Please learn Phase 1 of this two-part collection earlier than this one, Phase 2!
Phase 2 recounts a casual case find out about I did after I carried out the ideas I mentioned in Phase 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 moderately than beginning with a quieter beep for the reason that beeps had been already quiet and nonetheless scared her. I additionally adjusted the period as a part of the method.
Case Find out about: A hit DS/CC The use of Frequency and Period to Adjust the Cause Sound
Zani was once a small hound and terrier combine, about 20 kilos. She was once amusing, suave, and feisty sufficient to get up to the larger canines in the home. I were given her in 2009 at a couple of 12 months outdated; she gave up the ghost from lymphoma within the fall of 2020.
Zani was once delicate to sounds. As she were given older, this worsened, and he or she was once identified with medical sound phobia by means of a veterinary behaviorist. Zani was once petrified of virtual beeps, whistles, the squeak of sports activities footwear on a slick ground, and, at her worst, some chook calls.
One sound she feared was once the beep of a brand new rest room scale. That is the sound whose waveform I confirmed in Phase 1. The beep was once 0.15 seconds lengthy and 3900 Hz. It was once nearly the similar frequency as my dishwasher beep, which, apparently, didn’t trouble her. Additionally, the former rest room scale, which beeped at a unique frequency, didn’t trouble her. However the brand new one positive did. I famous the dishwasher beep was once 1.4 seconds, so the sound of the dimensions was once a lot shorter. Each those sounds had been quiet, so I guessed that quantity wasn’t the issue. And when quantity isn’t the issue, creating a quieter model received’t essentially assist. A quiet sound may just also be scarier, as I instructed within the earlier publish.
I created a chain of virtual sounds to situation Zani to the toilet scale beep. I began with a decrease frequency beep that didn’t scare her and regularly raised it, doing the cleanest counterconditioning I knew tips on how 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 numerous each the ones qualities—frequency and period—to paintings again to the unique, formerly-scary sound.
Once more, the cause sound was once 3900 Hz and nil.15 seconds. Here’s a record of the sounds I created for desensitization to paintings as much as the unique sound. I used the device Audacity to create and adjust the sounds.
| Sound # | Pitch | Period |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1950 Hz | 0.2 sec |
| 2 | 2112 Hz | 0.2 sec |
| 3 | 2275 Hz | 0.2 sec |
| 4 | 2437 Hz | 0.2 sec |
| 5 | 3150 Hz | 0.2 sec |
| 6 | 3900 Hz | 1.0 sec |
| 7 | 3900 Hz | 0.8 sec |
| 8 | 3900 Hz | 0.6 sec |
| 9 | 3900 Hz | 0.4 sec |
| 10 | 3900 Hz | 0.2 sec |
| 11 | 3900 Hz | 0.1 sec |
Making a Blank Pairing
The chart above presentations the desensitization collection. The counterconditioning section was once that each sound was once right away adopted by means of meals that Zani liked.
To create a blank pairing between the sound and the meals, I wanted to make sure there weren’t some other predictors of her attending to devour it. I made positive 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
- Putting in or turning at the audio speaker
- The presence of my pc
- The time of day
- Putting in a video digital camera and filming
This dominated out the average apply of having out some meals, turning on a digital camera, sitting down with the canine with regards to a speaker with a plate of the meals or a deal with bag, and doing a couple of exposures. I labored to make each unmarried publicity a marvel.
The object that took essentially the most paintings was once the meals. Canines typically know we’re going to do one thing with them as a result of we pass to the fridge and get ready meals or get out our deal with bag. To make the particular meals a non-predictor, I were given it out on a daily basis for a number of days and set it in a dish at the counter (out of achieve of the canines). I did this earlier than I ever did a valid publicity. I persevered to get it out on a daily basis, whether or not or now not I used to be doing an publicity. The purpose was once for the scent of the meals (and the act of me getting it out) to not expect Zani attending to devour the meals.
The opposite factor that took essentially the most making plans was once to make certain that I wasn’t at all times sitting at my pc the instant the sound came about. From time to time I used to be, however typically I used to be shifting across the room. I hit the play button on my pc and despatched the sound wirelessly to a speaker. (This present day I exploit a hand-held software—canines see us raise those round and have a look at them and poke at them at all times.) I incorporated a number of seconds of lead time at first of each and every sound recording so I may just press the “play” button however then do a random process.
Digicam recording on a tripod is also a large inform. I needed to have the tripod with a telephone on it sitting round so much and switch the video off and on randomly all the way through the day. I used to be at all times cautious to begin the video for the real publicity means early. That may give me mins of unimportant pictures to trim off (now not incorporated within the video).
I did a most of 2 unmarried exposures consistent with day, typically only one, and now not on a daily basis.
After I first examined my base sound to verify it didn’t scare Zani, I handled it as a deliberate publicity. I did all of the above, together with doing meals scent exposures for a few days previously. And naturally she were given her particular deal with when I performed the take a look at sound.
All of the exposures I display at the video are in my kitchen. That’s as a result of filming was once very best there. I did exposures in different portions of the home as smartly. Additionally, the canines ceaselessly act like they’re looking ahead to one thing to occur. That was once conventional “kitchen” conduct. When I used to be operating within the kitchen or sitting on the desk, they frolicked on their mats. Their consideration to me was once now not essentially tied to anticipating a valid publicity. I feel I did a tight activity of lowering predictors. You’ll see their bodily reaction, ceaselessly a average startle, when the sound performs.
What I’d Do Another way Now
Zani’s conditioning was once a hit. However I’ve realized sufficient since then that I may just make it even much less dangerous. The technical section turns out lovely crude to me, now.
The primary sound I created for her collection was once one octave under the cause: 1950 Hz in comparison to 3900 Hz. Precisely part the frequency. I now make a choice sounds to start with which can be much less mathematically similar. Sounds an octave aside sound identical, and the purpose is initially one thing now not very identical.
For many canines, I’d now fade the sound in for the early reps, moderately than having the ones harsh assaults. That may be simpler than tinkering with the period.
I used to be stunned when taking a look over the movies to peer that I used a minimum of two other meals. I don’t do this now. I know that all of the meals I used was once very excessive worth for her, even the couple of crunchy ones, which have been most definitely Lakse Kronch fish treats.
A hard query was once what number of reps to accomplish for each and every person sound. The science round classical conditioning tells us we get our perfect conditioning within the first repetitions. Can we recall to mind each and every unmarried sound as something being conditioned or recall to mind the collection as a unit? I used to be conservative with my repetitions and did just a couple at each and every stage. I didn’t attempt to get immediately to “I like this” at the first sound; I went forward when Zani stated one thing extra like, “That is fascinating; the place’s my deal with?” That technique labored, however there could have been some good fortune concerned.
Within the Poppen find out about (1970), it typically took the rats 5–10 repetitions at each and every frequency to recuperate 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 find out about then), however my sound collection had a identical impact with the final frequency being introduced at other intervals. Therefore, there have been extra repetitions.
Generalization
Other folks with just right pitch reminiscence will realize that the beep of the oven regulate within the DS/CC video isn’t the similar pitch because the beep of the toilet scale. That’s just right information concerning the pitch distinction. The preliminary counterconditioning unfold to all beeps. I advert hoc counterconditioned any high-pitched noise that came about when I used to be along with her. With this tradition added to the formal desensitization and counterconditioning, Zani recovered from her worry.
I persevered to regard for those sounds for the remainder of her lifestyles to stay the pairing robust. The stakes had been too excessive to clutter round with it, particularly since lifestyles supplied some sounds I couldn’t do anything else about.
Cautions
- Zani was once beneath the care of a veterinary behaviorist. She advised me to attend till Zani was once strong on her meds and I did so.
- I had very good recommendation from some skilled running shoes.
- I had lived lengthy sufficient with a valid phobic canine that I knew to be very, very cautious. Each and every publicity was once a chance.
Yet one more luck: Zani was once satisfied to get at the identical scale, beeps and all, to get weighed for the remainder of her lifestyles. The pictures is on the finish of the video embedded above.
My Catch 22 situation
For a couple of years now, I’ve quietly labored with shoppers with sound phobic canines by means of developing customized sound collection. I required the collaboration of a credentialed conduct specialist since my paintings was once simplest from the acoustics facet. In spite of some modest successes, I’ve stopped offering this carrier. Nearly each canine who got here to me had already generalized their fears such that we at all times needed to take care of a brand new provoking sound. A tragic sport of whack-a-mole. (The sounds the canines were given sensitized to had been much less alike than beeps. An instance could be a canine who’s by means of the sound of the engines of sure supply vans then getting sensitized to the backing-up sound or the puff of the brakes.) For those canines, conditioning one sound didn’t “erase” the issues with the others. Lots of the canines had been on drugs, by means of the way in which.
I consider this knowledge will have to be freely to be had, therefore this pair of posts. However I fear that it is going to result in extra folks scaring their canines by means of tinkering with sounds with out skilled assist from a conduct skilled. (After all, folks already do this with quite a lot of “desensitization” sound apps.) I regarded as the speculation of constructing an app or a club program, however the administrative paintings essential for that might now not be conceivable for me.
My compromise is that I would possibly post 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 means of requiring customers to signal a disclaimer and persuade me they’ll observe just right practices earlier than having access to. If I fee in any respect, they’ll be moderately priced.
For now I’m hanging this idea into the general public area. Please watch out. And I am hoping to peer some stunning successes.
Comparable Posts
References
Poppen, R. (1970). Counterconditioning of Conditioned Suppression in Rats. Mental Stories, 27(2), 659–671.
Copyright 2023 Eileen Anderson