will learn about their culture and way of life
through the community around them. It is different for various
types of animals, but the environment plays a key role in the
cultural learning an animal or pet receives.
Observational learning is best when there are multiple pets in

the home.
Let us take, for example, a well-trained house cat. If a new

pet cat is introduced to a family, it may at first, purr and
meow when it is about to be fed. The older cat, that has
learned to quietly and patiently wait for its food, sees the
new cat getting fed with the purr and meow and starts to
follow suit. Through observation, the older cat will begin to
beg for its food, rather than waiting patiently, because it
associates meowing with getting food faster.
Imitation is considered an advanced behavior because it

requires observation and then a replication of behavior seen
in another. This type of advanced behavior is common among
primates.
Teaching
Teaching occurs through other animals or humans, when training
their pets.
With teaching there is a need to adjust behavior so the pupil

or observer can learn the behavior required.
For example
An orca whale may beach itself to catch a seal. She will help
her offspring learn this lesson by altering her normal
beaching behavior in order to teach her child.
As a pet trainer and one who studies animal psychology, it

will be important that your teaching methods are adjusted to
the animal. Some animals will take longer to learn a skill or
behavior than others.
Summary
In this module, you have learned what animal psychology is,
the theory of evolution and a brief history of animal
psychology, as well as key elements to the field of study.
Whether you intend to own a pet and want to have a better

understanding on how to train it, or if you plan on working
with animals in any way, you now have an understanding of what
this course entails.
[Tweet “I just completed Module 1 of the Pet Psychology

Course”]

PET Psychology Module 1

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

PET Psychology Module 1

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

PET Psychology Module 1

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Module 1: Introduction to Pet

What is animal psychology?

1.1 What is Animal Psychology?

The objective of animal psychology or ethology is to view

Naturalists such as Steve Irwin, Dian Fossey, Jane Goodall,

Other studies include those conducted on lab animals, to

Ethology includes disciplines such as neuroanatomy, evolution

When attempting to train pets, it is essential to understand

1.2 Theory of Evolution

Evolution is the process of continuous change from a lower,

Through evolution, species, organisms and molecules adapt or

Evidence suggests that between 10,000 to 20,000 years ago –

Furthermore, evolutionary evidence suggests that goats were

1.3 Historical Background

Despite these early observations on animal behavior, it would

George Romanes, Darwin’s protégé, started researching animal

He further stated that most of ethology had been comparative,

Most biologists, vets, primatologists, anthropologists and

The oldest intact fossilized remains of a pet canine date back

Ethologists need to ask:

How the behaviors affect the animal’s reproduction and

Tinbergen believed the answers to these questions to be

As a trainer, animal caretaker or pet owner, you can examine

The following are three areas that are important to animal

It is a reaction to the environment, stimuli or situations

An example of instinct would be an animal defending itself

German biologist, Oskar Heinroth, refers to instincts as a

Habituation is one of the simplest form of learning any pet or

A good example of this is when a house pet or zoo animal knows

An example of associative learning would be a dog showing

Imprinting is about discerning members of one species versus

Cultural learning is seen in pack behaviors.

Observational learning is best when there are multiple pets in

Let us take, for example, a well-trained house cat. If a new

Imitation is considered an advanced behavior because it

With teaching there is a need to adjust behavior so the pupil

As a pet trainer and one who studies animal psychology, it

Whether you intend to own a pet and want to have a better

[Tweet “I just completed Module 1 of the Pet Psychology

You might also like