www.ivis.org Proceedings of the Southern European Veterinary Conference - SEVC - Sep. 29-Oct. 2, 2011, Barcelona, Spain Next SEVC Conference: Oct. 18-21, 2012 - Barcelona, Spain Reprinted in the IVIS website with the permission of the SEVC - AVEPA
Top Ten Behaviour Myths That Will Kill Your Patients Dr Kersti Seksel BVSc (hons) MRCVS MA (Hons) FACVSc DACVB DECVBM-CA CMAVA Sydney Animal Behaviour Service Melbourne Veterinary Specialist Centre Adjunct Senior Lecturer Charles Sturt University Honorary Associate University of Sydney 55 Ethel Street Seaforth NSW Phone: 61-2-99498511 Fax: 61-2-99496364 www.sabs.com.au sabs@sabs.com.au INTRODUCTION Despite the increase in interest in behavioural medicine, behaviour problems remain the number one reason for the surrender and euthanasia of dogs and cats in many places around the world. Many of these surrenders and deaths may have been prevented if veterinarians and their staff were better equipped to give the correct behavioural advice to their clients. Ideally clients should also see their veterinarian as the most reliable place to seek professional advice. Behavioural medicine is still not yet taught in most universities to veterinarians. Thus, veterinarians find themselves ill equipped to provide clients with scientific evidence to counter the information that is all too readily available through the media and the internet. To the detriment of many animals this easy to obtain information is often based on anecdotes, misconceptions, myths and legends rather than the science on which all veterinary diagnoses should be made. Veterinarians need to understand that behaviour problems are medical problems in order to treat their patients effectively. Behaviour Myths Fact or Fiction? 1. Mad pets have mad owners This statement has no basis in fact and is a myth. Studies have shown that there is no correlation between owner personalities and the incidence of behaviour problems in pets. It is now recognised that approximately 1 in 5 to 7 dogs have an anxiety disorder. Thus it is likely that up to 20 % of dogs (and cats) seen by veterinarians are not mad but have a manageable medical condition (anxiety).
Anxiety is caused in part by a problem with how the brain functions and it is a medical problem, just like diabetes is caused by a problem with how the pancreas functions. In the brain, information is conveyed between different parts by chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. There are lots of different types of messengers that have varying effects on thoughts and feelings. These messengers bind to structures called neuroreceptors which then pass the message along. Low levels of chemical messengers such as serotonin or noradrenaline or a problem with the neuroreceptors may result in increased feelings of anxiety and worry. Behaviour is determined by its genetic predisposition, learning from previous experiences as well as the current environment (situation). Owners do not have any genetic input into the animal s temperament (behaviour) so suggesting (implying/ believing) that the owner is mad is not helpful and may also be detrimental to the client - veterinarian relationship. If the client believes that the veterinarian feels that the pet s behaviour problem is due to the owner having problems it likely that the owner will not trust any advice given. 2. There are no bad dogs only bad owners Another myth- although there may be some bad dogs and some bad owners these are generally exceptions rather than the rule. Dogs that are classified as bad may not be behaving in an acceptable manner because of lack of training, inappropriate training, or have a medical (behaviour) problem. Owners that are classified as bad may not know how to train a dog, have been given inappropriate information on how to manage a dog or may not have knowledge about normal canine behaviour. It is the duty of veterinarians to diagnose whether the issue is a behaviour problem, problem behaviour or a training problem and treat accordingly. 3. Dog trainers can fix behaviour problems Qualified dog trainers are generally skilled in training dogs. However, they are not veterinarians and therefore are not trained to diagnose medical problems such as behaviour problems. The treatment of behaviour problems involves environmental management, behaviour modification and usually medication which cannot be prescribed or recommended by dog trainers. Dog trainers can, and should, deal with problem behaviours or training problems such as pulling on a lead or jumping up. However, they are should not be dealing with behaviour problems such as cases involving aggression or anxiety any more than they deal with other medical problems such as hypothyroid disease or mast cell tumors. Dog trainers are invaluable in providing excellent support for clients with ongoing behaviour modification programmes. When referring to a dog trainer veterinarians should be aware of the trainer s qualifications as well as the type of training methods used and recommended. It is always advisable to watch trainers working with dogs. Good trainers know their limitations and will refer cases that they feel they are not able to handle effectively.
The welfare of many dogs is compromised when a dog s problem has not been diagnosed correctly or inappropriate treatment regimes have been recommended by unqualified people. 4 It s a cat what do you expect There are many misconceptions about cats. These include statements such as cats are not social animals, all cats hunt, you cannot train cats. Unfortunately this leads to cats being unnecessarily being maligned or not being managed appropriately. Cats, like dogs, have behaviour problems. These include urine spraying, aggression directed towards people, aggression directed towards other cats and obsessive compulsive disorders. Additionally cats may display problem behaviours such as scratching furniture, excessive vocalisation or hunting wildlife. However, depending on the context scratching, vocalisation and predatory behaviours may also be behaviour problems. Therefore diagnosis is important if the problem is to be resolved and the welfare of the cat addressed. Cats can be trained and their behaviour modified. Owners who are told just to live with a problem such as spraying or aggression directed towards the owner may elect to surrender or euthanize the cat instead. There are now many treatment and management options available. If veterinarians feel unsure how to address the problem then referral to a veterinary behaviourist should be offered. 4. He is being dominant - you need to show him who is boss For many years the term dominance has been misused and often linked with the term aggression. In fact dominance aggression was a common diagnosis. However, this terminology has lead to many misunderstandings, misdiagnoses as well as being detrimental to the welfare of many dogs. This diagnosis was built on the premise that dominantly aggressive dogs were directing their aggression towards people in response to a perceived threat to their status within the family unit, that these dogs were alpha and the dogs were trying to control resources or rule the world. Many dogs were diagnosed as dominantly aggressive when they were puppies and owners were advised to use punishment based techniques such as pinning the dog to the ground, not allowing interactions with the owner etc to teach the dog who was boss. As knowledge of canine social systems and behavioural medicine has increased it is now recognised that the underlying reason(s) that some dogs react in an aggressive manner towards people is much more complex than the simplistic explanation of dominance or a dominance hierarchy. Anxiety is one of most common underlying factors. It is now argued that the concept of a dominance hierarchy in dogs may be a human construct and does not actually exist. In dogs the hierarchy, if it in fact it does exist, is not a simple fixed linear structure or a collection of dyads but it is influenced by the ongoing social interactions in the group. So although dogs are social animals and live in a group their ranking within the group is not linear. Ranking is not absolute but fluid and varies with the needs of the group at a particular time. It is also influenced by a dog s experiences or learning from previous encounters. Punishment based techniques have been advocated to show a dog who is boss. This should be avoided at all times as punishment may lead to a break down of the bond
between the pet and the owner. In already anxious animals punishment may also impede learning as it may increase anxiety. 6. Aggressive dogs are dominant dogs Aggression can be a normal canine behaviour. Aggression is defined as a threat or harmful action directed towards another individual. Aggressive behaviours include growling, barking, lunging and biting. There is no one single cause of aggression. Many factors and stimuli will combine to lead a dog to display aggression. These may be different for individual dogs and in many cases can include feeling anxious or threatened. This means that the dog be more prone to use aggression when it is frightened or feels threatened. If the dog finds that this strategy is effective then it is likely that it will use aggressive displays again. A common misconception is that aggressive (or what is labelled as dominant) dogs just need training and to be shown who is boss to stop them barking or being aggressive. This can actually be detrimental for many dogs especially the anxious dogs and can make their behaviour worse in the short term as well as the long term. Many ordinary dogs, as well as dogs with anxiety disorders, find dominance style handling very confusing and frightening. Dogs, especially anxious dogs need careful, kind and consistent handling to help them feel safe and secure in a stable environment. 7. Give him this pill and it will fix the problem Medication for behaviour problems should not be viewed as a quick fix or a silver bullet. Medication alone is rarely successful in managing a behaviour problem. The decision to use medication or not depends on the diagnosis and this should include a thorough physical workup, blood work and a behavioural assessment. Behaviour problems take considerable time to manage and medication, although it may be and integral part in many cases, is just one part of the process. Medications are not generally indicated for problem behaviours, only for behaviour problems so it is important that veterinarians understand the rationale for prescribing psychotropic medication. Clients need to understand that behaviour modification as well as environmental management is also necessary. Medication may be needed for the life of the patient just as in cases involving metabolic diseases. 8. He is doing it to get back at me Believing that dogs and cats are malicious in their intent and plan to get back at owners for reasons such as the pet being left alone all day are widespread but have no basis in fact. Although research has shown that dogs and cats are cognitive and sentient beings there is no evidence to show that they plan ahead and are in any way spiteful or vindictive. If owners are not disabused from this notion they feel justified in believing that their pet is evil or bad in some way. This then allows owners to justify the use of punishment to try to change the behaviour. This often leads to a downward spiral where the behaviour leads to punishment, (which usually does not lead to a change in the behaviour) which then leads to an escalation in punishment and so on. Some animals will then bite which again leads to an escalation in the punishment.
When clients are asked during a behavioural consultation what they have done previously to help resolve the problem over 90% of owners will list different forms of punishment. These include, yelling, shouting, smacking, hitting, kicking, throwing chains, etc at various times. When asked how effective these methods have been most owners say that either they worked initially and now the pet ignores them, or they had little effect as the pet still exhibits the unacceptable behaviour. This clearly demonstrates the lack of understanding that many people have of learning theory. For a pet to make a connection between the behaviour and the consequence (punishment or reward) the consequence has to occur within ½ second of the behaviour occurring. Additionally for punishment to have an effect it also has to be delivered every time the behaviour occurs and it has to be sufficiently unpleasant so that the pet no longer wants to perform the behaviour This is rarely, if ever, possible. Punishment does not teach the pet which behaviour is actually expected by the owner in the circumstances. It therefore does not necessarily lead to the animal exhibiting an acceptable alternative response. This may lead to more frustration on the part of the owner / handler and hence more punishment for the animal. The effects of punishment (physical or psychological) on the pet are also not as predictable as the effects of reward. 9. He knows he has done something wrong he looks guilty. This is a very common myth and probably compromises the welfare of the pet more than most others. Dog owners especially seem to interpret their dog s body language as looking guilty when in fact the dog is showing appeasement behaviours. The lowered body posture and avoidance behaviours are misinterpreted as the pet understanding what it has done wrong and that it is now feeing sorry for behaving the way it did. Because owners interpret these appeasement behaviours as the animal feeling guilty it allows people to anthropomorphise and hence justify punishment. As discussed above the use of punishment is not useful in teaching appropriate behaviours. Additionally some behaviours such as elimination are inherently self reinforcing - the pet always feels better after eliminating. Therefore the behaviour can never be stopped. Unfortunately the pet may learn not to exhibit the behaviour only when the owner is present, but the behaviour still occurs leading the owner to believe that the pet is now vindictive. The most unfortunate aspect of using punishment is that it teaches the pet that people are to be feared. 10. I don t do behaviour in my practice Many veterinarians still do not see behavioural medicine as part of veterinary medicine. They perceive behavioural medicine as the domain of dog trainers or veterinary nurses. Veterinarians would not consider neurological or dermatological cases as the domain of veterinary nurses or dog trainers. The same should apply for behavioural cases. As up to 20% of cases may involve anxiety disorders these cases should be treated by veterinarians or veterinary behaviourists.
A common reason that veterinarians claim they do not do behaviour in practice is lack of time. Time should be allocated (and charged) for behaviour cases just as time is allocated and charged for time to work up medical cases. As not all behavioural problems are manifest in the short time that has been allocated to a standard veterinary consultation veterinarians should ask the client questions about their pet s behaviour. This is where veterinary nurses can also provide invaluable support as they could do pre- exam behaviour consults using questionnaires. Studies have shown that more than 50% of the new puppy owner s questions at the first visit were about behaviour. Puppy Preschool allows busy practitioners the luxury of time to cover not only behaviour problems but also other aspects of health care that they wish to emphasise. One practice that incorporated behavioural medicine into their practice by offering puppy classes, behaviour consultations etc found that after one year, the number of new clients by month increased by almost 50%. The retention of the clients increased significantly after 2 and 3 years. The retention of the clients was higher when compared to what it was before offering behavioural services. Additionally they found that clients who attended puppy classes doubled the frequency of their visits to the veterinary clinic. One report claimed that a veterinarian s bottom line can increase by US $75,000 to $250,000 a year, depending upon the practice, by offering behaviour services. Conclusion Veterinary behavioural medicine should be part of every consultation and every thorough workup. This is one very important way to add value to the practice and prevent many pets dying unnecessarily. References and further reading: 1. Heath. S Dispelling the Dominance Myth, WSAVA, 2007 2. Semyonova, A. 2003, The social organization of the domestic dog; a longitudinal study of domestic canine behavior and the ontogeny of domestic canine social systems, The Carriage House Foundation, The Hague, www.nonlineardogs.com, version 2006 3. Seksel, K. In Small Animal Clinical Pharmacology (second edition), J. Maddison, S. Page, D. Church (eds). (2008) WB Saunders, London. 4. Tynes. V. 10 life-threatening Behaviour Myths. 2008. Veterinary Medicine. September: 524-514. 5. van Kerkhove, W., 2004 A Fresh Look at the Wolf-Pack Theory of Companion-Animal Dog Social Behavior Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 7(4) 2004, 299-300 6. http://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/web-exclusives/behavior-expertisecan-generate-revenue.aspx
7. Herron ME, Shofer FS, Reisner IR. Survey of the use and outcome of confrontational and non-confrontational training methods in client-owned dogs showing undesired behaviors App Anim Behav Sci 2009; 117, 47 54