If you’re walking down the street, and someone you don’t know comes up and gives you a hug without any kind of introduction, how would you react? Given the context, most people would probably display shock or fear on one end of the spectrum, or downright hostility on the other end of the spectrum. This is because hugging a random person you don’t know in that kind of environment is not considered appropriate.

Many people don’t stop to think about this scenario from our dog’s perspective. We have an expectation that dogs should be friendly to everyone, under most circumstances. Despite displaying signals of discomfort that all dogs understand, such as turning the head away, ears back, licking the lips, tucking the tail, and rigid body posture, most humans don’t recognize these behaviors as signs of anxiety. So when a dog is approached by someone he doesn’t know, and the human ignores/doesn’t see the signs of stress, he may snap or bite and subsequently achieve unfavorable status as an “unpredictable” or “dangerous” dog.

Sadly, this happens all too often. As a veterinarian with a special interest in behavior, I frequently find myself counseling dog owners on what is considered normal and abnormal behavior.  I consider the above example to be normal behavior, given the context. If a dog is approached in a stressful environment (for some dogs, this means anything outside of the home) by someone he doesn’t know well or someone who makes him nervous (e.g. shrieking children, people with hats or beards, or people with loud/harsh voices), he will display signs of stress. This can certainly vary from dog to dog. How many stress signals he displays, and the order in which he displays them, also depends on his individual threshold, or limit, of what bothers him.

To state this another way, think about this scenario. A dog sees his human’s suitcase out and knows something is up.  He can feel the barometric pressure dropping and knows a storm is coming (he hates storms). The neighbor comes over to say hi, who he likes, but he brings a young child with him who he’s only seen a couple times.  The child comes up to him while he’s eating his food, and the dog growls and snaps at the child.  Alarmed, the owner and the neighbor are shocked at the dog’s behavior.

If only one of those events happened (just a storm, or just the neighbor coming over), the dog probably would not have displayed aggression. But due to all these stressors happening at once, he passed his threshold, or the point of “I can’t take any more” and snapped at the child. Given the context of the situation, this can still be considered a normal (although unacceptable) response, and behavior modification measures can be implemented to address the problem this dog has with the unknown child.

Consider now a scenario where a dog is always edgy. Every little sound causes him to throw himself at the door or window, barking like a madman. He may be out in the backyard with his owner and the screech of a distant garbage truck causes him to turn and sink his teeth into his owner’s arm (a form of redirected aggression). Some people jokingly refer to these dogs as Dr. Jeckyll/Mr. Hyde, but the behavior is no joke. It is these situations that are truly concerning, because the behavior is very abnormal given the context.

When dogs are this edgy and this reactive, veterinary advice must be sought. Pharmaceutical intervention, in the form of anti-anxiety medication, may be needed. A veterinarian with an interest and background in applied clinical behavioral medicine can be your best resource.

Dangerous behavior must always be taken seriously. Don’t waste precious time in denial. If your dog, or a dog you know, has displayed anxious or aggressive behavior, please call us to learn more about how Dr. Burcham can help.

In this video, Jean Donaldson (author and dog trainer) demonstrates how to train your dog to look forward to having his Gentle Leader put on. We sell Gentle Leaders at Olathe Animal Hospital, and we frequently recommend them. They are helpful for a variety of nuisance behaviors, such as pulling on the leash, jumping up, barking, and even more serious problems such as growling and aggression. If you are considering using a Gentle Leader for your dog, it’s a good idea to have someone help you with fitting it on your dog, and our staff can help you with that. Dr. J.C. Burcham has a professional interest in helping address behavior problems, and if you have specific questions about your dog or the Gentle Leader, she will be happy to talk to you.

We realize that not all dogs instantly love their Gentle Leaders. It’s called “gentle” for a reason, but many dogs don’t like how it feels on their face, so we want to teach them that it’s a good thing when the Gentle Leader is on! This video will help.

Thunderstorm phobias are a common occurrence in dogs and can result in significant stress to both the pet and the owner.  Oftentimes the phobia relates to the noises associated with storms, but can also be due to changes in barometric pressure, wind blowing objects through the air, static electricity, or rain itself.  Signs of storm phobias can range in intensity from mild (hiding) to severe (destruction of objects in the house, self-trauma).

During periods of distress, avoid comforting your pet, as this rewards undesirable behavior. In addition, do not punish your pet for these behaviors.  Instead, focus on getting him to perform known commands, such as sitting, or play a game with him.  Get your pet away from windows and in a quieter area of the house.  Noise in the background, such as a radio or TV, can help distract from the noise of the storm as well.

Long term treatment of storm phobias involves desensitization and counter-conditioning. Desensitization is possible for pets who are afraid of the noises associated with storms, but may not be possible for other factors, such as changes in barometric pressure.  It is helpful to do this training during the times of year when we do not expect storms, so that the more intense stimulus of an actual storm does not derail your efforts.  An audio CD* of thunderstorms can be purchased, or a recording can be made during an actual storm.  The sound should be played constantly at a level low enough that it does not cause any distress to your pet.  During this time, playing with your pet and offering treats for performing a known command (e.g. sit) can help form a positive association with the storm noise and treats or play.  Over time, gradually increase the volume of the noise until your pet is comfortable.

Many pets are so distressed by storms that they may require medication(s) to assist with behavior modification.  Short term anti-anxiety medications can be used prior to an anticipated storm to reduce anxiety and relax your pet.  For more severely affected pets, or for pets that suffer from other types of anxiety (e.g. separation anxiety), long term medications may be required. These are given on a daily basis and may take weeks to reach effective levels.  These medications can help with desensitization treatment as well.  In some cases, a mild sedative may be needed as well.

Other products that can help relieve stress are Dog Appeasing Pheromone (DAP) or the Thundershirt.  DAP is a synthetic pheromone that mimics the scent released by the mammary glands of a nursing dog.  It can help decrease stress along with the other treatments, but should not be used as a sole treatment.  The Thundershirt is a pressure wrap that applies a gentle consistent pressure to the dog’s torso.  Anecdotal evidence from other veterinarians shows that it may work in some dogs.

If your pet suffers from thunderstorm phobia, please make an appointment to discuss the condition with us.  Although long term treatment can be time and labor intensive, by working together, we can construct a plan to help make your pet (and you) much more comfortable around storms.

*Audio CDs can be purchased from the following websites:

http://www.mastersvoice-dog.com/index.php?p=4&i=2

I often hear new puppy owners express concern about their puppy’s apparent inability to catch on to house training. Today’s call was from the owner of a 7-month old neutered male dachshund.  Here are some of the tips I suggested:

1. Use the “umbilical cord” method–this means keeping his leash on and attaching it either to your belt or a chair, thus restricting his free-range. A dog who is not house-trained should not be allowed to have free-range of the home because the potential for an accident is too great. We must set them up to succeed–and this means not even allowing them the opportunity to have an accident!
2. Supervise constantly! An accident can occur in just a fraction of a second, so if you’re busy talking on the phone or cleaning up the kitchen, you may not be able to watch your puppy closely. This is where crate training is so helpful. Put your puppy in its kennel until you can pay more direct attention to him.
3. You must be present when you take the puppy outside to potty–you can’t just let him out in the backyard and praise him when he comes back in. They need instant gratification–it’s like a party when he goes in the right place! Use a really happy voice and give him 3 little treats in quick succession! “Wow, that was really great, you are such a smart puppy!”
4. If the puppy must be left alone longer than we can reasonably expect him to “hold it”, we must create a long-term confinement area. This is usually a small room such as a bathroom or laundry room that is puppy-proofed. Set your puppy’s crate in here and leave the crate door open. Offer an appropriate potty area. I recommend offering a litterbox with grass or sod in it. There’s nothing else in the house like this (unlike puppy pee pads, which can resemble carpet), so it helps teach him that grass is the best type of surface to relieve himself on.

Most importantly, be consistent, be persistent, and be patient! Good luck!