 Behaviour Problems
Most dog owners have a story about a naughty dog, a
dog which misbehaves to the detriment of its owner often to the amusement of others.. But
where does this naughtiness become a behavioural problem? As vets, we are becoming
increasingly consulted by dog owners who are struggling with their pets actions and on
enquiring, have dogs with genuine behavioural problems. This isn't a dog which
occasionally digs a hole in the lawn or chews the odd child's toy but dogs which
persistently carry out physical actions which are disruptive to the home either physically
or emotionally.
The old adage 'there is no such thing as a bad dog, only bad owners' is largely but not
totally true. I have been aggressively bitten by nine week old puppies and so believe that
the 'nasty streak' can be inherited. Also behavioural problems can be genetic afflicting
one breed or even breed line. A classic example is tail chasing in the English Bull
Terrier. These dogs literally chase their tails in a circle. Amusing at first but this can
develop into a situation where the dog will tail chase incessantly only stopping when in
extreme exhaustion, starting again after a short sleep. No action on the part of the owner
will stop this genetic condition.
This of course is an extreme example, most behavioural problems are of a learned
behavioural type where the dog recognises a series of stimuli and accordingly reacts. I
have a very loving, soft natured but rather stupid English Setter. It learned many years
ago that if she barks at visiting people when they come up, what is quite a long drive, to
the house that she will be rewarded with a call of 'good girl', a pat or even a biscuit.
If everybody had ignored her from the first instance then she wouldn't bark at me when I
come home!
This is an example of a simple, learned behavioral problem but many of them are more
complex and some can be a mixture of genetic (inherited) and learned in nature.
The one area I dislike having to handle is the 'dominant aggressive dog'. Many dogs will
nip under adverse situations but this category of dog bites because it believes and wants
to be boss. Very often there is a genetic factor, with more males than females and certain
breeds and breed lines predisposing to this problem. At the end of the day however there
is also, usually, a learned behavioural factor relating to the dog's home and owner(s).
Owners often say that the dog came from a bad home and no doubt a bad start with
undisciplined training and inconsistent, rough, handling will drive a dog this way.
However the dominant aggressive dog stays this way because he is allowed to be the boss
inside the family unit and when placed outside this unit will sometimes show this
aggression because he or she thinks his or her position is under threat and knows no other
way to react but to bite. It is easy to blame the owner and it is rare the blame can be
levied on a single person but usually on multiple factors working within the dogs
immediate environment.
An increasing area for therapy is the 'anxious dog'. Separation from owners often being
the principle problem. You may be asleep upstairs but the dog does not know this and will
howl all night or may try and dig through the door. The car keys, the rain coat and the
slamming of the garage door may all provoke emotional distress; the dog knows you are
going out and he is going to be left behind! New drugs from the human medicine chest are
now available which work on nerve endings in the brain and alter the levels of the
'chemicals of emotion' at this level. However it does not matter how effective drugs are,
an improvement will only occur when reinforced with positive, behavioural changes.
So, what can you do to alleviate these behavioral problems? There is no constant rule with
each problem having to be assessed independently and often handled in a different way. The
following advice is just the tip of the iceberg but careful adherence may help a problem
or prevent one from developing:
1. All dog owners would be well advised to read a book on dog behaviour by a well
recognised author. Opinions differ, even among the experts.
2. Try to be 'boss in your own house'. A dog is a dog and should be at the bottom of the
pecking order. General advice is that dogs are fed after humans. Dogs do not sit on top of
humans. Dogs go through doors after humans. Dogs do not grab the newspaper and run off!!!
This may sound like taking all the fun away but will actually increase orderly contact
between you and your dog.
3. If there is a problem look for the 'trigger factor" which may be a bone, a
favourite chair and remove it.
4. Try not to be confrontational. If a dog is likely to bite if given a bone, don't give
him the bone and then try and take it off him, just don't give him the bone in the first
place!
5. Get all the family involved, there is no point one person putting in place behavioral
therapy if everybody else in the family continues in their bad old ways.
6. Before the behavioural condition becomes too deep seated, make an appointment to see
your vet. As vets we have to deal with these problems. It is rare for a day to pass when I
am not consulted about some behavioural problem and so we have amassed information to help
in these areas. A normal consultation period is inadequate and I would advise an initial
consultation followed by a longer period with all the family present preferably at a quiet
time of the day to discuss all the finer points.
7. Your vet may suggest certain types of drug therapy. In the old days this usually
referred to sedatives and tranquilizers. Do not fear, this is rarely the case now-a-days
with modern drugs being effective and unlikely to cause any ill effects. Behavioural
problems are often linked with stress to the animal and these drugs can soothe away the
anxiety which can only be a good thing.
8. Finally, try and see a video on wolves and the wolf pack. Wolf and dog behaviour
is synonymous. The wolves have a pack leader, matriarchs and subordinates. They interact
and put in place actions which show dominance and submission. We could all learn a lot
from their actions as their human family is seen by your dog as their pack.
I have only just touched on the subject which covers many different areas of behaviour. I
can still remember an article in a newspapaer a few years ago about a cat which was a
compulsive thief of underwear from washing lines. A humorous behavioural problem?
Certainly one to stretch the thoughts of the animal behaviorist! |
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