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What to expect
A
functional assessment 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). I'm basically doing a functional
assessment (systematic process of gathering information on
observable, discrete behavior that can be used to maximize the
effectiveness and efficiency in behavior modification
programs). Functional assessment seeks to identify the
antecedents, the behaviors and the consequences. Function
analysis for the presenting issue (s) might be required to
gain more detailed insight into the motivation for the
behavior.
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.
Before I arrive, ensure that you follow my instructions on how
I want to be introduced to your dog. This should be
communicated prior to my visit. 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.
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 check-in. At
that time you can decide if you want to pursue a behavior
change program or you can decline further assistance. If
you decide before that time that you wish to start a program,
simply contact me to set up an appointment.
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
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