This might sound like just a semantic argument but an animal behaviourist would describe the former as your classic naughty, unruly, boisterous dog, while the latter is more the significant behavioural or mental issues such as anxiety, overt aggression, marked fearfulness etc. You often read in the news that as many as one in four of us will suffer from some sort of mental illness during our lifetime – be it anxiety, obsessive behaviour, depression, etc. – and it’s thought a similar number of our four legged companions may suffer in silence with us.

Behavioural problems in dogs and cats include various anxiety tendencies, such as firework phobias, separation anxiety – even agarophobic tendencies. We also see many cases of aggression either to other dogs or to humans. Obsessive/compulsive behaviours are common – e.g. manic tail chasing in dogs or fur licking and overgrooming in cats. In cats we also see anxiety causing urinating or spraying in the house and it can even trigger a physical illness such as cystitis. Sadly, dogs and cats are also not immune from senility with ‘canine cognitive dysfunction’ or doggy dementia increasingly common.

Prevention is better than cure!
For many behavioural issues the best preventative advice is to start controlled exposure early in a pet’s life – issues can arise when pets are very young. There is a critical period of learning and socialisation that takes place in the first 6 months of a pet’s life. Anxiety disorders often come about later in life because key exposure to noises/other dogs/farm animals was missing early on, or a particularly unpleasant exposure left a lasting impression. For example, a dog that doesn’t meet with lots of different dogs when it’s a puppy is more likely to be fearful or aggressive when it is older. A dog that was never left on its own when it was young is more likely to suffer separation anxiety later in life. Dogs and cats that don’t get enough exercise or stimulation are more likely to be destructive or develop compulsive behavioural traits from boredom and frustration.

Once a behavioural problem has become established there are still plenty of training and treatment options. Positive reinforcement is the cornerstone of dealing with many anxiety issues – i.e. trying to create a positive link with whatever’s upsetting your pet. Controlled exposure to the causes of anxiety, while giving treats or rewards for remaining calm, can start to break down a negative association. There are dietary supplements that can increase serotonin levels (the bodies calming hormone), dog and cat pheromone sprays (DAP and Feliway), anti-anxiety medications may be appropriate and sometimes even a lower protein diet can help. The options are many and varied depending on the problem and the pet. If you are having a behavioural issue with your furry friend come in and talk to us about what training or treatment options might help.

It is said that as many as 2/3rds of dogs that are taken to animal shelters are surrendered because of behavioural problems. Many of these problems are preventable, manageable or treatable. Of course, some of us are also blind to our pet’s less attractive behavioural traits, fortunately neither of mine have any to talk of!