Registered Veterinary Nurses Members of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers Registered Animal Training Instructors www.gelertbehaviour.co.uk
What are we?! Behaviour Counsellors? Behaviourists? Trainers? Pet Whisperers? TEACHERS INTERPRETERS
Pet Behaviour What are they trying to tell us?
Are they trying to tell US anything?
What IS behaviour? Concise Oxford Dictionary The way one conducts oneself; Manners; The treatment of others; Moral Conduct Actions What we see our pets doing They DO things because of how they FEEL
Emotions Primal Emotions SEEKING RAGE FEAR LUST CARE PANIC PLAY
Emotions Primal Emotions SEEKING RAGE FEAR LUST CARE PANIC PLAY Enthusiastic Peed off Anxious Horny Tender and Loving Lonely and Sad Joyous
How do our pets learn? ALL animals learn the same way That includes US! Repeat behaviours which gain a benefit Continuous process happening ALL the time Essential for survival Adaptive
WE can actively influence learning Scientific process Classical Conditioning does Pavlov ring a bell?! Operant Conditioning Remember learning is happening continuously Essential to be proactive!
What else influences behaviour? Pain Environment Nutrition Energy/stress Hormones/medical
Common examples: Pain History Lovely friendly 9 year old German Shepherd, gradually becomes a little grumpy And more grumpy, and snaps at a family member (could be another dog on a walk) Involve vet, full examination to rule out pain from e.g. arthritis/hip dysplasia/spinal problems
How do we recognise pain? Not easy, as it is not in an animal s best interest to make it obvious Prey species rabbit, horses hide it especially well MUST involve a good vet to rule it out Often useful to involve other body workers e.g. Osteopath, Chiropractor, Physiotherapist, Bowen therapist
Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia Volume 42, Issue 1, pages 103-114, 31 JUL 2014 DOI: 10.1111/vaa.12212 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/vaa.12212/full#vaa12212-fig-0005 An equine pain face
Common Examples: Environment History Horse lives with a herd in a lovely big field Bad weather, so kind guardian decides to take him to a stable for shelter Horse kicks the door, yard staff shout at him Horse starts to bite people passing his stable
Nutrition Essential to know what your pet has evolved to eat Feed it that! Well known approach in zoo animals, and well looked after reptiles Dog, cat and horse owners often aren t so good at this! Ideally research BEFORE obtaining a pet Example: Don t get a cat if you re vegan!!
Nutrition Hangry Processed foods Sugar/insulin Metabolic disease Allergies
Energy/stress Example history Podgy neutered male cat suddenly urinating in the house Guardian takes to the vets Vets investigate urine samples and provide special food and pain relief, no improvement Behaviour history reveals the cat likes to sit in the conservatory, and a new neighbour s cat sits outside on the patio staring at resident cat
Insidious stress from pain/disease Requires close observation, know your pet well, VERY much harder to spot in prey animals eg rabbits, horses Obvious stress from boarding kennels/groomer How do we know? Vocalising, body language Second hand stress from other animals (including and often especially, human cohabitants) How do we know? Body language, often subtle, can be very obvious
Stress We all know people suffering from stress Most of us are aware of the long term health implications Less aware of the implications for our pets We need to become more aware and more proactive in preventing stress we can directly empathise with how it feels A common example is dogs left at home we often get involved, not because the dog is stressed, but because it is wrecking the house! Good stress anticipation, excitement
Energy Whole field in itself We know scientifically that everything is made up of cells interacting by means of energy exchange This exchange affects other beings, too We are surrounded by EMFs; WiFi, mobile phone masts, radio wave, light waves they all affect us and our pets Important to control and minimise we don t yet know the long term effects
Hormonal Problems Hormones influence behaviour in a multitude of ways Extremely complex, need to be functioning optimally This relates to nutrition poor raw materials = poor hormones etc Thyroid dysfunction commonly seem in cases we get involved in Important to be CERTAIN it s not a factor Cortisol is a stress hormone
Hormonal/Medical malfunctions Essential to rule out (or treat) Unfair (on pet and guardian!) to try to re-educate a pet if the undesirable behaviour is its way of relieving stress The animal may not be able to change the behaviour if it is influenced by a hormone imbalance, for example Simplistic example no training a DRI to scratching if your dog has fleas or an allergic itch!
Ethology We as pet guardians have an obligation to understand: What our pet is Where it comes from What is normal for the species (and for the individual) Research, ideally BEFORE getting the pet!
Relationships SUPER important to have a vet who you trust Preferably who you like and your pet likes (good energy!) Important that your vet is knowledgeable about behaviour (whether or not that s the reason for your pet seeing them, it needs to be a good experience overall to allow your pet to forgive the essential nasty bits) If you are addressing a behaviour problem, the person helping you needs to work in conjunction with your vet
Who can help you with a problem? Everything above about your vet applies here ALL practising vets are appropriately qualified Not all trainers/behaviour counsellors are, no overall regulation (YET!) Association of Pet Dog Trainers Pet Professional Guild Institute of Modern Dog Trainers Canine Connections (local group)
Prevention is better than Cure!! Know your pet s ethology Provide the best possible environment and nutrition Train proactively from the minute your pet arrives Prepare for the future vet visits, home alone, travel Keep good records