Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming many industries, including the treatment of canines. For example, a smart collar can monitor a pet’s activity and health. But what about using Ai to predict canine aggression, especially on the part of a shelter animal with an unknown past?
Using Ai to Predict Canine Personality
The national library of medicine performed a study:
Artificial Intelligence has been widely and successfully used for predicting human personality types. However, similar approaches have not been applied to data on canine personality. In this research, machine learning techniques were applied to the classification of canine personality types using behavioural data derived from the C-BARQ project.
While the study provide valuable information about dog aggression in general, it failed to shed light as a diganostic tool for any particular dog. The study concluded: “additional research is needed to assess their validity in specific canine populations.”
Deciphering Dog “Speech”
Many struggle to interpret their pet’s body language and vocalizations, particularly those related to aggression. However, new technology purports to offer a solution. Researchers at the University of Michigan are using artificial intelligence to decipher different types of dog barks. This could significantly enhance our understanding of our canine companions. That said, the dog’s barks have not been fully “decoded.” And, nothing in the U-M study suggests that its models can predict a dog’s personality or aggression.
Using Ai to Diagnose Doggie Health Issues
“Any disease that causes pain or increases irritability (eg, dental disease, arthritis, trauma, allergies) can lead to aggression,” according to one veterinary manual. Fortunately, one group claims it can use Ai diagnose a dog’s medical condition from mere phone photos.
TTcare, a healthcare app developed by Korean company AI for Pets . The app uses AI analysis on smartphone photographs of an animal’s eyes, skin, or joints to detect signs of diseases and health issues. After capturing an image, TTcare’s AI software studies it and informs the pet owner of potential eye, skin, or joint-related diseases and conditions. The app’s learning models produce results that AI for Pets claims to have an accuracy rate of over 90%, according to Digital Camera World.
The company asserts that its AI has learned from over a million animal photos to automatically capture and analyze the diagnostic zone. Stil, diagnosing a medical condition is good, but it doesn’t necessarily predict dangerous behavior on the part of the canine.
Using All Human Knowledge To Predict Animal Violence
What if you could read every book ever written about canine aggression to try to predict future aggression by a pet? That’s now possible, through the use of an Ai chatbot. In fact, online chatbots such as ChaGPT can access millions of books on a subject to answer specific questions. ChatGPT gets its information from:
- Digitized books: Nearly every book across different genres and topics,
- Articles: News stories, research papers, and blog postings,
- Websites: Online content derived from personal blogs, professional websites, and online chat forums, and
- Academic studies: Scientific research papers posted online in scholarly journals and articles
Since ChatGPT can answer questions about just about anything, shouldn’t we be able to predict the aggressive nature of a given canine?
Let’s ask…
“how do i know if any given dog will be dangerous”
Here’s the exact response from ChatGPT:
Determining whether a dog may be dangerous involves assessing a combination of factors, but it’s important to remember that most dogs are not inherently dangerous. Aggression can be influenced by breed, training, past experiences, and how they’re treated. Here are a few things to look for when trying to assess whether a dog might be dangerous:
1. Body Language
-
-
- Signs of fear or aggression: Raised hackles, a stiff posture, growling, and showing teeth are warning signs.
- Tail Position: A raised, stiff tail could signal aggression, while a tucked tail might indicate fear.
- Eyes: A fixed stare or dilated pupils might indicate stress or aggression.
-
2. Behavioral Cues
-
-
- Lunging or Biting: Dogs that suddenly lunge or bite, especially without clear provocation, may be a risk.
- Tense or Aggressive Barking: Dogs that bark aggressively or show signs of territorial behavior might be dangerous if approached.
- Resource guarding: If a dog shows signs of aggression when someone approaches its food or toys, it can be a red flag.
-
3. History and Background
-
-
- Previous Aggression: If the dog has been aggressive in the past, particularly without a clear cause, it could be a red flag.
- Abuse or Neglect: Dogs that have been abused or neglected can develop fear-based aggression or defensive behavior.
- Training and Socialization: Dogs that have not been properly socialized with people or other animals may exhibit aggressive behavior out of fear or discomfort.
-
4. Breed Considerations
-
-
- While a dog’s breed can influence certain tendencies (such as herding instincts, guarding behavior, etc.), behavior is largely shaped by upbringing and environment. It’s important to avoid stereotyping dogs based on breed alone.
- High energy breeds may be more likely to react out of excitement, while guarding breeds could act aggressively when they feel threatened.
-
5. Health Issues
-
-
- Pain: Dogs in pain, due to injury or illness, may act aggressively because they are defensive.
- Lack of Socialization: Dogs that haven’t been exposed to different people, places, or animals might react fearfully to new experiences, potentially leading to aggression.
-
6. Context
-
-
- Environment: Dogs may behave differently depending on their environment. For example, a dog may act territorial or aggressive when they’re in their home but calm down when outside.
- Triggering Situations: Some dogs may react aggressively when they feel cornered, threatened, or when they’re trying to protect their owner or territory.
-
7. Signs of Fear
-
-
- Cowering or Trying to Escape: If a dog is excessively fearful, it might act unpredictably, especially if it feels trapped or threatened.
-
8. Professional Assessment
-
-
- Behavioral Evaluation: If you’re unsure about a dog’s temperament, a trained animal behaviorist or veterinarian can assess the dog’s behavior and give you a clearer picture.
-
If you ever feel unsure or uncomfortable around a dog, it’s always safest to maintain distance and avoid approaching them. And if you encounter a dog that seems dangerous, it’s important not to try to confront them yourself—seek help from a professional if needed.
Overall, the chatbot has provided good, solid advice. However, it deftly leaves open the question of whether a dog’s nature (on one hand) or nurture (on the other) will create the greatest risk of future aggression from a particular canine.
Limits to Ai To Predict Dog Behavior
In truth, using a chatbot to decipher information involves certain drawbacks. These include:
- Data quality: The internet contains misinformation and anecdotal evidence, which makes its way into AI’s databases. This can lead to misleading recommendations for pet owners.
- Limited veterinary data: Understanding canine behavior requires access to veterinarian information and doggie treatment records, which are not public.
- Bias and incompleteness: Some articles and information on the internet maintain that every dog is good natured, claiming that poor nurture — abuse or neglect — causes all bad behavior by canines. Others, however, see pit bulls as they are: creatures specifically bred for aggression, giving the breed a proclivity toward violence.
- Misinterpretation: Without professional guidance, pet owners might misinterpret AI-generated information, leading them to misinterpret predictions of animal aggression.
Unfortunately, at present, the technology isn’t quite ready to produce a clear prediction for when any given canine will attack.
On the positive side, if you’re a dog owner reading this, you’re probably sensitive enough to your animal’s needs to heed warning signs of aggression without assistance from Ai.
Let’s Get Started!
If you or a loved one suffered a dog bite, contact us today for a free consultation!
412.400.5476