Bio-psycho-social Model
Executive Summary
The Biopsychosocial model is a whole-life, assessment methodology which focuses on three key areas:
1. Biology or “Body” – The physical traits of the animal, such as:
- Genetics
- Neurochemistry
- Physicality
- Metabolism
- Digestion
- Exercise
- Injury
- Physical history
2. Psychology or “Mind” – Mental traits, such as:
- Personality
- Neuroscience
- Mentation
- Behavior
- Trauma
- Psychological history
3. Sociology or “Environment” – Relationships between the animal and the world, such as:
- Animal-human, animal-animal, or animal-stimuli relationships
- Owner and associates’ psychology, cognitive ability, and fiscal ability
- Environment or climate of household and surrounding geography
- History thereof
Utilization of the Biopsychosocial Model may allow pet owners a heightened understanding
of canine health, and could result in more accurate and precise critical thinking if used properly.
Application of the Biopsychosocial Model as an assessment tool is demonstrated in the Behavioral, Physical, and Environmental Assessments on Dog Food Academy.
Editorial note: at the time of publication (December 13th, 2023), only a small minority of pet businesses have thorough intake assessments. The industry remains fragmented (and inadequate) in it’s approach, solutions are highly variable among pet professionals therefore.
Example Case: Sally
Imagine for a moment that your friend, Sally, is having trouble with her dog, Dino. He is hyperactive and destroys the house when she is away at work.
She explains that she has been to multiple trainers and each has come up with a different “solution”. Some of these seem to be polar opposites, and she seems to be getting nowhere with this problem no matter what she tries.
She even went to her veterinarian whom recommended a calming medication, but that didn’t seem to address the whole problem.
Feeling hopeless, she vents her frustrations to you: “I’m so fed up, doesn’t anyone know what they’re talking about?”.
Intake Assessment
If you were Sally’s trainer or veterinarian, what would you ask her to gather the appropriate information about her situation with Dino? Moreover, how would you know if you’ve captured the whole picture?
This is where the Bio-Psycho-Social Model comes into play.
Using the three circles (biological, psychological, and sociological), we can craft questions that capture a much larger story. In this case, Sally utilizes all three assessments on Dog Food Academy and we learn a few facts:
Biological
- Dino is a large, 4-year old male, bully-breed, intact, and overweight.
- He has a history of digestive upset, which has been controlled with prescription food.
- His nails are long and are due for a trim; he is also due for an ear cleaning.
- Bloodwork shows no significant findings nor abnormalities.
Psychological
- Dino is very active, friendly, playful with a bright disposition.
- He often looks for items to chew, even when the family is in the household, and has a high-hunger drive.
- On walks, Dino gets very stimulated and pulls on the leash when he sees another dog.
- At home, Dino always asks to play, but plays too rough for the children.
Sociological
- Sally has a family of three: her husband, and her two children aged eight and ten.
- Her and her husband both work, and the children go to school during the day.
- Dino is left to free roam the house, because he breaks out of the kennel (even metal ones).
- With a busy household, Sally isn’t able to pay attention to Dino as much as she could.
Now that you have the data, step back for a moment.
A veterinarian may only have time to focus on the biological assessment of the animal, and listen to the chief complaint of the client. The veterinarian never learns about Sally’s family, except for a single note on the record that her husband sometimes brings Dino to the clinic. They recommend a calming medication and encourage the owner to keep up on Dino’s ear, eye, and nail care.
A trainer may focus solely on the psychological assessment, and suggests a crate training course alongside the use of long-lasting chews. However, the trainer may not have the ability to notice the biological picture in such a way that a veterinarian or technician might. Long toe nails and overweight? Dino doesn’t exercise.
Sally understands her sociological assessment deeply – she lives it, after all. But she lacks the insight to interpret the Biological and Psychological assessments. That’s why she is, rightfully, seeking help.
What would you do to help Sally?
integrated solution
While there are many ways to approach this question (and there are many potential solutions), lets assume that you have come to this conclusion: Dino’s destructive chewing stems from a lack of exercise.
Interesting answer. Go, you!
After some thought, you come up with this solution:
- After dinner, the whole family goes on a walk, children included.
- Dad walks the dog, and guides the family away from others dogs or distractions.
- The ten year old’s job is to give Dino treats, but only if he is walking nicely.
- The eight year old’s job is to feed dad treats, but only if he is walking nicely!
- Sally guides the children, and makes sure to praise them for doing their jobs.
- Every other night, Dad and Mom switch roles.
- You remind Sally to talk to the vet about that calming medication again.
- You make sure to emphasize that this isn’t just about “Dino”, it’s an activity that keeps the whole family healthy.
At first, this doesn’t go too well. Dino was still too out of control, and he still chews. However, you encourage her to keep trying, and she does.
Over time, they start getting into more of a routine, and the routine itself becomes easier. After a few weeks, they notice that Dino’s leash pulling habits have improved, and his destructive chewing habits appear to have stopped – if they get him tired enough before bedtime!
Result
Woohoo, your solution worked! Give yourself a pat on the back, and have a nice (human) treat.
Now, lets take a look at some of the biopsychosocial elements of your solution:
- It’s not just about Dino – Sally’s family is included in the solution (sociological).
- You suggested that Dino get positive reinforcement (psychological), but also that the children give Mom and Dad treats (sociological).
- You concluded that exercise (biological) could affect the target behavior (psychological).
Think back to our veterinarian and trainer’s solutions. You can see that, in this case, we integrated a large sociological aspect that had been missing from the previous approaches. Perhaps that was the missing piece the Sally needed.
That being said, please remember that there are many paths to success within this model, and this was simply a demonstration of how you might use it in action.
The Model
Simply put, the Biopsychosocial Model pushes us to consider a broad picture of health grounded within three categories: biology, psychology, and sociology.
To use this model effectively, you must have a deep understanding of each of the circles:
1. Biology or “Body” – The physical traits of the animal, such as:
- Genetics
- Neurochemistry
- Physicality
- Metabolism
- Digestion
- Exercise
- Injury
- Physical history
2. Psychology or “Mind” – Mental traits, such as:
- Personality
- Neuroscience
- Mentation
- Behavior
- Trauma
- Psychological history
3. Sociology or “Environment” – Relationships between the animal and the world, such as:
- Animal-human, animal-animal, or animal-stimuli relationships
- Owner and associates’ psychology, cognitive ability, and fiscal ability
- Environment or climate of household and surrounding geography
- History thereof
Using the Model
The “Sally and Dino” story highlights how this model plays out in the real world, however you may find it useful to write your own story. Follow these steps:
Assess
At the Academy, our assessments are based on the biopsychosocial model. Use these assessments on yourself (or your friends or clientele) and gather as much information as possible.
Identify
Find your target behavior (say, loose leash walking), and consider how the biopsychosocial factors play into that target.
Plan and Act
Using a training method of your choice, implement a strategy that will get you to your target behavior.
Repeat
Did it work? Ask yourself:
- What factors encouraged failure or success?
- Did you implement a strategy that had all three biopsychosocial elements, if applicable?
- Did you progress in such a way that uncovered more
Resources
We hope that you have learned a lot from this article, to continue your path we encourage you to continue reading!
Since the Biopsychosocial Model is such a wide topic, we will point you towards the books in our recommended reading section.
