Background information
Outdoor access, freedom and safety – how to find your lost cat
by Janina Lebiszczak
Animal psychology: humbug or science?
30.11.2018
Translation: machine translated
For some, it's the solution to freeing their cat from anxiety, for others it's humbug. But what does a trained animal psychologist really do?
Past the Einsiedeln monastery wrapped in scaffolding. Further and further away from the village centre, towards nature. Cows dangle their bells and moo contentedly. The atmosphere is right for a meeting with an animal psychologist. Even if she is more interested in dogs and cats than large animals.
Judith Böhnke is already waiting for me. The qualified business lawyer and author fulfilled her childhood dream over 20 years ago and trained as an animal psychologist at the Academy of Naturopathy (ATN). Animal psychology? That sounds like hocus-pocus and esotericism to me at first. "Many people have such prejudices, which is why for years I called myself an ethologist, i.e. a behavioural scientist, and not an animal psychologist," says Böhnke. In the meantime, however, she is better able to deal with dismissive attitudes and explain to people what she does. That would be?
Animals can feel, just like you and me
"Animal psychology is not a modern invention. Scientists have been studying the behaviour of animals, observing them and carrying out experiments since time immemorial," says Böhnke. This field of research used to be officially referred to as "animal psychology". However, the term was criticised, and rightly so for the state of science at the time, according to Böhnke, as animals could not be placed on the couch and asked how they were feeling. "Today, however, we have other ways of getting 'answers' from animals. For example, by literally looking into their brains and watching them think and feel." This is why the term "animal psychology" has now been legitimised again.
Faith moves mountains
That doesn't sound as spiritual and supernatural as I initially thought. The whole thing is based on scientific findings. Ashes on my head. Or is it? Because apparently not every animal psychologist is guided by the current state of research. "The problem is that the job title 'animal psychologist' is not legally protected. Anyone can call themselves that, regardless of whether they have ever had anything to do with animals or not." This is why a so-called animal psychologist can rely on very different approaches, including esoteric ones. "But you don't have to demonise unscientific approaches. Anything that helps someone in some way has a right to exist, even if it's not an option for everyone," says Böhnke.
However, there is a catch to the esoteric approach: "What is 'unscientific' cannot be verified and is therefore just crying out to be misused to make money. However, this does not mean that all animal psychologists are dubious charlatans. There are a lot of things between heaven and earth that cannot be explained - maybe not yet, but maybe never." After all, science is not set in stone either. It must be prepared to constantly scrutinise itself on the basis of new findings.
The ATN, where Böhnke completed her training, is guided by scientific doctrine. Only what is proven according to the current state of research is taught. "The ATN teaches how to objectively classify animal behaviour and approach it from a scientific perspective," says Böhnke. This is why animal psychology is also part of all the training courses on sale, from dog training to behavioural counselling courses or animal-assisted work, for example. "The animal is at the centre of all courses, because every student has to understand the animal in the context of their work," says Böhnke.
Humans and animals must fit together
While we're on the subject of humans. How much work needs to be done with the owner in animal psychology? "This is a large part of the work of an animal psychologist. The needs of humans and animals must be harmonised. Only then can a high quality relationship be achieved," says Böhnke. In practice, many problems result from an unsuitable animal-human constellation. "Imagine a cosy person who prefers to spend their time in front of the television choosing a Border Collie as a companion," says Böhnke. Border Collies are generally active dogs that want to be challenged - both physically and mentally. In such a scenario, problems are often inevitable. If the owner insists on being cosy, the dog's needs fall by the wayside. "This may not only result in a lower quality of life, but also a history of suffering. After all, needs that remain permanently unfulfilled can make people and animals alike ill."
Psychological illnesses do not stop at animals - probably
I can imagine this unhappiness that stems from unfulfilled needs. But can animals also suffer from mental illnesses such as depression or schizophrenia? "This has not yet been proven to a large extent, but there seems to be a lot to suggest it," says Böhnke. Psychotropic drugs, for example, are not only tested on animals to detect side effects, but also to determine their specific efficacy. And these drugs work in animals just as they do in humans.
Many things do indeed sound quite similar to us humans. But should we treat animals in a similar way to humans or does over-humanisation have negative consequences for the animal? "No cat or dog will complain about sitting on the sofa or being fed snacks from the table," says Böhnke. In her opinion, humanisation only goes too far when animal behaviour is subjected to human moral standards. "It is often said that animals cannot act morally," says Böhnke, "but in fact they can. But animal morality differs from human morality, it is species-specific." Animals can distinguish between "right" and "wrong" according to their own standards. However, these do not necessarily correspond to our human ideas. "However, research into the moral abilities of animals is still in its infancy. In the next few years, we can certainly expect some new findings that may have an impact on our relationship with animals," she says.
Whatever helps is allowed
In many cases, animal psychology has nothing to do with esotericism and supernatural abilities, but is based on sciences such as ethology. And even if an animal psychologist is more inclined towards esotericism, this is not necessarily a bad thing per se. The important thing is that the animal is demonstrably better as a result of the animal psychologist's work. I still have my doubts. Some things I can understand, others are a bit too "gspürsch mi" for me, no matter what approach is taken. I'm a person who prefers to do things once before analysing everything ten times. Whether that's good or bad remains to be seen.
My life in a nutshell? On a quest to broaden my horizon. I love discovering and learning new skills and I see a chance to experience something new in everything – be it travelling, reading, cooking, movies or DIY.
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