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Do you have a behavior problem with your
dog?
Chances are that you do if you are reading
this page, however most pet dogs are 85% to 90% great
companions but they have certain behaviors that you find
excessive, annoying, dangerous, frustrating or all the above.
Most behavior problems are rooted in fear or
anxiety and can lead to aggressive behaviors but some are very
normal canine behaviors that need to be modified and
redirected or some behaviors are actually maintained by your
own behavior or by the behavior of family members.
First thing first - make sure that your pet
is physically health and rule out any possible medical
causation by making an appointment with your veterinarian.
"Caution is urged in using punishment to
suppress normal or abnormal fearful responses to stimuli.
Across a wide variety of species such use of punishment
usually intensifies fear (Harlow & Harlow, 1971
[monkeys]; Hess,1973 [chicks]; Stanley & Elliott, 1962
[dogs])" - clinical behavioral medicine for small
animal/page 237/dr. karen overall
The National Canine Research
Council
Behavior Consults
There are no fixes or cures for
behavioral disorders or deficits.
Anyone who tells you that they can "fix" or
"cure" and "guarantee" the dog will never bite or stop the
targeted behavior is a fraud unless they are suggesting brain
surgery or euthanasia.
A behavioral consult is similar
to going to the doctor for an unknown/known illness/pain. You go to
the doctor to get a diagnosis, prognosis, relief and
treatment.
The behavior consult will give
you a diagnosis thru observations and a behavior history;
testing might be done to prove or disprove a hypothesis for a
behavioral "issue". - testing might be a behavioral test or a
request to have your vet do a full medical exam and other
medical tests to help rule out causation for behaviors. Once a
diagnosis is made and/or possible diagnosis you will also
receive a prognosis for the degree of severity of behavior that
your dog displays. You will receive immediate management
solutions and behavior suggestions to help give relief until you
seek full treatment.
Full treatment is a separate
service. It is up to you to decide if you want to seek
treatment and to commit to improving your dog's quality of life
and to help your family thru a difficult period. This would be
like your doctor prescribing physical therapy for you until you
heal. Treatment is on-going active and passive behavior
modification.
I can help you with:
- Fears
- Phobias
- Anxiety
- Compulsive Disorders
- Dog Aggression
- Aggression towards people
- Destructive behaviors
- Excessive Barking
- Handling concerns
- Resource Guarding
- **bite cases ** - may refer you to a
CAAB depending on the case1
Please fill out the Canine Behavior History and
mail it back to the address indicated. When I receive the
questionnaire I will call you to set up an appointment.
Video footage of at least 15 minutes regarding your dog's
concerning behavior would be very beneficial. The more footage I get, the more
observational information I will receive which means I will be
able to give you more suggestions.
If you
send a video, you will also need to fill out a
property
release form.
This form is an Acrobat PDF file of 40+pages
CANINE
BEHAVIOR HISTORY FORM
Select a topic:
Behavior Evaluations
You do not need to fill out the Canine
Behavior History form for this service. I will collect basic
information during our appointment.
If
your situation requires a behavior evaluation, then I will
give you specific instructions for safety protocols on what to
do during a test and what to do after a test. Not all
behaviors need to be evaluated; in some cases it is not
possible to duplicate behavior reactions due to safety reasons
and/or liability risks.
A
behavior evaluation would be conducive for obvious behavioral
problems such as resource guarding food from humans and/or
other animals, reactivity while on leash towards other dogs
and separation anxiety.
The
purpose of a behavior evaluation is to collect some basic
history, expose the animal to the trigger(s) that causes it to
"misbehave" so that I can assess the severity of the problem
and how the dog communicaties along with a sense of it's
ability to cope and recover.
You
do not receive any in-depth educational materials with this
service as you would with a behavior consult.
Treatment (desensitization and counter-conditioning) is a
separate service.
FAQs
1) Can you guarantee that following your
behavior modification will fix our problem?
Guaranteeing a cure or fix for a behavioral
issue is unethical. We as with our animals are living beings
with varying emotional and health factors that effect
behavior. No one can ever completely understand, control or
predict behavior. I will do what I can to give you advice and
suggestions on how to help you change your pet's behavior.
Because I'll be teaching your mechanical training skills,
observational skills, some canine behavior and some learning
theory - your results will depend on you.
2) How long is this going to take?
This will vary a lot from case to case.
There are multiple factors to consider when doing behavior
modification. Some see positive changes in just a few days,
while others take months to years to achieve their realistic
goal. Part of the issue is the environment the animal is in,
the people influencing the animal's behavior (or lack
thereof), the physical health of the animal and the owner, and
if the problem is mild, moderate or severe.
3) How much work is this going to take?
Again, this will depend on the case. Some of
the exercises are quiet simple but implementing them in a
program/regime is where it will take an owner to be fully
committed and compliant to the process. Sometimes it's a
matter of changing something or managing something in the
environment, altering a routine, changing the diet, changing
an exercise program or implementing some training to teach the
animal alternative behaviors - helping to extinguish undesired
responses. It could be some or all of the above.
4) How many times will I need to see you?
Again, this will depend on the behavior in
question along with other factors. I find programs to work
best if owners are taught some fundamentals on mechanical
skills, observational skills, canine behavior and learning
theory. Minimum requirement is 4 sessions - very serious
cases such as dog aggression will require a minimum of 8
sessions if not more.
5) Should I make an appointment with my
Veterinarian before I see you?
It's always a good idea to rule out possible
medical conditions that might effect behavior especially if
you notice a sudden change in your pet's behavior. It's also a
good idea to get a baseline health record of your pet.
Problem with "Board and Train"
A lot of owners want to be able to send
there "problem" dog to a trainer that will take the pet at
their facility and train the behavior "problem" out . First, I
would strongly suggest that you investigate the facility and
the trainer(s) since you are trusting them with your pet.
Contact that BBB, the local police and ask for references. I
would also ask what organizations they belong to (investigate
those as well) and what training methods they use, when do
they use it and what training tools they use. Basically, are
all the people qualified to handle your dog? Do they use shock
collars, deprivation techniques, or neglect? Do you as an
owner feel educated enough to know the difference between a
healthy board and train to once that can potentially cause
more harm then good?
I don't offer board and train and I usually
discourage this form of "solution."
Your pet's environment and routine, your
relationship with him/her, your pet's individual experiences
and characteristics all work together to create the "problem".
Taking your pet to someone else to "fix", doesn't address the
underlying issues that manifest the behavior problem. In most
cases anxiety and fear need to be addressed and help improve
the quality of life of your pet through understanding.
This can also be a very costly venture. Some
charge $700 for a week but most board and train minimum stays
last for a month for no less then $2500.
For more information on board and train -
visit:
www.k9aggression.com/aggression-treatment/avoid_board.html
What to expect
A diagnostic interview will be required
which may take up to 2 hours of your undivided focus and
attention. Your goals will be addressed, clearly identified
and solutions will be explored. This is my opportunity to do
some detective work on finding what the motivation(s) for the
behavior(s) are and to rule out any other potential causes of
the behavior(s). Medical reports are required and further
testing might be suggested. To prepare for this portion
of the consult, please download the Canine Behavior History
Form - mail it in and I will contact you to set up the
appointment. Everyone who deals with the pet on a
regular basis should attend the appointment. Your pet's change
in behavior will depend a lot on the ability of the family to
change the types of interactions they have with the pet.
Turn off TVs and radios - mute or turn
off land line phones and cell phones - children may be present
as long as they do not distract your focus and attention or
interrupt frequently.
When I arrive for the scheduled behavior
consultation appointment, you should already have your dog in
a safe and enclosed area (either outside or in another room
behind a door) away from our meeting area. I will meet Fido at
the end of the interview. I will give you specific
instructions when it's time to meet him on leash. At the
conclusion of our meeting, I should be able to give you some
immediate management and training recommendations to start
addressing your concerns.
Behavior Modification involves management and therapeutic
exercises. In some cases you will receive short-term and
long-term management protocols and then an overview of
therapeutic behavior protocols.
Behavior modification is a way
of living with your animal to produce more desirable results
and/or to diminish reactive behaviors. The basic tenets of
behavior modification treatment are not complex. You can use
small, relatively passive techniques to effect huge changes.
Before you can change your animal's behavior you will need to
1) know what is normal signaling/behavior 2) know what
signals are associated with the problem you wish to change and
3) know what signals precede #2.
You will need to learn how to
read your dog to be proactively intervene in order to
accomplish a behavior modification.
Dog behavior is now just being
understood at the molecular levels. Learning is generally
defined as the acquisition of information or behavior through
exposure and repetition. At the cellular and molecular level
learning is defined as cellular and receptor changes that are
results of stimulation of neurons and the manufacture of new
proteins. It is these new proteins / receptors, that then
change the way the cell responds when next stimulated. (Dr.Karen
Overall - From leashes to neurons: the neurobiology and
genetics of learning in dogs)
Factors Affecting the
Success of Treatment
1) client compliance
2) age of onset
3) predictability of outbursts
4) duration of the condition
5) the pattern of the behavior
changes in response to environmental, behavioral and
pharmacological intervention.
The most critical component is
your compliance.
This
will only give you knowledge and understanding. It will not
give you the skills that you need to help improve your
situation. You will need some instruction to help you with
mechanical training skills, observational skills and
interpretive skills.
Setting up Treatment Training
I
will be contacting you approximately two weeks after a
behavior consult by phone or by email to confirm a start date
for treatment or if you decide to decline this service. If you
decline the treatment service, I will be mailing a certified
letter to you stating that per the phone conversation or email
that you have selected not to pursue treatment with K-9
Partnership.
Options
You are free to hire K-9 Partnership to
help you and your dog or you may decide to pursue another
qualified behavior counselor or certified applied animal
behaviorist (CAAB). You can also visit:
www.iaabc.org
Books
The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson
How to behave so your dog
behaves by Sophia Yin,DVM
Dogs Are From Neptune by Jean Donaldson
Mine! A practical guide to resource
guarding in dogs by Jean Donaldson
Dominance Theory and Dogs by James
O'Heare
The Dog Who Loved Too Much by Nicholas
Dodman
Dogs Behaving Badly by Nicholas Dodman
Feisty Fido by Patricia McConnell, PhD
Cautious Canine by Patricia
MConnell, PhD
Scaredy Dog! by Ali Brown
Fight! by Jean Donaldson
Aggression in Dogs by Brenda
Aloff
How To Right A Dog Gone Wrong by
Pamela Dennison
www.dogwise.com
1 - I
highly recommend:
- Dr.
Karen Overall, MA, VMD, PhD, Diplomate ACVB,
-
-
ABS Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist
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- Center for Neurobiology and
Behavior, Psychiatry Department
-
- University of Pennsylvania
School of Medicine, 50 B CRB, 415 Curie Blvd.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
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