• DVM360_Conference_Charlotte,NC_banner
  • ACVCACVC
  • DVM 360
  • Fetch DVM 360Fetch DVM 360
DVM 360
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
By Role
AssociatesOwnersPractice ManagerStudentsTechnicians
Subscriptions
dvm360 Newsletterdvm360 Magazine
News
All News
Association
Breaking News
Conference Coverage
Education
Equine
FDA
Law & Ethics
Market Trends
Medical
Politics
Products
Recalls
Regulatory
Digital Media
dvm360 LIVE!™
Expert Interviews
The Vet Blast Podcast
Medical World News
Pet Connections
The Dilemma Live
Vet Perspectives™
Weekly Newscast
dvm360 Insights™
Publications
All Publications
dvm360
Firstline
Supplements
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vetted
Clinical
All Clinical
Anesthesia
Animal Welfare
Behavior
Cardiology
CBD in Pets
Dentistry
Dermatology
Diabetes
Emergency & Critical Care
Endocrinology
Equine Medicine
Exotic Animal Medicine
Feline Medicine
Gastroenterology
Imaging
Infectious Diseases
Integrative Medicine
Nutrition
Oncology
Ophthalmology
Orthopedics
Pain Management
Parasitology
Pharmacy
Surgery
Toxicology
Urology & Nephrology
Virtual Care
Business
All Business
Business & Personal Finance
Hospital Design
Personnel Management
Practice Finances
Practice Operations
Wellbeing & Lifestyle
Continuing Education
Conferences
Conference Listing
Conference Proceedings
Resources
CBD in Pets
CE Requirements by State
Contests
Veterinary Heroes
Partners
Spotlight Series
Team Meeting in a Box
Toolkit
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vet to Vet
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Advertisement
By Role
  • Associates
  • Owners
  • Practice Manager
  • Students
  • Technicians
Subscriptions
  • dvm360 Newsletter
  • dvm360 Magazine
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us
  • MJHLS Brand Logo

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences™ and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Shred your patients fear-based aggression

December 7, 2017
John Ciribassi, DVM, DACVB

Fixing behavioral problems in patients starts with removing inciting stimuli.

Photo: Shutterstock.comSeparation anxiety and phobias are two of the most common behavior problems that veterinary behaviorists face. Even more common still? You guessed it: aggression. Traditionally, dominance aggression is most often diagnosed, especially when evaluating owner-directed aggression.

So how do we shred these behavioral issues before they take a turn for the worse? One key facet of the basis of treatment is to remove exposure to inciting stimuli. This can be accomplished in several ways:

Attempt response substitution. Discontinue all forms of punishment. Focus instead on distraction and redirection of inappropriate behavior to more appropriate responses that can be reinforced.

Use a head halter. Help facilitate response substitution using an indoor drag leash. A head halter decreases arousal and allows safe, efficient, non-emotional interruption of problem behaviors.

Avoid reinforcement of the behavior by withdrawing in response to aggression or giving positive attention (telling the dog, “It's all right”).

Have unfamiliar people ignore the dog at first greeting to allow more time for the dog to assess the situation without feeling threatened.

Advertisement

Identify and avoid fear-inducing triggers. For example, if the house has several young children, isolate the dog to avoid potentially negative interactions.

Increase consistency of owner and dog interaction. Instruct pet owners to always give a command, wait for a response and reward.

Avoid inconsistent, casual interactions by ignoring all attention-seeking behaviors. Punishment should never be used.

Train with reinforcement methods. This is often called “Nothing in life is Free” or “No Free Lunch.”

Finding the inciting stimuli and-most important-getting rid of it can bring pet owners (and pets!) one step closer to living a stress-free life. This, along with avoiding possible trigger stimuli in the future, using counter conditioning and desensitization and adding appropriate medication where needed can make a serious difference.

John Ciribassi, DVM, DACVB, is a veterinarian with Chicagoland Veterinary Behavior Consultants in Carol Stream, Illinois.

Related Content:

BehaviorClient Relations & Marketing
To refer or to not refer
To refer or to not refer
Hiring employees in line with your brand
Hiring employees in line with your brand
How to discuss finances with clients
How to discuss finances with clients

Advertisement

Latest News

To refer or to not refer

Advice panel for women interested in the veterinary field

AVMA president set to testify before Congress

New Hawaii-based pet CBD brand launches

View More Latest News
Advertisement