From “Stop it!” to “Good Pup!” – Problem Solving With Alternative Behaviors By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM Hey there, gang. Today, it’s time for another installment of “problem solving at Dr. Jen’s house.” (For another example of this, see my previous post about my dog Clint, and his habit of launching himself...
Many clients have called me in to address their dog’s bolting behavior. Bolting refers to a dog’s tendency to run through an open door and off into the wild blue yonder, often then refusing to come when called. I’ve written before on how to improve a dog’s response to...
Drop It! by Megan Maxwell, Ph.D., CAAB One wonderful option for owners interested in playing with their dog is tug-of-war, but tug toys (e.g., ropes or stuffed toys) have a bad reputation because some owners have heard that tugging with their dog will make their dog aggressive. This is...
Separation Anxiety: The Great Imitator, Part 4 By Meredith Stepita, DVM, DACVB It’s hard to believe we have been able to cover so many differentials for behaviors associated with separation anxiety in just 3 blogs! The only other differential I want to briefly mention is predatory behavior. Destructive behavior (and even vocalization)...
Separation Anxiety: The Great Imitator, Part 3 By Meredith Stepita, DVM, DACVB Another common symptom of separation anxiety is urination and/or defecation in the house. First, all medical causes (e.g., intestinal parasites, urinary tract infections, etc) need be ruled out by visiting your veterinarian. Then, other behavioral causes should be considered. When...
Separation Anxiety: The Great Imitator, Part 2 By Meredith Stepita, DVM, DACVB One of the first natural remedies most people try when their dog is destructive to the house is confining the dog to a crate. Unfortunately, most of my patients with separation anxiety DO NOT improve when placed in a crate....
Separation Anxiety: The Great Imitator, Part 1 By Meredith Stepita, DVM, DACVB Clients often tell me that their dog has separation anxiety. When I ask them what exactly their dog is doing, the answer varies widely. This is because there are many different causes of behaviors that mimic the signs consistent with...
Why It’s Hard Being Tiny and Cute by Jennifer Summerfield, DVM Today, I want to talk about little dogs. I was at a client’s home a few weeks ago, doing a behavior consultation for their adorable two-year-old Maltese mix. “Chloe” had a tendency to get over-aroused and begin barking,...
Worried about using food luring during training? by Kelly Ballantyne, DVM, DACVB The science is pretty clear at this point that using positive reinforcement (i.e. giving an animal something s/he likes to increase the chance they’ll repeat a behavior) is the most effective and humane means of training. In...
Dogs and cats are social animals who can learn easily to respond to many of our words, gestures, and body language cues throughout any given day. In some cases, our pets learn our words so well that we end up having to spell them out when communicating with other...
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