What is Constructional Aggression Treatment? CAT is method for treating dog aggression that works on the assumption that dogs that display aggression are doing so to increase distance between themselves and the other dog or person. To oversimplify, the idea is to have the trigger go away when the dog is doing something we want, namely not barking and lunging.
For volunteers, CAT can be a little boring, because the dog stays in one spot and the volunteer walks toward the dog and then away again a billion times. They walk forward about 10-15 feet (sometimes less), and then when the dog does an “Alternative Acceptable Behavior” like a head turn, the volunteer quickly pivots and walks back to where they started. After a few reps, the start line moves up a foot or two, sometimes more. Gradually, the start line gets closer and closer to the dog, until the person can go all the way up.
The reason it’s called Constructional Aggression Treatment (coined, I believe by Jesus Rosales-Ruiz or Kellie Snyder at UNT) is that we are trying to Construct non-aggressive behavior for dogs to do. Instead of Not Barking or Not Lunging, we want “Turns Head” or “Sniffs Ground” or “Non-aroused Blink Rate.” It’s a shaping protocol, where you start small and build up to more and more obvious behaviors. But instead of shaping by giving treats (positive reinforcement), you’re shaping with the relief caused by the removal of the trigger (negative reinforcement, in the scientific sense).
I use CAT and Counter-conditioning/Desensitization as my two main methods in my Growly Dog class in Seattle. Different methods have their own appeal, so I use both in the class (mostly on different dogs).
I can’t really do the Constructional Aggression Treatment protocol justice in a blog. For more info, order the CAT video from Dogwise.
I have done CAT with my own dog, Peanut, and am very happy with the results. It was my first time, so I may not have done it right. We did 3 full days, on different Saturdays (3-5 people each day), and some other sessions, too. It’s fast and doesn’t seem hugely stressful to him, though that was one of the things I was concerned about.
As sessions go on, the dog, who originally wanted the Scary Monster to go away, now wants to check out the Scary Monster. Peanut’s sessions all ended with him soliciting attention and petting.
My partner thinks it’s because the Constructional Aggression Treatment protocol gives him the Locus of Control (a therapy term). He feels like the world makes sense, at least with this one person, and is now willing and happy to interact. Sessions moved more quickly each time, even though each volunteer was a new person he hadn’t met. I don’t have my data analyzed yet (I filmed all the sessions) but it went something like this (numbers approximate): The first time took an hour before we were able to have him meet the person in front of the house. The 6th time took about 15 minutes, and then we worked on getting inside, ending with success by the end of the hour. The 15th time was 5 minutes out front (and I was taking it slow), and we took another 5 minutes to get inside. We had the person get up and sit back down and (because we’d worked on this by now), he was almost totally fine, no barking at all. He got a ton of petting up on the couch. phew.
The sessions were all done at our house, where he’s the worst, but it’s had repercussions outside of that. He went up to a couple on a park bench the other day and said, “Hey, could you pet me?” They obliged and Peanut was happy, then returned to me when he was done.
Has he stopped barking totally? No. Do I still think CAT was amazingly helpful? Yes. I know this is not a brand new theory, but nothing really is. I’m just glad the Constructional Aggression Treatment video came out and that Jesus Rosales-Ruiz and Kellie Snyder are doing their research and telling the world. I also love that they welcome adaptations, as I’ve already made some!
Written by Grisha Stewart, Ahimsa Dog Training, SeattleLiked This Article? Please Bookmark It!
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April 6th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Grisha,
Thanks for taking the time to explain in simple terms what CAT envolves. And how you were able to apply it in your own situation.
Sincerely,
Terri Sidell