Dr. Kari Johnson, DVM

Many of the medical treatments that have been available to human patients are more commonly becoming available for our pets. In fact, some research being done at veterinary schools like Purdue and research centers in veterinary oncology are furthering human research and treatments. When I got curious about water therapy and physical rehabilitation, I reached out to my referring veterinarians. I was lucky enough to meet and interview Dr. Kari Johnson, DVM. Dr. Johnson is on her way to becoming Certified as a Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner. I met with her in her office at Animal Surgical Clinic of Seattle and she explained her work while I observed her working with a Boerboel Mastiff client whose owner brought her dog for underwater treadmill rehab post knee surgery but was continuing with the therapy because of the ongoing benefits.

When Dr. Johnson introduced herself to me, I noticed two things: her calm, warm demeanor when she introduced herself and that she was wearing a bait/treat bag. Any of you familiar with our work at Companion Animal Solutions know how much we love seeing positive reinforcement being used with pets! While Dr. Johnson filled the treadmill tank with warm water with her client dog inside the tank, she began educating me about veterinary rehabilitation therapy:

When is veterinary rehabilitation indicated for dogs?

Some of the reasons veterinarians refer to rehabilitation specialists include: recovery from surgery, osteoarthritis, soft tissue injury, intervertebral disk disease or even weight loss and sports conditioning for hunting and agility dogs.

How do you condition dogs to relax around rehab equipment?

The equipment I saw in Dr. Johnson’s therapy room was the same as what you would see in your own physical therapist’s office. I was especially curious about installing a positive conditioned emotional response in a dog to a tank that is slowing filling with warm water. Dr. Johnson explained that when she begins work with a new dog, she gently introduces the dog to the environment and equipment using treats. If she sees the dog shake off, yawn or stop taking treats, she drains the tank and ends the session. The dog I observed during her underwater treadmill session displayed no stress signals: no lip licking, yawning, or stress panting. In fact, the only time the dog displayed any stress signals was when I changed her routine by keeping her in the room while continuing to talk to Dr. Johnson. She was ready to head back out to her owner after her session.

What is post surgical recovery like, how long are sessions and how many sessions are normally required?

After surgery, Dr. Johnson recommends that dogs only take potty walks for the first 10 to 14 days. Though physical rehab exercises can begin immediately after surgery under the guidance of a practitioner, underwater treadmill sessions usually begin 10-14 days after surgery to allow the skin to heal. Sessions are about 30 minutes in duration. Dr. Johnson feels that 8 to 12 weekly sessions are ideal but she can normally accomplish a lot of her goals with a dog in as little as four sessions.

How do you know if the therapy is working?

Dr. Johnson sets quantifiable metrics for her patients’ recovery so how she evaluates success depends on the goals she has for the dog and the goals her owner has for their dog. She measures degree of lameness, assessment of pain, range of motion, humorous growth and muscle density. She tracks each patient’s metrics so that she can adjust her sessions accordingly. In cases of sports conditioning or weight loss, her metrics are the same but also include weight loss, gait evaluation, heart rate, and overall movement.

What about canine aquatic centers?

Dr. Johnson recommended that only dogs that are 100% healthy be taken to non-veterinary canine aquatic centers. She recommends that owners and aquatic center personnel be especially careful of entry and exit into the pool since this is where most injuries occur.

I hope that this article inspires all of those owners out there who want to help their dog’s recovery along with physical therapy but honestly, I see so many bored, under-exercised and over weight dogs in my practice that I fervently hope that upon reading this article, owners with “healthy” dogs will consider a diet and exercise plan with a veterinary professional like Dr. Johnson. I came away from my experience with Dr. Johnson full of respect for her compassionate and scientific approach. Now, if I could just get my own personal trainer to consider that under water treadmill thing!

Have you taken your dog to rehabilitation therapy? What was your experience? If you’ve never heard of this type of therapy, do you have questions? We’ll happily pass them along to Dr. Johnson.

We know that outdoor cats live shorter lives subject to disease and injury, yet many cat owners believe that their cats cannot be happy unless they go outside. I think one of the reasons people believe this is that many cats suffer from environmentally deprived environments without their owners even knowing they could be doing more for their cats. The added benefit is that spraying/marking, aggressive behaviors, excessively rough play and scratching of furniture and walls which are common complaints from owners of indoor cats can be helped or eliminated by following our recommendations.  Try some of these  ideas and see if they don’t make you and your cat happier:

Climbing/Viewing: If you live in a multi-cat household, providing vertical territory is especially important. Providing climbing opportunities can help alleviate cat/cat aggression and spraying/marking problems. Cat window perches, towers and condos allow your cat to jump and climb, which is especially appreciated near a window.  If you shop around, you might be surprised, cat trees have come a long way. For fashion conscious owners, we recommend installing floating shelves in a stair step pattern. Shelves can be purchased to match any decor. When you bring a new cat tree into the house or install shelves, spray them with Feliway to help your cat relax around the new item. You can further encourage your cat’s use of trees or shelves with catnip or treats.

Exercise: Cats thrive on engaging their predatory instincts.  Toys that mimic small prey (mice, bugs, birds) via their material or movement patterns encourage running, pouncing, stalking, appropriate scratching and climbing. Most cats love fishing pole toys with feathers or a fuzzy toy at the end of the line.

Clicker Training: Cats respond very well to positive reinforcement and can be trained to sit, lay-down, wave, etc. just like dogs! If you’re interested in getting started with clicker training your cat, search for ‘clicker training cat’ on YouTube and you’ll get results that will keep you viewing for days.

Working for Food: Teach your cat to hunt for his meals by hiding food around the house or use “Work to Eat” toys, see some of our suggestions here. You don’t have to buy work to eat toys, you can make your own. Check out our article Work It Kitty for home made work to eat toys and video.

Scratching Items:  Scratching products indulge your cat’s need to stretch, scent and groom their claws. Made from natural (sisal, cardboard) and synthetic (carpet) materials, vertical posts, towers, door-hanging or flat floor designs are widely available.  Place in high traffic areas, and particularly near prohibited scratching objects such as your furniture!

“Play Alone” Toys: Toys such as the ‘Fling-ama-string’ offer animated movement to encourage play while you’re unavailable to assist. An internet search on ‘motorized cat toys’ will give you plenty of options for toys your cat can chase and interact with.

Bringing the Outdoors Inside:  Consider providing your feline with ‘cat-grass’ or catnip.  Cat-grass is sprouted oat or wheat grass, which you may grow or purchase pre-potted at a pet/health-food store.  Cat-grass inexpensively provides chewing, dietary fiber, and nutrients and may discourage houseplant eating.  The natural plant chemicals in Catnip produce excitable rolling and play behaviors in some cats. Many individuals are highly attracted to its scent. Many cats love running water so what better addition than a fountain? You can purchase a fountain or why not get creative and make your own? Search on ‘diy cat fountains’ and you’ll find instructional videos and plans.

Outdoor Options For the Indoor Cat:  An internet search search on ‘cat enclosures’ produces an array of outdoor cat-habitats of various sizes, complexities and costs.  These may be home-built or purchased, so long as they are secure.  Inclusion of a variety of safely attached toys, tree branches, scratching posts and non-toxic plants provides mental and physical exercise.  One of our favorite sites to purchase enclosures is Canada Cat Enclosures. If you’re the DIY type, we found Catio Designs which sells plans for different types of enclosures.

Going For a Walk: Purchase a harness made specifically for cats. We like the Come With Me cat harness made by Premier. Go slowly and allow the cat to sniff the harness. You can then start pairing the harness with treats. Once your cat is wearing the harness, attach the leash and let your cat walk around the house until the cat is comfortable (don’t forget the treats). When you’re ready to go outside for the first time, go at your cat’s pace. Remember, this experience is totally new for your cat so give them time to acclimate and move forward when they’re ready. You can try luring your cat into a walk with treats. Walking your cat is good for you, good for your cat and you’re sure to get smiles and waves from passersby.

Chasing: Toys that move in unpredictable ways (either with your help, or by motor/magnets) allow your cat to run and perform seek-and-catch behaviors. Ping pong balls are inexpensive and fun.

Homemade Cat Toy Ideas:  To inexpensively expand your cat’s toy collection, consider creating enticing objects from items around your house.  Your cat might enjoy:

• Hidden Objects:  Stash a small, safe object or favorite toy underneath an overturned cardboard box.  Cut holes in the box just large enough for your cat to peer and/or reach inside.  Favorite toys often become more enticing when obscured by a sheet of noisy, dig-able newspaper.
• Cat Caves: Overturned boxes or paper shopping bags (without handles) provide a crinkly, dark place for your ever-clever cat to hide within.  Drag a toy past “his door” for even more excitement.
• Prey: Create ‘mice’ by filling a sock-toe with catnip or crinkly material, and tying it off.

Providing environmental enrichment can be as fun for us as it is for our cats. What things do your cats enjoy? Does your cat have an “unusual” toy or activity they enjoy?

First impressions count. This is as true for dogs as it is for us. Taking some time to think through how to introduce dogs appropriately can mean the difference between dogs learning to be friends or ending up in a situation where you’re trying to overcome distrust and fear when the dog/dog greeting goes wrong.

Off Leash Introduction
I prefer off leash greetings if at all possible since all dogs are more reactive on leash than off leash. Off leash introductions alleviate two potential problems:

1. When dogs are confronted with a situation, person or other dog they don’t know and even the most minor thing goes wrong, they have two options: fight or flight. Leashes take a dog’s flight option away which makes an aggressive display much more likely.
2. Barrier frustration is a form of behavioral thwarting. When a dog sees another dog, they want to investigate. The leash makes this impossible. See my article What Is a Reactive Rover?

I recommend finding a location that is neutral to both dogs. Don’t conduct the greeting in one of the dog’s territory. If both dogs have a good history of interacting with other dogs, just find a safe, neutral location, get the dogs as far apart as possible and turn them loose. If either of the dogs has a spotty history of meeting other dogs, put the dogs on 20 or 30 foot draglines, do not hold onto the leashes, let them drag. That way, if either dog gets snarky, you can grab the draglines at the same time and reel both dogs in. Once the dogs are either playing or sniffing around, you can take the off draglines.

On Leash Introductions
If finding a safe area to introduce the dogs on draglines is not an option, here is how I like to do it:
Again, find a neutral location. Start with the dogs on opposite ends of the street and on opposite sides of the street. Walk towards the other dog. Every time your dog looks at the other dog, mark it with a click or “yes” and give the dog a treat. If at any point, one of the dogs begins to react, u-turn and move further away. Once you’ve completed two or three “drive bys” with neither dog reacting, have the handler with the less confident dog, walk behind the more confident dog. If one or both of the dogs just can’t walk by one another, even with a street in between them, you’ll need to find a safe location where the dogs can greet off leash. I would also recommend fixing the dog’s leash reactivity.

When everyone is calm and ignoring each other, gradually move into position for a parallel walk. Make sure there’s as much space between the two teams as possible and then move gradually closer to one another. Once the dogs are walking together, either find a safe location and drop the leashes or walk to your fenced yard and drop the leashes. Use the leashes as draglines so that if a scuffle breaks out, you can grab the draglines off the ground and pull the dogs apart. If you have a scuffle, end the session and separate the dogs. If butt sniffing breaks out, wait for the introduction to end or for play to break out. When both dogs have had enough, walk into the house together.

What other ideas do you have for helping dogs greet one another? Have you tried any of my suggestions for introducing dogs? What happened? I know there are as many techniques for introducing dogs as there are owners and dogs. We’d love for you to share your ideas and experiences!

Do you dread trips to the veterinarian with your dog or cat? Do you wonder if the veterinarians and vet techs dread your visit as much as you do? The veterinary staff needs to be able to perform thorough examinations, provide treatments and perform procedures. How can they be expected to do their best work if they’re fighting your pet every step of the way? It’s stressful for everyone but it’s also unfortunate because it doesn’t have to be this way. With some preparation and training time, you can dramatically lower the stress experienced by your pet, you and the veterinary staff.

Cats

Most dogs love riding in the car but most cats only ride in the car when they’re going one place, the veterinarian. Since safely transporting a cat in the car involves putting them in a carrier, preparing some cats for a trip to the veterinarian can require a bit more preparation.

Love the Cat Carrier

Here are some ideas for teaching your cat to love being in their carrier:

1. Start with a hungry cat and a cozy carrier.
2. Feeding your cat near his carrier can help him get used to it. Keep feeding your cat near his carrier until he seems relaxed or better yet, he gets curious and inspects the carrier on his own.
3. The next step is to feed or give treats just inside the rim of the open carrier and let the cat approach the food voluntarily. We want the cat comfortable going in and out of the crate. Playing games with a ball or fishing pole toy can make going in and out of the crate fun!
4. Slowly move the bowl closer and closer to the back of the carrier until he is fully inside. When the cat finishes his meal inside the carrier, give him a few treats at the door of the crate to encourage him to stay inside instead of darting out.
5. Gradually increase the time the cat stays in his carrier. Work to Eat toys and stuffed Kongs can be useful, first with the door open a few sessions, then with it closed but with you near by. Gradually increase the time your cat is in the carrier with you in another room or out of the house on a 30-minute errand.

Love Car Rides

You’ve been working hard but in short sessions so now you’re reading to prepare your cat for car rides. Use similar steps with car rides as you used with your carrier work: providing irresistible treats and building on short, happy experiences. First near the car, then near the car with car on, then in the car and then in the car with motor running, etc.

1. Move the car down the driveway for a few sessions, then down the street, then down the block gradually increasing the amount of time spent in the car.
2. When going places either go home (safe/familiar environment) or to visit the vet (only to get treats or attention) and finally to the vet office for check ups when the pet is relaxed in these situations.

Tolerate Handling

Some cats do not like being handled, not even for petting. If you have a cat who tolerates some petting but will not tolerate having their heads, ears, tail or paws handled, you’ve got work to do:

1. Begin with a hungry cat, during a time of day when they’re calm and sleepy. Gently stroke the part of your cat’s body that is most sensitive and pair this touching with treats.
2. For example, touch your cat’s ear gently and for just a second. Pair this with a treat. Keep these sessions short, say 30 seconds.
3. At each session, increase the duration that you’re touching the body part.
4. Once the cat is tolerating a gentle touch for 30 seconds, you can begin increasing the intensity of the manipulation of the body part.
5. When your cat will tolerate you handling their ears, paws and tail, begin asking friends and family to stroke your cat gently while feeding treats.

Dogs

Many dog owners are not off the hook when it comes to body handling. Use the same steps described above for getting your dog comfortable being handled. Don’t push; keep the sessions short (before your dog starts pulling away) and positive.

Leash Reactivity

The problem many dog owners experience during a veterinary visit is their dog barking and lunging at other dogs in the lobby or going in and out of the exam rooms. If your dog barks and lunges at other dogs when on walks, this will only intensify in the confined area of the vet’s office. You can register for one of our Reactive Rover classes to learn how to keep your dog calm on leash around other dogs. In the meantime, if you know your dog is going to go off at other dogs or cats:

1. Leave your dog in the car when you arrive at the veterinarian’s office.
2. Go inside and sign in with the receptionist, explain your dog’s situation and wait by yourself in the lobby.
3. When the vet tech is ready for you, go out to your car and bring your dog inside for his visit.

Veterinarian = Party Time!

Our most important piece of advice for dog and cat owners is to randomly make visits to the vet for positive experiences in between actual appointments. Stop into your vet’s office once a month for a treat party. Stay for a minute or two and give your dog/cat treats and ask the veterinary staff if they’d like to give your pet some treats. This will make arriving and getting through an actual appointment much easier.

The emotional state of your pet during a veterinary exam is extremely important. If your pet is stressed and fearful, anything that happens to them can become forever intolerable. Over time, even the simplest non-confrontational restraint or handling can become difficult, which can resort to more aggressive or even pharmaceutical means of restraint. With some preparation and training, veterinary visits can be a lot less stressful and if we’re doing it right, even fun for your pet!

Are you a Veterinarian or Vet Tech? What advice would you give pet owners about visiting your practice? If you’re a dog or cat owner, what techniques have worked with your pet in making vet visits less stressful?

I chose to devote my career to working with anxious, fearful and aggressive dogs. If you read the articles I post here and in our newsletter that include Why Dogs Bite, What Is a Reactive Rover, Dogs Biting Children, well, you get the idea. I know many wonderful trainers who also work with fearful dogs and when we get together, we bemoan how clueless people can be when approaching a dog they don’t know. We spend an unbelievable amount of time coaching owners of fearful dogs on how to protect their dogs on walks. Some of our suggestions have included body blocking, using the crossing guard ‘STOP’ hand signal, crossing the street and telling strangers that their dog has a contagious skin disease (thanks Nicole Wilde). So when I saw a post on Facebook about a new product called the CAUTIONWALKER Safety Leash, I was on that web site in a matter of seconds to check it out. When I emailed the CAUTIONWALKER Safety Leash company, Matt Cunningham replied back to me and he sent me one so that I could try it for myself.

The first thing that impressed me about this leash is the quality:

• It’s made of really thick nylon. Their web site says “Same sturdy construction as truck cargo straps” and they are not exaggerating.
• The stitching is well done.
• It has a sturdy handle and swivel clip that attaches to the dog’s collar.
• The CAUTION tape look is completely authentic. It’s large enough and bright enough to be seen at a distance.

The price is very reasonable at $17.99 with free shipping and they offer “Bulk discount for vets, pet stores and dog-training professionals”. Their web site is clear, easy to read and addresses the issue of child safety. Do you really want strangers approaching your kids if they’re walking the dog?

My only minor criticism of this new product is that the leash is just over two feet long. I understand why they made the decision to keep the leash short. My owners are so nervous that they’re clutching the leash and reigning the dog in as close to them as possible but that’s part of what we try to get them over: “relax”, “nice loose J in the leash please”. That being said though, there’s no reason you couldn’t buy a splitter or extender if you really want the additional length.

I was a Senior Quality Assurance Manager before changing careers to dog training and animal behavior which means it takes a lot to impress me with any new product and the CAUTIONWALKER Safety Leash impresses me. I LOVE this new product and can’t wait to start using them with our clients.

In my post Control Your Dog’s Barking, I discussed the most common reason owners complain about their dogs barking, Alert Barking. In this post, I wanted to talk about some of the other reasons that dogs bark and how you can stop the barking as effectively as possible.

Separation Anxiety/Distress
If your dog is barking all day while you’re gone, that’s a type of separation anxiety. While it may be tempting to use a bark collar (spray or shock) to simply shut off the behavior, we strongly recommend that you do NOT do that. Separation anxiety/distress is a type of panic disorder so using aversives or pain to simply shut it off can cause more damage to your dog in terms of behavioral fallout (increased anxiety and fear).

If you’ve received a neighbor complaint about your dog barking “all day”, it’s time to set up a web cam and observe your dog’s behavior remotely. Neighbor reporting is sometimes unreliable as one hour of barking can seem like all day if you’re the neighbor having to listen to the barking. If your dog really is barking all day, that means your dog is suffering. The first thing you can try is to stop feeding your dog out of a bowl and put their food in puzzle toys. Let them eat their meals while you are gone. You can see our favorite work to eat toys here. If  your dog will not eat while you’re gone, it’s time to call a professional to help you counter condition your dog’s panic disorder. If you want to know what protocols work for treating separation anxiety, we recommend I’ll Be Home Soon by Patricia McConnell, PhD, CAAB or Don’t Leave Me by Nicole Wilde.

Fear Barking and Conflict Behavior Barking
Dogs bark when they’re trying to tell a person, other dog or thing to go away. It’s a display that says “I’m not comfortable so back off!” Sometimes though, dogs are anxious and conflicted so they will bark as a way of gathering information about the situation in which they find themselves. These dogs are conflicted. They are curious about the person, other dog or thing but they’re also anxious and uncertain. This is a type of conflict behavior but can be helpful to the dog when they’re trying to figure out what type of social interaction they’re about to have. We often see these dogs engage in approach/avoid behavior. They will approach barking but then back up.

If your dog is fearful or conflicted, we recommend that you take your dog further away from the person, other dog or thing they’re reacting to. Things are always scarier or more exciting the closer they are. If you move away, you are NOT reinforcing their fear. Instead what you’re teaching your dog is that you hear them and they don’t have to escalate their emotional reaction further to make their point (lunge or bite). If your dog is fearful, anxious or conflicted they are suffering. Call a qualified professional to help you. We also recommend the book titled Cautious Canine by Patricia McConnell, PhD, CAAB.

Demand Barking
Some dogs bark because they want your attention and you know what? This almost always works for most dogs. Owners respond by saying “quiet!” There are two ways we recommend you handle demand barking:

1. You can simply ignore them until they stop. This method is called extinction. What we’re teaching the dog is that this type of barking does NOT work any more. Using this method is painful for owners either because they’re concerned about their neighbors or family members being annoyed or because the extinction burst that happens right before the barking behavior stops drives them to distraction. An extinction burst is what happens when the behavior becomes suddenly, horrifically worse. This is the time to hold firm because it’s an indication the behavior is about to extinguish for good.
2. If you can’t survive the extinction process, then it’s time to teach the dog that the barking gets them the opposite of what they want. Leave the room and close the door behind you. You can also use “time outs” for this type of barking as well but in our experience, it doesn’t work as well because even timing them out is attention.

Frustration Barking
Does your dog bark at squirrels? Does you dog bark at your neighbor’s dog on the other side of your fence? Does your dog L-O-V-E other dogs off leash but when your dog sees another dog on leash the barking begins? If so, you know all about frustration barking. Most often, the cause of this type of barking is barrier frustration. Barrier frustration is a form of behavioral thwarting which means your dog sees someone or something they want to chase or investigate and can’t because of a leash or fence. We also see this type of barking in dog training classes when the dog is trying to figure out what will make their owner click/treat. When they can’t figure out what they have to do to get the click/treat, they will bark out of frustration. If your dog is barking at other dogs while on leash, you need to figure out why your dog is barking/lunging. My article What Is a Reactive Rover might help you figure out why this behavior is happening. If you’re in Seattle or Vancouver/Portland, we offer classes to fix this problem. We really like a book/DVD set by Kim Moeller called Reactive Rover.

What other types of barking does your dog engage in? What techniques have you used to keep the barking around your house to a minimum?

13212 SE Eastgate Way, Bellevue, WA 98005

The Seattle Humane Society is conducting the 6th annual Catapalooza event in the Factoria neighborhood of Bellevue, Washington on August 13th and 14th. We’re excited to be participating again this year along with other cat behavior professionals. If you’re interested in cat behavior, speakers will be giving presentations on everything cat:

Saturday, August 13th

11:00 How to Make a Happy Home for an Indoor Cat by Dr. Cori Gross, DVM
12:00 Cat Behavior and Mis-Behavior by Christine Hibbard, CTC, CPDT-KA
1:00 Litter Box by Wailani Sung, DVM
2:00 First Impressions Count! Cat/Cat and Cat/Dog Introductions by Christine Hibbard, CTC, CPDT-KA
3:00 Clicker Training for Cats by Wailani Sung, DVM
4:00 Tellington Touch for Cats by Emily Keegans, CTC, CPDT-KA

Sunday, August 14th

11:00 Environmental Enrichment: Reducing Behavior Problems and Saving the Environment by Christine Hibbard
12:00 Kitten Basics: Litter Box, Appropriate Play, Socialization, Handling by Jennifer Schneider
1:00 Litter Box by Wailani Sung, DVM
2:00 Tellington Touch for Cats by Emily Keegans, CTC, CPDT-KA
3:00 Clicker Training for Cats by Wailani Sung, DVM
4:00 Tellington Touch for Cats by Emily Keegans, CTC, CPDT-KA

It’s not all serious topics though. There are plenty of fun activities for the entire family!

• Face painting, cat-toy making and education stations for kids
• Cat-centric art, treats, leashes, collars and more!

You can read more here. Come on out and see us!

We offered a workshop Animal Behavior for Veterinary Professionals in Seattle. We invited veterinarians and vet tech to attend lectures by Dr. Louisa Beal, DVM, Jim Ha, PhD, CAAB and yours truly. We had a great time meeting our veterinary colleagues, learning about the issues they deal with in their practices and answering questions.

But wait, it gets better! We were fortunate to have the Tawzer Dog people at our workshop to film our presentations. Everyone at Tawzer Dog was an amazing professional and made the experience a genuine pleasure for all of us. Now our lectures are available for purchase or rental at TawzerDog.com. They have recently launched a service modeled after NetFlix where for a small, monthly fee, you can rent DVDs by Veterinarians, Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists and Certified Professional Dog Trainers. Tawzer put trailers together for us on YouTube:

Behavioral Genetics of Dogs and Cats by Jim Ha, Medication for Animal Behavior Problems by Louisa Beal, Confrontational Behavior Modification Techniques by Jim Ha and Recommended Behavior Modification Protocols and Outcomes by Christine Hibbard.

If you like what you see and you’d like to rent or purchase any of these lectures, visit TawzerDog:

• Behavioral Genetics of Dogs and Cats by Jim Ha
• Medication for Animal Behavior Problems by Louisa Beal
• Confrontational Behavior Modification Techniques by Jim Ha
• Recommended Behavior Modification Protocols and Outcomes by Christine Hibbard

If your dog suffers from noise phobia, you know that it is a serious condition. Dogs don’t just “get over” noise phobia with time and enough exposure. In fact, we have documented cases where dogs got continually worse over time and even began generalizing their fear to other stimuli. An example of this is a dog who is afraid of fireworks that over time, becomes afraid of the backyard. If your dog is suffering, there are things you can do to keep your dog safe and even help them feel better.

Desensitization and Counter Conditioning
Begin by purchasing/downloading recordings of sounds.  You can purchase a fairly comprehensive set of sounds via iTunes (buses, trucks, honking horns, construction sounds, etc). Legacy Canine sells a CD that comes highly recommended.

Begin playing the sounds so softly that your dog does not react. If your reacts, you’re playing the sounds too loud. You can leave the sounds playing for as long as you like. After a week or two of slowly increasing the volume (one click up in volume every few days). You can begin pairing the sounds with high value food. Keep these food sessions short, two minutes or less. Noise = Click/Treat. Ironically, most noise phobic dogs are not afraid of clickers but if your dog is, use a marker word like “click” or “yes”.

Management
Set up a place in your home that provides the best insulation from noise. Set up a system that allows you to play classical music (Bach and Mozart are best), use a white noise generator or TV.
Stuff Kongs with canned food or other high value foods like chicken, string cheese, hot dog bits, etc. Have your dog’s favorite chewable on hand: smoked bones, deer antlers, himalayan chews and bully sticks all work well.

Medication
According to Karen Overall, VMD, PhD, ACVB, “pharmacological intervention has been more successful in controlling a phobic response to noise than has flooding or desensitization.” Make an appointment with your veterinarian to determine whether he/she thinks medication might be helpful for you dog. NOTE: She also notes in her book Behavioral Medicine for Small Animals: “Acepromazine is not recommended for treating aggression or for home use in tranquilizing anxious, agitated or aggressive dogs.  It provides chemical restraint and is not an anxiolytic.  Acepromazine can also increase reactivity to sound and so may be particularly inappropriate for anxiety induced by sounds such as thunder, fireworks, large diesel engines, etc. Benzodiazepines are considered safer for reducing situational anxiety.”

Other Ideas
The company that makes the Thundershirt claims that their product helps 85% of dogs with noise sensitivity/phobia and since they offer a money back guarantee, it’s worth trying. Melatonin is mentioned in various articles about noise phobia written by veterinarians. Ask your veterinarian about dosages.

WARNING: Do not leave your dog outside, attended or otherwise. When your dog panics, he is pumped full of adrenaline, which gives him super doggy strength. Owners report that their dogs dug under the fence, chewed through the fence or jumped over the fence. Noise phobia is traumatic enough without having to pick your dog up from Animal Control or worse, search for your lost dog.

To learn more about noise phobia, see our previous article on Surviving the 4th of July. If you’d like this information in handout form, contact us at info@companionanimalsolutions.com.

National Adopt a Cat Month means that many of us will either be introducing a new cat to our home or at least contemplating whether adopting a cat is a good idea. Cats are very different from dogs in that regardless of whether you’ve socialized your cat well as a kitten with other cats/dogs, not all cats adapt well to a new feline family member. The good news though is that most cats learn to adapt and even enjoy one another if introduced properly and over a long enough period of time. Here are the tips we give owners for increasing the chances of a successful cat adoption:

Kittens

What is cuter than a kitten? One that gets off on the right paw! Set up a management area for your new kitten which contains food, litter box, hiding places and toys. Do not let your kitten have free access to your home since it’s easy for a young kitten to get lost and forget where their litter box is located. Over a few weeks, slowly increase the range of your home you make available to your kitten. As you expand the area of your home, add additional litter boxes. There should be at least one litter box per cat, per floor. If you catch your kitten using the litter box or scratching at their scratching post, give them a treat or a play session with you when they’re finished. Reward the behavior you want and you’ll get more of it!

Cat/Cat Introductions

Set up a safe area for the new cat which contains food, litter box, hiding places and toys. Give the new cat a few days to acclimate and realize they’re safe in their new home. Make time to play with your new kitty. If you have existing cats in the house, wipe a damp cloth over your existing kitties’ heads and bodies and leave that cloth in your new cat’s area. We want the new cat to get used to the scents of the other cat(s) in the home. After a few days, it’s time to give the cat a tiny bit more access to the other cats in the home by feeding the cats extra tasty wet food or treats on opposite sides of a closed door. After a week of this, you can try replacing the door with an extra tall baby gate or netting. We want the cats to see one another but not allow them to have access to one another just yet. Now you can feed them on opposite sides of the netting or gate for a few days but only a few days. If the cats have visual access to one another but can’t physically get to one another, you risk one of the cats spraying/marking at the barrier.

You’ve decided things are proceeding smoothly so it’s time to give the cats physical access to one another. Here are some tips for keeping initial introductions positive:

• Make sure there are plenty of escape routes including cat trees, cat condos and perches for a quick escape (no confined spaces or closing the cats into an area).
• Keep the interactions short at first (a few minutes the first time).
• If you see either cat beginning to stiffen or posture, separate the cats and try again the next day (if possible, never let a fight break out).
• Keep the cats’ interactions positive using toys and treats.
• Only leave the cats out together unsupervised when they’ve been interacting positively for several weeks.
• Keep the environmental enrichment high (lots of interactive toys, work to eat puzzles, scratching posts, etc).

Cat/Dog Introductions

Is your dog a good candidate to have a feline housemate? Does your dog have any experience living with cats? Does your existing dog sometimes chase your cat(s)? Most often, dogs are curious about cats and if they run, the game is on (toys that move)! If this is your dog, try to brush up on your dog’s training. Useful commands to brush up on are: leave it, go to mat and stay. Increase your dog’s daily exercise and environmental enrichment: work to eat toys, chews, etc.

If your dog has high prey drive (they’ve proven it by bringing you a mole, bunny or other small creature), trying to add a cat to your household will be anywhere from extremely difficult to impossible depending on your level of management and commitment to training. Remember, a behavior with a high genetic component is the most difficult to change. I’ve seen dogs with high prey drive learn the difference between a furry family member versus prey but I always worry about instinctual drift. This can happen if the cat becomes startled, runs or gets cornered. Your dog can go from family pet to predator in a split second.

Troubleshooting

Litter Box Problems: If one or more of your cats stops using the litter box, look at the placement of your boxes. Most owners like to put litter boxes in out of the way areas. After all, we like privacy, don’t our cats? Not if the litter box can allow them to be trapped in a dead end hallway or inside a laundry room.

Spraying/Marking: Most owners assume this is territorial behavior and it is but it can be started or exacerbated by anxiety. Increase environmental enrichment and encourage positive interactions between the cats. Make interactions positive with play and/or treats. Increase environmental enrichment opportunities.

Aggression: If aggression breaks out, we recommend early intervention by a qualified animal behavior specialist. Aggression rarely resolves itself and is likely to escalate.

Are you planning to adopt a cat or kitten this season? What have your experiences been integrating pets into your household? Do you have tips for cat adoption success? We’d love you to share them!