Q&A: How client understanding and good communication can help improve pet behavior

Annie Valuska, PhD, is a pet behaviorist for Purina. She received her doctorate degree from the University of California, Davis, before working for Disney’s Animal Kingdom park in Orlando, Florida. She has been with Purina for 12 years and has been working in the animal behavior field for more than 20 years.

In a dvm360 interview, Valuska discusses animal behaviors that are often misinterpreted and what they could mean for physical and mental well-being. She also addresses clients’ communication with their animals and how pet owners can better understand their animals’ behavior.

dvm360: What are some common canine behaviors that could be interpreted as either a mental wellness or physical issue that pet owners or veterinarians should take notice of?

Valuska: There are a lot of canine behaviors that are frequently misinterpreted. The big one that I'm always telling people about is a wagging tail. A lot of people assume that if the dog's tail is wagging, it means it's a happy dog, and that really could not be further from the truth. When you see a wagging tail, really, all that means is that something has the dog's attention, and you have to look at what that wag looks like and other body language cues to figure out how the dog feels about whatever has its attention.

If you see a low, sweeping, loose, wiggly wag with lots of happy body language—the ears are in a neutral posture, the mouth is nice and relaxed, they might even have that nice smile going, and that whole body is kind of wiggling—that's generally a happy dog. But as the tail starts to get a little stiffer, that wag gets a little tighter, maybe that tail becomes elevated over the back, and often you'll see other body language indicating that the dog is feeling some tension. They'll be standing much stiffer and still. Those ears might be perked forward, [and] the mouth will often be in a hard line. All of that can be [accompanied by a] wagging tail, but that kind of…body language is certainly not indicative of a happy, friendly dog.

Other behaviors that are commonly missed [and] can have an impact on human welfare and be associated with dog bites [are] a type of behavior known as a calming signal. These can be really subtle behaviors that dogs give that are essentially asking for space. They are indicating that they're not feeling very comfortable with what's happening. Again, they're giving these subtle signals that they would like some more distance. So once you know what to look for, watching videos of particularly children and pets on the internet becomes a lot more difficult because you realize that the dogs actually look pretty stressed.

These are behaviors like panting when they haven't been exerting themselves. You'll see a lot of really hard blinks. You'll see them avoiding eye contact. You might see a raised paw in the air. They may be turning their head or their body away from the person [who’s] trying to give them attention. You might see lip licking. You might see them licking the person. That is sometimes called a “kiss to dismiss.” That can be a way for them to ask for distance.

You might also see air snapping or growling as it starts to escalate. But again, some of those more subtle signs. You'll often see many of them happening at the same time, and it is a calming signal with the dog saying they're not wild about how that person is interacting with them, and they would like a little bit more space.

RELATED VIDEO: Interpreting canine behaviors (Part 1)

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dvm360: What are some telltale behaviors of either a mental wellness or physical issue for felines?

Valuska: As well as people think they understand dogs, I think it can be even more difficult for cats. One of the most commonly misunderstood cat behaviors, in my opinion, is the hiss. A lot of people hear a cat hissing, and they assume that [it] is an aggressive cat. They think that it's an aggressive signal, but actually, a hiss is generally just communicating discomfort or uncertainty—a lack of confidence in a situation.

You see a lot of viral videos on social media of cats that are hissing at a pet sitter, and a lot of people think the cat is seemingly giving mixed signals, because they're often approaching the pet sitter. They seem like they're very friendly, and then they're hissing, which people are interpreting as not friendly or aggressive. And in fact, the hiss is consistent with those mixed signals. They're unsure about this new person in their home. They might want some human interaction. They might want the food that the pet sitter is offering, but they're still feeling a little nervous, and that hiss is just another way for the cat to express, “Hey, I'm not feeling too sure about this. I want a little bit more space.” It's not a sign of an aggressive cat or an aggressive signal.

Wagging tails are often misunderstood in cats [and dogs]. I think people take what they've learned or [what] think they've learned about dogs and [think] “Hey, a wagging tail is happy,’ which, as I've discussed, is not necessarily the case. [They also] assume that when a cat has a swishing tail, that also means that the cat is happy, but in most cases, it's quite the opposite. With cats, that big sweeping wag in a cat's tail is often a sign that they're feeling really physiologically aroused and stimulated, and it's probably not a good time to pet or approach that cat. Usually, cats that have that level of arousal or stimulation happening are not looking for pets at that time.

Another sign you can look for that can indicate that physiological arousal and maybe that the cat needs some space is the cat's ear position, as those ears start to rotate toward the side and back of the head, which the internet calls “airplane ears.” Ears to the side and pointing toward the back is another sign that the cat might be feeling a little bit overwhelmed [and] overstimulated. [It’s] probably not a good idea to pet them at that time. [But] if the ears are pointing forward, like a cat Halloween headband, and there's a lot of other body language indicating that the cat is feeling calm—like that tail being up in the air, maybe the tip of the tail swishing back and forth, the cat being willing to take up a lot of space, seeming very relaxed, their eyes in a nice neutral position—that is a cat that is probably safe to approach and open to some pets.

RELATED VIDEO: Interpreting feline behaviors (Part 1)

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dvm360: What are “problem” behaviors cited by pet owners for surrendering a cat, and how can they be better understood?

Valuska: That's a great question. I truly believe that so many problem behaviors are really a result of poor communication. By that, I mean pet parents misunderstanding what the pets are trying to say with those behaviors, what needs those behaviors represent, and the pet parent not communicating to the pets very well what the boundaries are, what the rules of the house are, and what behaviors are expected of them.

One of the most common reasons cats are surrendered to shelters is out-of-box elimination. This is urinating [and] defecating outside the litter box, and it's admittedly a very frustrating behavior to face. You're having to clean up these messes, [and] I don't fault them for being frustrated with the behavior. But so many people jump straight to, ‘Well, the cat peed on my bed. They're doing it out of spite,” “I was out of town,” “I worked late last night,” or “I just got a new dog, and the cat is mad at me, and they're going to pee on my bed to punish me.” That's just not what's going on. And when you frame it like that, it makes it a lot easier to blame the pet and assume that the solution is to get rid of the pet. But actually, with elimination behaviors, in particular for cats, it's a lot more to them than just a way to void their bladder.

Cats use their urine and feces as a form of olfactory communication. It's a way to help them mark their territory. It's a way to help them feel more comfortable in the environment. It's also a very vulnerable time for cats when they're going to the bathroom. And as a mesopredator—an animal in the middle of the food chain—they can feel vulnerable…like they're not safe in certain situations. So if they aren't feeling very good, if they're experiencing stress, if the litter box isn't in a spot that they want it to be in, they're going to respond by going to the bathroom in a space where they feel safer or…in a space that they want to feel more like home, [which] can result in out-of-box elimination. The solution for that problem is not to punish the cat for being spiteful or assume that they're angry with you and try to make their world smaller as a result; the solution is to try to figure out why the cat is feeling stressed, why they don't feel like the home is a safe space, [or] why they don't like their current litter box setup. When you look at it through that lens, a lot more solutions…become available, particularly with the guidance of an expert like an applied behaviorist or a veterinary behaviorist [who] can help you think like a pet and figure out what's going on. So that's an example of the pet parent not understanding what the pet is trying to say through their behavior.

Another common problem is [that] the pet parent doesn't realize what they're communicating. For example, if you have a dog that jumps up all over you every time you come home. I'll be talking to people [who] have this problem, and I'll ask, “Well, what do you do when the dog jumps all over you?” They say, “Well, I talk to him, I pet him, I tell him to get down. I put my hands around his shoulders, and I push him down.” But it doesn't work. You might think that you're punishing the dog. You might think that you're telling them “no” and communicating this isn't acceptable, but that's in the eye of the beholder. If the dog enjoys the attention that you're giving them—if by speaking to, touching, and engaging with the dog, they're enjoying that—then actually, you, the pet parent, are training the jumping. You're reinforcing that jumping behavior and making it more likely to happen.

For a lot of these cases, just having the pet parent be more aware of what they're communicating, what they're doing, and what their own behavior means to the pet can be a really powerful tool as well.

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dvm360: What can you tell us about the Ease online program, supported by Purina Pro Plan?

Valuska: Ease is a program that allows veterinary practices to access expert behavioral support from its team of board-certified veterinary behaviorists and a certified applied animal behaviorist…at no cost. The idea is that, as we've just discussed, there are a lot of pets that could benefit from behavioral help, but there aren't very many people [who] are credentialed with this kind of expertise, so your average veterinary practice likely doesn't have a certified applied animal behaviorist or a board-certified veterinary behaviorist on staff to help with these kinds of cases. The goal of Ease is to try to bring this kind of expertise into these clinics, to give these general practitioners access to these certified applied animal behaviorists and board-certified veterinary behaviorists, and allow them to help pet parents and offer this kind of expertise to their clients.

RELATED ARTICLE: Partnership aims to improve access to behavioral specialists

dvm360: What else, if anything, would you like veterinary professionals to know?

Valuska: I'm @annieknowsanimals on TikTok and Instagram. I am trying to spread the word and share some of this behavior knowledge with the general public. I have a lot of veterinary followers as well, and the goal is just to convey this kind of behavior [information] to help pet parents better understand their pets’ behavior and their own role in a pet’s behavior. I share a lot of scientific studies and breakdowns of viral videos and what's going on with the pet's body language. So I think that could be another useful resource for veterinarians [who] are interested in learning more about behavior.