Behavior

San Francisco - 12/12/07 - The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) released a position statement and guidelines last month titled "Use of punishment for dealing with behavior problems in animals."

Many owners begin their relationship with new puppies armed with misinformation and an idealistic view of the pet-owner relationship. Owners often don't know how to properly shape behaviors or handle problems, and one area that needs special attention is play aggression.

Behavioral assessments and medical records of dogs evaluated at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine for human-directed aggression provide much-needed data regarding the circumstances surrounding dog bites in children.

Have your clients fill out this behavior assessment form at every visit to identify any possible behavior problems.

Misbehaving is the most dangerous thing a companion animal can do.

Although it is obvious to veterinarians that a Border collie and a 96-year-old woman likely make a poor pet-owner match, it may not be obvious to a potential owner who has never been around Border collies. Indeed, one reason healthy animals wind up in shelters, says Gail Golab, PhD, DVM, American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) interim director for animal welfare, is because people "acquire a pet with an expectation the pet doesn't fulfill."

Have your clients fill out this form if they indicate that they think their pet has a behavior problem.

Medicating a headstrong cat can be a challenge. However, compounding pharmacies have made the task easier by preparing many medications as flavored liquids, chewable treats, or transdermal gels.

Fort Collins, Colo. - 7/19/2007 - There may be a link between an increase in emergency room visits for dogs and cats and lunar cycle days when the moon is near or at its fullest, according to a study by colleagues at Colorado State University's (CSU) College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Dr. Hunthausen explains how to help dog owners deal with this frustrating situation.

Dr. Hunthausen explains why you should consider adding a benzodiazepine during the initial treatment of canine separation anxiety.

Dr. Hunthausen demonstrates how to teach a puppy to sit and come on command.

Diagnosing food-related aggression in dogs is fairly straightforward--the history reveals that a dog in possession or proximity of a food item directs a threat or harmful action toward another with the intent of backing that individual away from the food item.

A well-housetrained dog is a requirement for most pet owners. In fact, behavior problems are a common cause of relinquishment to animal shelters, and inappropriate elimination has been reported to make up 15% to 24% of the behavior problems seen in veterinary behavior clinics.

You can easily teach your dog to eliminate in an acceptable location by keeping a close eye, recognizing his signals, understanding his instincts, and rewarding his appropriate behavior.

These steps teach the troubled pet that you are reliable and trustworthy...

If a pet rabbit frequently thumps, this indicates that the environment is too stimulating or threatening.

This column is the first in a series addressing the most-common questions that veterinarians ask me about behavioral medicine.

Rabbits naturally prefer to have a specific site for elimination, so you can easily train your rabbit to eliminate in a litter box.

Dr. Wayne Hunthausen offers his recommendations for making the first puppy visit a smooth one.

To help aggressive cats and the families that own them, veterinarians must rule out medical problems, take a complete history, make a sound diagnosis, and provide sensible advice.

Contrary to popular belief, cats are not asocial creatures.

You want your clients' relationships between their children and their pets to start off on the right foot and develop in a healthy direction. Here are some tips to help make sure the whole household gets along.

Veterinarians should encourage pet owners to turn to them for expert advice and assistance. Let clients know that you, not the pet store employee or the self-proclaimed master dog trainer, are the best source for reliable behavior recommendations.

The final column in this series on feline communication focuses on integrating all the signals we have discussed and in reviewing their roles given the context of the specific behavioral environment.

I always try to have dry kibble immediately available when examining a pet to reward its good behavior and, perhaps, to teach the animal a new behavior while the owner and I are talking.

The third column in this continuing series on feline communication will focus on overall body posturing and the behavioral information it provides. Because no signaling system can be removed from the context of the entire animal, using what we have learned from observation of behavioral cues from felines' faces and tails can be extremely useful when we look at the cat in its relevant social context.

The second column in this series on feline communication will focus on the information provided by cat tails. While no signaling system can be removed from the context of the entire animal and correctly interpreted, it can be very useful to look at what information can be communicated by each body part involved in signaling. Then, we can take these observations and look for congruence or lack of it between other signaling systems (e.g., the eyes, voice, body, etc.) The only system closed to our understanding, for now, is the olfactory.

Like food and shelter, animals need play. When taking histories from clients during routine examinations or visits regarding their pets’ behavior problems, remember to ask clients whether they play with their pets.

Cat owners can have a lot of questions: "Should I get a second cat as a playmate?" "How can I stop my cat from scratching the furniture?" "Why doesn't he use the litter box?" So in the spirit of David Letterman, I compiled this top 10 list of cat behavior tips.