This
is a natural reflex of neonatal animals and helps facilitate
the transporting process. When the kitten is released,
the mother cat will lick her kitten to comfort it.
As the animal ages, it will continue to be
submissive when held by the scruff. In general,
dogs and cats should not be lifted primarily by the scruff
of the neck because it is a dominant behaviour. They
should be lifted with two hands to support the weight – i.e.
one under the animal’s arms, and the other under the
rump. Particularly,
as the animal ages and gets larger, it should not be lifted
off the ground using only its scruff because the heavy weight
of the rest of the body will cause excess strain on the loose
skin and may be painful. In adult animals, scruffing
should be done gently for training or restraint purposes,
and only by those that know what they are doing. It would
be best to consult a trainer or your veterinarian for a demonstration.
Scruffing is used as a form of communication between animals
and is an indication of dominance. For example, when
two dogs are fighting, the dominant dog may grab the other
by the scruff, telling the other dog that he is the dominant
one. Dominance is also demonstrated by other behaviours
as well, such as direct stares or mounting behaviour. Another
example where scruffing is used as a form of communication
would be when a mother dog disciplines her puppy when it
is misbehaving. She will glare at the puppy, then scruff
and shake for a quick moment to make it clear that the behaviour
was inappropriate.
Scruffing can be used for dog training
purposes, but again do not try to scruff a puppy without
a demonstration from a professional. Essentially,
you will be imitating what the dog’s mother would have
done if the puppy misbehaved. This is done by scruffing
the dog and shaking gently while saying “no” firmly. Maintain
direct eye contact with the dog to convey the message that
you are scolding him/her. From puppy-hood, the dog will
understand the scruff and shake as a reprimand and will eventually
learn to associate it with the verbal “no”. After
a few times, just saying “no” with a direct glare
should be enough to reprimand the dog. You must keep in mind
that a mother dog or cat will NEVER hurt thier puppy or kitten
using this technique. So if you as the owner hurt the puppy
or kitten by improperly using this technique, you can cause
physical and/or psychological damage to your pet. The
importance of timing the reprimand correctly must be emphasized. The
reprimand must be done at the same time that the offending
action is performed. For example, if a dog is caught
in the act of urinating on the carpet, the owner can immediately
intervene and reprimand him/her. If the dog is scolded
after the deed is done, he/she will not associate the act
of urination with the scolding. At best, the dog will
associate the smell or sight of urination with you getting
upset.
It should be emphasized that scruffing should be done gently
to prevent injury to the animal by grabbing too tightly or
shaking too vigorously. It should not be used as an
attempt to gain dominance over an animal because this could
lead to elevated aggression or fear. For example, a
very submissive or fearful dog will not benefit from scruffing
as a training tool because the dog will become even more
fearful of the handler. Aggressive dogs may not even
allow you to get close enough to scruff them. But if
you are able to scruff them, do not assume that you are completely
safe from their jaws. You may be surprised how well
some determined animals can squirm and twist. Attempting
to scruff a frustrated or aggressive animal will just serve
to frustrate it more. Scruffing should be reserved
for confident dogs that need minor disciplinary action or
when first training a new puppy. Remember that you
are trying to imitate what the puppy’s mother would
have done. The mother would not physically abuse the
dog or yell furiously at it. The dog will not understand
what exactly you are angry about. Scruffing should
be used as a disciplinary tool, not a form of punishment.
It may also be used to separate two pets which are fighting. Although
you should not physically interfere with two animals that
are in a brawl, there are moments when the two animals may
pause momentarily between attacks. At those moments,
you may be able to control one of them to stop the fight. For
example, if two feline housemates are fighting and they separate
momentarily, you may grasp the aggressor by its scruff and
hold the cat down as the less dominant cat has an opportunity
to flee the scene. While the cat is being scruffed,
he/she will immediately relax into a more submissive position. You
may further emphasize your point by saying “no” firmly. You
are not only dissipating the fight, but you are disciplining
the dominant cat and teaching it that fighting is an inappropriate
behaviour. Once the aggressive cat has calmed down,
you may release and talk to him/her gently. You may
also stroke the cat at this time as a mother cat would after
disciplining her kitten.
Scruffing is also seen during feline copulation, when the
male grabs the female by the scruff. This is done to
immobilize her while he mounts and to prevent her from running
away as the mating process takes place.
Since scruffing promotes submissive behaviour in the animal,
people can use this technique for animal restraint purposes. For
example scruffing an animal during medical procedures, such
as blood sampling, allows for more control of the animal’s
head and less risk of people being bitten.
Scruffing has a quite a few purposes in the animal world. For
us, it serves as a useful tool for discipline and restraint
purposes. Care must be taken to avoid using it as an
easy tool to acquire dominance, because it may lead to fear
or increased aggression. As well, many other factors
determine dominance in a hierarchy and scruffing is only
one minor part.
By Amy Cheung - Pets.ca writer |
