Other services available for Doggy Daycare

Behavior change programs can be offered to clients of the Day Care Center. Christy will work with the dog while at the Day Care Center, then give consultations in the home of the client for transfer of learning the new behavior to the home environment.  This will be an additional charge to the client. 

Specifics of the K9 Behavior Assessment (KBA)

The purpose of the K9 Behavior Assessment (KBA) is to expose the dog to a sequential  series of events with predetermined stimuli and situations.  The KBA is done in this specific order to protect the evaluator and elicit accurate responses from the dog.The process reveals the dog’s behaviors and reactions to a series of interactions with the evaluator to  determine the level of aggression the dog has the potential to use in certain situations. Evaluations can yield information regarding a dog’s energy level, play style and reaction to other dogs, which is a valuable tool for Doggy Day Care Centers. The  process  is  not looking to uncover the dog’s personality; rather the process is able to predict the dog’s possible behaviors and reactions to a series of interactions with people and other dogs.

Science of the KBA

Aggression has a genetic component deriving from a biological function that was previously used for survival in the wolf.  The predictive value of the KBA is 88.2%, states the study  (Behavior Testing for Aggression in the Domestic Dog, W. Netto & D. Planta 1994). "From these results we conclude that the variety of stimulus situations and contexts (triggers) created in the test can be regarded as representative of the situation in which biting occurs in society.  We conclude that the test is a valid instrument for testing aggressive tendencies in dogs". In a different study it was found KBA’s predicted 74.7% of potential problems correctly (aggression/dominance issues). "Behavioral testing can provide a quick and fairly complete assessment of the behavior profile of a dog". (Behavioral testing of dogs in Animal shelters to predict problem behaviors J. van der Borg, W. Nette & D. Planta 1991 ).  In this same study it was found that the predictive value of the KBA is able to show aggression to people 84.8% of the time and aggression to dogs 95% of the time.

Bite Statistics

According to the study Which dogs bite? (A case-control study of risk factors Gershman, Sacks & Wright 1997  ) .The predominant breeds that bite are:  Chow chows, German Shepherd Dogs, Labrador Retrievers and mixes of the these breeds.  It was also found in the same study that "Intact males are more aggressive than neutered males" .  Dogs presented docile behavior prior to a bite incident 59% of the time, while warning signs were displayed prior to the bite 37% of the time.  Multiple animals (dog fights) involved in a bite to a human occurred 16% of the time, and a dog that was involved in a previous attack occurred 23% of the time.  Out of 318 reports of  bite attacks, 159 were considered provoked with the top three reasons being; guarding, eating and dog fights (Texas Dept. of Health/Zoonosis Control Division 2002 ).  It is clear from these statistics why implementing the KBA at Doggy Day Care Centers will decrease the risk of staff and dogs alike.  Identifying aggression before it happens is crucial in maintaining a safe environment.  KBA’s can identify those dogs that have the potential to be dog aggressive or pose a risk to other dogs and staff.