Animal Behavior
Behavior is often the most challenging part of animal care. Each animal is an individual, so please be aware that we can only talk about behavior in terms of "archetypes", or common behavioral tendencies.
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Select "Cat Behavior" or "Dog Behavior" below to jump to the relevant sections.
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For serious safety concerns, please contact Underdog immediately. We want you to be safe!
This page is under construction!
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General Behavior Information (start here!)
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Cat Behavior
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Dog Behavior
General Behavior Information
At Underdog, we pride ourselves on being seasoned animal welfare professionals, and as such, we're going to treat you like the expert you are, too. We get that you're here because you want to do the best you can for animals.
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So for that reason, we're going to get into the "why" and actual scientific reasons for animal behaviors. This may feel like a lot of information at first. But once you absorb the foundation of information, understanding future behaviors will be so much easier, and you'll learn to answer your own questions and make great decisions to help your foster animals feel safe, comfortable, and understood.
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We recommend you take notes during this reading of any topics you'd like to discuss further or get more information on. Animal behavior is a HUGE topic, and hard to fit into one tiny text box. We're always to dig into it further in any way that might be helpful.
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The main topics we're going to cover are:
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FAS: Fear, Anxiety, and Stress
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Threshold and Trigger Stacking
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Decompression
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These 3 topics apply to both cats and dogs. In later sections, we can get into cats and dogs specifically.
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And of course, a reminder: these are animals. Not humans. not babies. Animals with hundreds of years of evolution and instincts that differ from our human needs. So we encourage you to remove the human element from the way you think of your foster pets, and try to see things from their animal perspective.
The Building Blocks of Behavior
Much like humans, animals' behavior is dictated by:
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Genetics (ie breeds/breeding)
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Socialization in key age ranges
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Experiences
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Current environment
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There are more pieces of course, but these are the main ones.
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Genetics:
All animals are of course individuals, but we can't deny that their genetics play a key role in their behavior. It's easiest to discuss this by way of examples.
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Working breeds: German Shepherds, Cattle Dogs, etc
Breeders for generations have chosen these dogs to be very smart, energetic, intense, strong, and capable of working hard, long days. Unfortunately, these traits are also paired with anxiety, inability to settle without feeling like they've accomplished a "task", and other behavioral expressions of their genetics. For this reason, we do see some behavioral archetypes of things like nipping, anxiety, and more. These dogs often struggle if they don't have enough enrichment, brain engagement, or are in environments they feel they have to "control".
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Guard dogs: Akitas, Chow Chows, Shih Tzus, etc
Yes, shih tzus.​ These dogs were bred for their ability to be incredibly protective of both people and property. They bond strongly to one person or a few people, and can make for very loyal pets. But this often comes with behaviors such as resource guarding, stranger danger, and biting when feeling threatened.
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Breeding for looks: Persian cats, English Bulldogs, etc
In these cases, breeders are looking for looks and physical appearances, not so much for behavior. Unfortunately, this can manifest in odd behaviors impacted by bad medical conditions. There's often inbreeding to preserve the looks, and an interest in appearance over comfort.​
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All of these genetic predispositions can lead to behavior manifesting in common archetypes. We can't ignore that there is a genetic component to behavior. And we don't fully understand genetic behavior yet. But this is why it's important to not shame people for having animals with intense behavior they can't fully understand. Sometimes, it's not possible to "love away" the issues. Behavior is challenging, mystified, and inaccessible. And the animals can't tell us how they're feeling. So instead, we have to do the best we can to observe how they're feeling, set them up for success, and do the best we can to understand them.
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See how genes make a difference? Let's look at something more controllable: socialization!
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As a German Shepherd, Klahaya struggled with anxiety and high working drive. We needed to work with her to build her confidence and satisfy her mind's need for a task.
Socialization
Part of what makes domesticated animals "domestic" is their ability to learn how to live (and enjoy living) with humans in a human dominated world.
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Interestingly, cats are not considered to be fully "domesticated" by experts. This is due to the fact that if a cat does not have exposure to humans during a key "socialization window", they will grow up to be fully feral. This means that a feral cat is essentially a wild animal!
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​Fun fact: Orange cats are the first cats to show genetic signs of full domestication the way that dogs do now. This means that orange cats are more likely to be friendly, human-social goobers! This might explain why so many of us have experienced a sweet orange cat (and the "one brain cell" trope)!
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While dogs have more of a genetic predisposition to domestication, the same need for socialization still goes.
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Socialization refers to exposure to humans, stimulus, and experiences within a critical timeframe (birth to young adulthood). For cats, the window of socialization is birth to 4 months. Same for puppies, though their socialization is more involved as they're expected to do more than cats: walk on leash, go in public, play with other dogs, go to daycare, etc.
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For this reason, it is vital that young animals gain happy, safe and positive exposure to new stimuli. This includes so much:
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Environments:
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Coffee shops and restaurants
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Cars
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Stairs and elevators
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Offices
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Crowded public areas
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Stimulus:
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Touch/petting
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Being held
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Touching sensitive areas like feet/face/ears
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Grooming
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Interactions:
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Strangers
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Being held
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Vet exams
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And so much more! Failure to gain exposure to these things in a positive way can make common human-to-animal interactions painful, stressful, or even dangerous!
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And if you've ever socialized feral kittens, it's a perfect example of how genes and socialization work together to create an individual animal's personality. Some feral kittens never fully shake their anxiety or nervousness around people, but they learn to love their home life if socialized young enough. But this is why we don't attempt to force adult feral cats into a home- it would be cruel, and not what they want at all! Their genes and experiences are all saying- I'm a wild animal, leave me alone!
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Now, let's look at the next component of behavior: Experience!
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Above: young kittens getting brave enough to explore the couch, but are clearly still a little nervous and getting used to it! Below: Rory gets exposure to the vet young so that she learns it's not so bad!
Experience:
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