Top Pet Behavior Myths

Top Pet Behavior Myths. Behavioral issues are not only the leading cause of of pets being relinquished to local shelters, but also the number one reason for euthanasia of pets in the United States. Many pets lose their lives because of myths like the following:

1. I can’t take my puppy to puppy classes until he’s had all of his vaccines. The fact is that dogs are more likely to be euthanized due to a behavior problem than to die from contracting parvovirus or distemper at a training class.
   1. Puppies properly socialized between 8 and 14 weeks of age are more tolerant of new stimuli and people and are less likely to grow into nervous, fearful dogs.
   2. Find a class that is held in an indoor (and easy to clean) facility that requires the puppies be vaccinated and groups them by age.
2. My dog was abused as a puppy. By focusing on this unlikely scenario, pet owners and veterinarians often miss opportunities to address more common causes of behavior problems.
   1. Problems associated with fear and/or anxiety will only worsen with time if ignored.
   2. Fearful and shy behaviors are highly heritable traits, but the expression of these behaviors is a complex interaction between the genes and the pet’s environment.
3. Giving my dog this new medication will solve the behavior problem. Despite their propensity to relieve anxiety, these psychotropic drugs are not a cure all and will not provide long term relief of the problem alone.
   1. These drugs are just one tool to help manage a behavior issue.
   2. Behavior modification is also needed to affect positive change and a potential cure.
4. Aggressive dogs are acting dominant and need to be taught their place. Unfortunately, this myth is a leading reason for the continuation of unsound training practices. Most aggression, especially in the veterinary hospital, is more likely due to fear or anxiety.
   1. Many dogs are inappropriately labeled as dominant aggressive when they resist scary situations, such as kenneling or nail trims.
   2. Early and continual habituation of the puppy/dog to routine handling can help avoid aggressive problems due to fear.
5. Look at him, he KNOWS what he did was wrong! As much as we would love to think our pets are this intelligent, it is simply not true. Your dog is simply showing body language meant to appease you when he sees the anger in your body language.
   1. Dogs make associations between things that happen consistently with each other. “If my owner looks mad, I get swatted.”
   2. It makes no sense to punish a dog for a deed that was done even a few minutes ago.
6. When you start using treats for training, you will always need to use treats. Continual positive reinforcement is the best way to teach our pets a new behavior. Once the behavior is learned, then the reward can be used on an intermittent basis.
   1. Most owners mistakenly think the pet knows the behavior long before he actually does.
   2. Rewards are presented only after the desired behavior is performed. Don’t bribe the pet by showing the treat prior to the desired behavior.
7. My dog keeps chasing his tail, he must be bored. Repetitive behaviors are often thought to be due to boredom, but actually have a much more complex pathogenesis.
   1. Medical problems are often an underlying reason for repetitive behaviors.
   2. The cause of these behaviors can be a complex mix of medical issues, environmental factors and learned behaviors.
8. Any dog trainer can handle any behavioral problem. Simply not true. Due to lax requirement, almost anyone can present themselves as a trainer.
   1. Good trainers will use reward based training that is sound from an animal behavior basis and is not dangerous.
   2. Veterinary behaviorists may be needed for more complex behavior issues, especially anxiety-related problems.

As with any medical issue, the starting point for behavior problems is with your family veterinarian. You can also visit the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior at www.avsabonline.org