The “Woof-Meow” show is on every Sunday at 8:30PM on WVOM, 103.9FM, the Voice of Maine. Hosted by Don Hanson of Green Acres Kennel Shop, the show focuses on educating dog and cat guardians about their dogs and cats.

AIR DATE: Sunday, April 30, 2006 & May 7, 2006

GUESTS: Don Hanson

Pet Behavior Counseling

What is Pet Behavior Counseling?

Pet Behavior Counseling involves working with a client and their pet to resolve problem behaviors. Typical behavior problems we deal with include aggression and biting, separation anxiety, inappropriate urination and defecation, obsessive compulsive behaviors, food or toy guarding, fears and phobias and other stress related behaviors.

This process typically involves helping the client to better understand the normal and abnormal behavioral patterns of their pets’ species as well as understanding the individual needs of their particular pet. The pet is treated with a behavior modification protocol to resolve the problem behavior. Here at Green Acres we also recommend treatment with Bach Flower Remedies for most behavior cases.

How Does Pet Behavior Counseling Differ from Training?

Training, at least ideally, should be proactive. You start with a puppy or kitten with a clean slate and teach them how to successfully live in the human world, while also attending to their own unique needs as a different species. Training focuses on teaching pets desirable behaviors and good manners like using the litter box, sitting on a cue, walking nicely on a leash, and coming when called.

Behavior Counseling is often reactive, meaning that people wait to seek out help until problems have developed or have reached a point that they are very frustrated or concerned about the health and safety of the pet and/or people interacting with the pet.

Behavior Counseling can also be meeting with a client before they even get a pet, to help them make a good choice about the pet most suitable for their lifestyle.

How Often Do Pets Need Behavior Counseling?

Most pets will probably never need to see a behavior counselor. However, the number of pets being seen for behavior problems is increasing just as the number of people needing professional counseling is also on the rise. As lifestyles become more chaotic and hectic, stress increases. Stress affects everyone in the family, including the pets. When one is stressed, whether a human or a pet, you are more prone to behavioral and emotional problems. Today, families are so busy with jobs, school, and extra curricular activities that often they do not have the time to provide their pets with the physical and mental interaction that the animals need to be behaviorally stable. When those needs are not met, problems frequently develop.

When Do I Know My Pet Needs Professional Help?

Once people recognize their pet has a behavior problem, the sooner they start working with a qualified pet behavior counselor the better the prognosis for resolving the problem and the less frustration for both people and pet. Unfortunately, sometimes people will wait weeks, months, and even years before seeking professional help. Often they try to resolve problems on their own without qualified help. Instead they seek advice from friends and family, outdated books, the internet, or TV shows with “celebrity” trainers that often offer incredibly bad advice. Doing nothing is bad enough, but doing the wrong thing often quickly makes problems much worse. Sadly, by the time a person comes to a pet behavior counselor, we are often the last resort before they decide to consider getting rid of their companion.

Why Is Seeking Prompt, Professional Help So Important?

We still do not know with 100 percent certainty how the brain, human or animal, does everything it does. However, one of the things we do know is that the more a behavior is repeated, whether a good or bad behavior, the more “hard-wired” it becomes. For example, if a dog has been growling and charging individuals walking by the house, everyday, for the past three months, they are going to be much more difficult to treat than the client who contacts me within a week of this behavior starting. The brain actually “rewires” itself as this behavior is rehearsed, making the same response more and more likely. The cases where this has been going on for a year or more are even more difficult. That is not to say these dogs cannot be helped, but by this time most clients want instantaneous results and it just does not work that way. The longer a problem has been occurring, the longer it takes to treat and resolve, and the poorer the prognosis for a total cure.

What Do People Do That Make These Problems Worse?

The critical mistake people make is not dealing with behavior problem promptly, as previously discussed.

Another serious mistake people make with behavior problems is to punish the pet for the behavior. Often this is due to poor information from some of the sources mentioned earlier. Punishment can come in many forms and one can think of different types of punishment as levels on a continuum. It may be as overt as hitting, scruffing and shocking an animal or as subtle as sprays with a water bottle or the withdrawal of attention. Fear is the root cause of many behavior problems, and punishment, no matter how minimal, only exacerbates the fear and anxiety, making the behavior worse.

For example: Let’s say your dog growls and lunges every time he sees a child. This is definitely a concern that is often rooted in fear behavior. Unfortunately, many people would punish their dog for this behavior. When punished, all the dog is learning is that when children are present bad things happen to them. This only makes the dog more likely to growl the next time they see a child, hoping to scare the child away before the punishment occurs, but often the punishment escalates, making the dog even more fearful. The only way to deal with this situation is to successfully resolve the dogs fear and that takes patience and professional assistance.

NOTE: Dogs that are repeatedly punished for growling many times cease growling. This creates the proverbial “dangerous” dog that bit without warning. The dog was punished for the warning so they have no choice but to go to the next level and defend themselves. NEVER, EVER punish a dog for growling.

Another way people make behavior problems worse is to unintentionally reward the behavior. We often see this with stereotypical behaviors like chasing shadows, chasing tails, etc. The first time people see a dog chase its tail they might think it’s cute and laugh, which the dog finds rewarding, thus increasing the chances of repeating the behavior. The people continue to laugh for awhile and then start to recognize the behavior has the potential to be a problem, so they change tactics and start paying more attention to the dog in order to disrupt the behavior. This has the opposite of the desired effect as the dog often finds this rewarding as well, further reinforcing the behavior. While these behaviors may not seem serious, they can be the start of additional behavior problems and can also cause physical disabilities. For example, a dog constantly spinning or chasing his tail in the same direction is bound to have orthopedic health issues.

How Should One Choose A Pet Behavior Counselor?

Very carefully! Sadly there are a wide range of people claiming to be pet behavior counselors or animal behaviorists who do not have the requisite knowledge and credentials to truly and effectively help people and their pets. You would not select a heart surgeon who was not properly credentialed in their field and it is equally unwise to select a pet behavior counselor without credentials.

There are three levels of credentialed, qualified professionals that work with pets with behavioral problems. The level that is most accessible to people are practitioners who have been credentialed as Certified Dog Behavior Consultants (CDBC) or Certified Animal Behavior Consultants (CABC) by the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (www.iaabc.org). Those credentialed by the IAABC must demonstrate competency in; counseling skills and social systems assessment, behavioral science, a general knowledge of animal behavior/genetics/neuropsychology/ethology and species-specific knowledge of healthcare, nutrition, husbandry, and behavior. Those certified are required to accumulate continuing education units on a regular basis. These individuals focus on the use of behavior modification protocols to treat animals.

Green Acres’ Don Hanson is a Certified Dog Behavior Counselor and he has applied to become a Certified Animal Behavior Counselor, as he also sees cats in his practice. Don is also a Bach Foundation Registered Practitioner (BFRP) animal specialist. This means he has completed the required courses and examinations to be credentialed by the Dr. Edward Bach Foundation in the use of the Bach Flower Remedies for the treatment of animals. He was the first such practitioner in the Americas.

The next tier of pet behavior counselors are Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists (CAAB). These individuals are credentialed by the Animal Behavior Society (www.animalbehavior.org) and typically have doctoral degrees in animal behavior or related fields. They focus on more difficult cases and the use of behavior modification protocols to treat animals. There are currently 43 such individuals in the United States.

At the top level are those who are credentialed by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (www.dacvb.org/Typo3/DACVBHome). A Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists uses the initials DACVB after their name. They are veterinarians who have completed an approved residency program in veterinary behavior and have passed a national board examination in that discipline. A board certified Veterinary Behaviorist specializes in clinical animal behavior and is able to diagnose and treat medical and behavioral problems as well as prescribe medications to treat those problems. There are currently 35 such individuals in the Untied States, most of them in larger cities, major universities or veterinary schools.

How Does Pet Behavior Counseling Work?

The specifics of how counseling works will vary with each practitioner. Typically all consults start with a telephone call and a recommendation that the animal have a complete veterinary workup to rule out any medical causes for the behavior problem. The next step may or may not involve you completing questionnaires before going to see the counselor. The best pet behavior counselors will insist on seeing the animal in person, or minimally, a video tape of the animal in the case of a long distance consultation. Avoid counselors that offer to treat your pet via FAX or email, without ever seeing the animal. Behavior is complex and needs to be observed by a trained professional who knows what to look for.

At Green Acres, counseling begins with a telephone enquiry. After establishing the nature of the problem Don will recommend that you take your pet to their veterinarian for a medical exam, if you have not already done so, because behavior problems can be the result of medical problems. Don may suggest you have your veterinarian perform specific tests. Once a medical problem has been ruled out, Don has you fill out a detailed history form on your pet and your pet’s behavior problem. This form will take anywhere from 60 to 90 minutes to complete. The more time you take and the more details you provide, the better we can help you.

If you wish to have Don recommend specific Bach Flower Remedies for your pet, in addition to a behavior modification protocol, you will need to send Don a referral letter from your veterinarian. The Bach Foundation has a very strict code of practice which requires that their animal specialists have a veterinary referral before recommending specific Bach Flower Remedies for an animal.

Upon receipt of the history forms and veterinary referral we will contact you to book your appointment. When you come in for your appointment you will typically be seen by Don and Kate, one of our training staff. Don will focus on talking with you while Kate watches your pet and records her observations. The typical appointment lasts 60 to 90 minutes. At the completion of your appointment Don will prepare the first bottle of Bach Flower Remedies for your pet. Within a week he will also send you a letter summarizing the consultation and listing recommendations for behavior modification, along with relevant handouts for you to read. Don and Kate are available for follow-up, as required.

What Is A Behavior Modification Protocol?

A behavior modification protocol uses both operant and classical conditioning to help your pet learn to offer alternate positive responses to the undesirable behavior. The content of the plan depends on the nature of the problem or problems we are trying to address. Often the plan involves helping the pet to deal with stress. A typical plan will consist of you working with your pet for short periods of time (5 to 10 minutes) for several regular sessions. All behavior modification methods used by Green Acres are based upon the principles of positive reinforcement and will consist of no punitive measures. The motto here is: “Behaviors that are rewarded tend to be repeated.” Depending upon the problem behavior, how long the behavior has been exhibited and the individual animal, a behavior modification program may be successful in as little as two weeks, or may take over a year to obtain desired results.

What Are the Bach Flower Remedies?

The Bach Flower Remedies are all natural, herbal preparations developed in the 1930’s to help restore health by balancing one’s emotional state. While originally intended for use with people, today they are also effectively used for treating many behavioral problems with animals. The Bach Flower Remedies are especially beneficial when treating problems involving fear or anxiety. The number of behavior modification sessions can often be reduced if, rather than stressed, a pet is calm and relaxed and thus more open to learning. Don has successfully used the Bach Flower Remedies with both his personal pets as well as many client pets.

More information on the use of Bach Flower Remedies with pets can be found at our companion web site www.bachflowersforpets.com.

How Long Does It Take For A Pet To Get Better?

This is the question all clients want answered and the one that is practically impossible to give an accurate response to because of the multitude of variables that will affect resolving the problem. The only thing that is certain is that if a client fails to address a behavior problem it will get worse.

How quickly a pet recovers will depend on; their age, how long the behavior has been occurring, the type of problem, the clients ability to manage the pet and keep it out of situations where the behavior occurs, the clients compliance to the behavior modification protocol and treatment with the Bach Flower Remedies. I have seen some pets make dramatic progress in a week and others that take over a year to resolve.

Notes from The Woof Meow Show, 30APR06 & 7MAY06
Guest - Don Hanson
© Donald J. Hanson, BFRP, CDBC, CPDT