Please learn Half 1 of this two-part collection earlier than this one, Half 2!

Half 2 recounts an off-the-cuff case examine I did once I utilized the ideas I mentioned in Half 1. To desensitize and countercondition my canine Zani to digital beeps, I began with a low frequency that didn’t scare her and labored as much as the unique frequency. I did this somewhat than beginning with a quieter beep because the beeps have been already quiet and nonetheless scared her. I additionally adjusted the period as a part of the method.

Case Examine: Profitable DS/CC Utilizing Frequency and Period to Modify the Set off Sound

Zani was a small hound and terrier combine, about 20 kilos. She was enjoyable, intelligent, and feisty sufficient to face as much as the larger canines in the home. I obtained her in 2009 at a couple of 12 months outdated; she handed away from lymphoma within the fall of 2020.

Zani was delicate to sounds. As she obtained older, this worsened, and she or he was identified with medical sound phobia by a veterinary behaviorist. Zani was afraid of digital beeps, whistles, the squeak of sports activities footwear on a slick flooring, and, at her worst, some chicken calls.

One sound she feared was the beep of a brand new lavatory scale. That is the sound whose waveform I confirmed in Half 1. The beep was 0.15 seconds lengthy and 3900 Hz. It was nearly the identical frequency as my dishwasher beep, which, apparently, didn’t hassle her. Additionally, the earlier lavatory scale, which beeped at a unique frequency, didn’t hassle her. However the brand new one certain did. I famous the dishwasher beep was 1.4 seconds, so the sound of the dimensions was a lot shorter. Each these sounds have been quiet, so I guessed that quantity wasn’t the issue. And when quantity isn’t the issue, making a quieter model gained’t essentially assist. A quiet sound might even be scarier, as I prompt within the earlier submit.

I created a collection of digital sounds to situation Zani to the lavatory scale beep. I began with a decrease frequency beep that didn’t scare her and steadily raised it, doing the cleanest counterconditioning I knew the best way to do. After I first reached the unique frequency, I made the sounds longer, then shortened them once more as a final step. So within the desensitization sound collection, I various each these qualities—frequency and period—to work again to the unique, formerly-scary sound.

Once more, the set off sound was 3900 Hz and 0.15 seconds. Here’s a checklist of the sounds I created for desensitization to work as much as the unique sound. I used the software program Audacity to create and modify the sounds.

Making a Clear Pairing

The chart above exhibits the desensitization collection. The counterconditioning half was that each sound was instantly adopted by meals that Zani beloved.

To create a clear pairing between the sound and the meals, I wanted to make sure there weren’t every other predictors of her attending to eat it. I made certain not one of the following predicted her getting the meals:

• Opening the fridge and getting out the meals
• The meals sitting on a counter
• My location in the home
• Organising or turning on the audio speaker
• The presence of my laptop computer
• The time of day
• Organising a video digicam and filming

This dominated out the frequent follow of getting out some meals, turning on a digicam, sitting down with the canine near a speaker with a plate of the meals or a deal with bag, and doing a number of exposures. I labored to make each single publicity a shock.

The merchandise that took probably the most work was the meals. Canines normally know we’re going to do one thing with them as a result of we go to the fridge and put together meals or get out our deal with bag. To make the particular meals a non-predictor, I obtained it out every single day for a number of days and set it in a dish on the counter (out of attain of the canines). I did this earlier than I ever did a sound publicity. I continued to get it out every single day, whether or not or not I used to be doing an publicity. The purpose was for the odor of the meals (and the act of me getting it out) to not predict Zani attending to eat the meals.

The opposite factor that took probably the most planning was to ensure that I wasn’t all the time sitting at my laptop the second the sound occurred. Generally I used to be, however normally I used to be shifting across the room. I hit the play button on my laptop and despatched the sound wirelessly to a speaker. (These days I exploit a handheld machine—canines see us carry these round and have a look at them and poke at them on a regular basis.) I included a number of seconds of lead time initially of every sound recording so I might press the “play” button however then do a random exercise.

Digicam recording on a tripod may be a giant inform. I needed to have the tripod with a cellphone on it sitting round loads and switch the video on and off randomly in the course of the day. I used to be all the time cautious to start out the video for the precise publicity method early. That will give me minutes of unimportant footage to trim off (not included within the video).

I did a most of two single exposures per day, normally only one, and never every single day.

After I first examined my base sound to ensure it didn’t scare Zani, I handled it as a deliberate publicity. I did all of the above, together with doing meals odor exposures for a few days beforehand. And naturally she obtained her particular deal with after I performed the take a look at sound.

All of the exposures I present on the video are in my kitchen. That’s as a result of filming was best there. I did exposures in different elements of the home as effectively. Additionally, the canines usually act like they’re ready for one thing to occur. That was typical “kitchen” habits. After I was working within the kitchen or sitting on the desk, they frolicked on their mats. Their consideration to me was not essentially tied to anticipating a sound publicity. I feel I did a good job of lowering predictors. You possibly can see their bodily response, usually a reasonable startle, when the sound performs.

What I’d Do Otherwise Now

Zani’s conditioning was profitable. However I’ve discovered sufficient since then that I might make it even much less dangerous. The technical half appears fairly crude to me, now.

The primary sound I created for her collection was one octave beneath the set off: 1950 Hz in comparison with 3900 Hz. Precisely half the frequency. I now select sounds to start with which can be much less mathematically associated. Sounds an octave aside sound comparable, and the purpose is to start out with one thing not very comparable.

For many canines, I’d now fade the sound in for the early reps, somewhat than having these harsh assaults. That could possibly be more practical than tinkering with the period.

I used to be stunned when trying over the movies to see that I used at the least two completely different meals. I don’t try this now. I do know that each one the meals I used was very excessive worth for her, even the couple of crunchy ones, which have been most likely Lakse Kronch fish treats.

A troublesome query was what number of reps to carry out for every particular person sound. The science round classical conditioning tells us we get our greatest conditioning within the first repetitions. Will we consider every single sound as one factor being conditioned or consider the collection as a unit? I used to be conservative with my repetitions and did solely a pair at every degree. I didn’t attempt to get straight to “I like this” on the primary sound; I went forward when Zani stated one thing extra like, “That is attention-grabbing; the place’s my deal with?” That technique labored, however there might have been some luck concerned.

Within the Poppen examine (1970), it normally took the rats 5–10 repetitions at every frequency to get well from the worry conditioning. Additionally, it took extra repetitions because the frequency approached the unique. I didn’t do extra repetitions intentionally (I hadn’t learn the examine then), however my sound collection had an analogous impact with the final frequency being offered at completely different durations. Therefore, there have been extra repetitions.

Generalization

Individuals with good pitch reminiscence will discover that the beep of the oven management within the DS/CC video will not be the identical pitch because the beep of the lavatory scale. That’s excellent news in regards to the pitch distinction. The preliminary counterconditioning unfold to all beeps. I advert hoc counterconditioned any high-pitched noise that occurred once I was along with her. With this follow added to the formal desensitization and counterconditioning, Zani recovered from her worry.

I continued to deal with for these sounds for the remainder of her life to maintain the pairing sturdy. The stakes have been too excessive to fiddle with it, particularly since life offered some sounds I couldn’t do something about.

Cautions

• Zani was underneath the care of a veterinary behaviorist. She instructed me to attend till Zani was secure on her meds and I did so.
• I had glorious recommendation from some skilled trainers.
• I had lived lengthy sufficient with a sound phobic canine that I knew to be very, very cautious. Each publicity was a danger.

Yet one more success: Zani was completely satisfied to get on the identical scale, beeps and all, to get weighed for the remainder of her life. The footage is on the finish of the video embedded above.

My Quandary

For a couple of years now, I’ve quietly labored with shoppers with sound phobic canines by creating customized sound collection. I required the collaboration of a credentialed habits specialist since my work was solely from the acoustics facet. Regardless of some modest successes, I’ve stopped offering this service. Nearly each canine who got here to me had already generalized their fears such that we all the time needed to cope with a brand new scary sound. A tragic recreation of whack-a-mole. (The sounds the canines obtained sensitized to have been much less alike than beeps. An instance can be a canine who’s bothered by the sound of the engines of sure supply vehicles then getting sensitized to the backing-up sound or the puff of the brakes.) For these canines, conditioning one sound didn’t “erase” the issues with the others. Many of the canines have been on drugs, by the best way.

I imagine this data needs to be freely out there, therefore this pair of posts. However I fear that it’ll result in extra folks scaring their canines by tinkering with sounds with out professional assist from a habits skilled. (After all, folks already try this with numerous “desensitization” sound apps.) I thought-about the concept of making an app or a membership program, however the administrative work obligatory for that may not be potential for me.

My compromise is that I could publish a couple of “off-the-shelf” sound collection (e.g., an digital beep, an explosive pop, and the smoke alarm low battery noise). I’ll softly gatekeep them by requiring customers to signal a disclaimer and persuade me they are going to observe good practices earlier than accessing. If I cost in any respect, they are going to be moderately priced.

For now I’m placing this idea into the general public area. Please watch out. And I hope to see some stunning successes.

Associated Posts

References

Poppen, R. (1970). Counterconditioning of Conditioned Suppression in Rats. Psychological Experiences, 27(2), 659–671. 

Copyright 2023 Eileen Anderson