Behaviour
Has your beloved pet ever chewed your favorite pair of sneakers? Barked incessantly while in the back yard? Urinated or defecated in the house?
Behaviour issues can be extremely frustrating to deal with and can significantly impact your household, family, and friends. Once a behaviour has been found to be independent of a medical condition (a thorough history looking for signs of potential medical problems, as well as a physical exam, is always part of a behavioural consult), we can begin to move forward with therapy. Behaviour problems often start young and get progressively worse with age, or can be set off by a single event. Our goal in a behavioral consultation is to identify the problem and set up a program to get results. Issues can be resolved in a variety of ways and, depending on the severity, include training, avoidance, changes in routine, and medication. Common conditions include:
- Dog to dog aggression
- Fear aggression
- Anxiety
- Biting
- Inappropriate voiding
For certain conditions and unique cases we work with North Toronto Veterinary Behavior Specialists (http://www.northtorontovets.com/) to get optimum results. This specialized consultation is available to all of our clients and is preferred over simply working with a trainer due to the ability for the veterinary behaviourist to prescribe medication that may help, as well as developing a training plan that can then be implemented. Give us a call if you are interested in pursuing a behavioural consultation.
Resources:
http://drsophiayin.com/resources/dog_behavior
AAHA (https://www.aaha.org/pet_owner/pet_health_library/dog_care/behavior/default.aspx)