Just Keep Swimming

I took a break from working on my dissertation to go see Finding Dory last week. I really enjoyed it. I don't want to spoil the film for you, especially because it has not yet been released in the UK. In Finding Nemo, Dory sings "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming swimming..." when things are getting tough. Dory's song reminds me of a song from my childhood that went, "Inch by inch, row by row, I'm going to make this garden grow..." Both of these songs are about doing one small thing at a time, especially when things feel overwhelming.

Clinical Animal Behaviourists break behaviours or tricks that they are training into small steps for animals to learn. For example, I am training my dog to target or touch items with his rear feet, so I started by rewarding him for moving toward the target item, then for moving his hind legs in the direction of the item, then stepping backward near the item, then touching any part of the item with his foot, then touching the middle of the item with his foot, then holding his foot on top of the middle of the item for a few seconds. This is shaping and building a behaviour. Complex tricks like running an entire agility course or doing a circus performance can be trained step-wise in a similar way.

Despite my understanding of clinical behaviour and animal training, it is a challenge for me to break my own projects into smaller steps. I used to keep my schedule extremely full and work under extreme pressure at the last minute, i.e. writing a paper the night before it was due. I worked in that way throughout high school and during most of undergrad, but it became very unhealthy. Short-term stress is ok, but long-term stress takes a toll on health. I know not to push my dog too hard by training him for too long because it could make him irritable, stressed and negatively impact his learning. This year, I have been working to develop new, healthier work habits. Unfortunately, it takes a long time for new habits/behaviours to form. My dog will have to practice touching a target with his rear foot many, many times before it becomes a behaviour that he does quickly and reliably without hesitation. The same is true for human behaviour modification. I have learned a great deal during this MSc programme, but I often notice that even when I know something cognitively (for example, I know that leaving writing to the last minute is unhealthy for me), I have trouble converting that information into my behavioural habits. 

It is difficult to break large projects into smaller pieces and to do one piece at a time. I was able to do this when I was preparing for graduate school. Some of my steps toward my post-graduate studies were:

1. Complete a Bachelor's degree in Psychology 

2. Work in an Exotic veterinary practice

 a. excel as a veterinary assistant & learn best ways to handle exotic animals safely and humanely 

 b. gain promotion to veterinary nurse and learn veterinary skills

 c. read a book on Avian Behaviour which referenced studies at Dick Vet

 d. read veterinary journals and behavioural case studies which also cited research conducted in Scotland

3. Work in a not-for-profit veterinary practice with an Animal Welfare mission

a. learn about animal sheltering, TNR, spay/neuter, cat and dog behaviour

4. Take online classes in clinical behaviour, animal welfare and training

5. Clicker-train my dog, friends' dogs, my cat and my chickens 

6. Apply for Edinburgh's MSc AABAW programme

7. Attend the University of Edinburgh in Scotland...(write this blog, etc. etc.)

Now, I am starting to see a bit of light at the end of the MSc tunnel because my dissertation is due in about a month. I still have many, many little steps left. I am reminding myself to do one thing at a time. If I can keep doing on thing at a time (one graph, one outline, one sentence, one paragraph, one page, one section, one citation...) I should end up with a paper/dissertation. If I include the steps of editing, rewriting, proofreading, then I should have a good dissertation. I have already done many of the steps of this project, but I still have writing and more work to do. 

The good news is that, since this is an animal behaviour project, the animals were already behaving or at least had the ability to perform various behaviours. I am just decoding that behaviour and communicating the information in written scientific language (instead of greedily keeping the knowledge in my brain) so that, hopefully, animals will benefit in the future. I hope understanding animal behaviour can improve animal welfare. The focus of this master's degree and the mission of animal welfare science is understanding animal behaviour to improve animal welfare. I know that as my understanding of my dog's behaviour improved, his welfare improved because we were able to work and live together more easily. I know that learning about my chickens' behaviour has helped me promote their welfare, and that modifications to my home that are in line with promoting normal cat behaviour have improved the welfare of my cat. 

Nothing is perfect, but a little by little, we can create positive change in the world.