A while ago, I wrote a blog titled Questions to Ask Before Adopting a Dog or Puppy about the adoption process, and things to consider when you’re trying to find the right dog for your home. At the time, I was searching for a dog, which I have finally found. From the time I got the go ahead from my landlord to the day I was sure the right pup had found me was about 8 months. And it was quite the process.

In my line of work, you’d think that dogs would be falling into my lap, which is fairly true. But most of the dogs offered to me are dogs with issues, and while I do have the ability to fix a wide variety of behavior challenges, I have a husband and a job and a parrot. And it was proving to be quite an undertaking to find a dog with the types of issues that my life would be able to accommodate. As I said in the previous entry, vocal separation anxiety in an apartment building can have a very detrimental effect on your neighbor relations, and a high prey drive can be very hard to manage in a small space with a parrot and a dog. So we visited multiple shelters multiple times, and just didn’t find the right fit.

Until…

Fiona. One of our clients had purchased multiple puppies at the same time and asked us to come help them get off to the right start. On our first visit, we discussed one of the puppy’s extreme social fear- hot dogs and string cheese were not enough of a motivator to allow us to pet this eight week old puppy, while her litter mate was crawling all over us like we would expect of a dog that age. We warned the owners that she was going to need intense socialization in a very careful manner, as well as lots of practice being separated from her brother to prevent dog/dog separation anxiety.  Honestly, the first time I met this dog, I shook my head and wanted to have a discussion with the breeder about breeding for temperament, because this puppy was obviously genetically extremely fearful.

Two weeks later, the owners called and had decided that the little black labradoodle needed a new home. With three other puppies around, her fear was increasing, she was starting to nip and bite when over-aroused, and was very reactive when any play time was happening. Knowing that she was in a critical socialization period, and that it would be essentially impossible for them to provide the kind of socialization this puppy desperately needed, I offered to foster her. I drove to pick her up the same day (Surprise, honey! I have a puppy!), and fortunately had all of the dog equipment I needed to get her through the night. And so began my life with Fiona.

Fiona slept for the first two or three days she was with us. She woke up for potty breaks, to eat a little, and then went back to sleep. That was a pretty good indication that the owners had made the best decision for this little dog- I think she was so intensely over-stimulated with three other puppies around that she hadn’t been sleeping enough. Once she had caught up on her rest, we began our work in earnest. It took about a week before she would approach my husband, for attention, but the first time she wandered over and laid down in his lap, he was hooked. By that time, so was I.

Every potty walk was a training opportunity, and we did not bring her outside without treats of some kind. Every single person she saw was associated with treats, either because they gave them to her or because I was essentially shoveling them into her mouth as they walked past. She went to puppy class about twice a week, and had separate puppy play times in addition to classes. I exposed her to all my trainer friends’ non-aggressive dogs, my parents’ dogs, and my in-laws’ cats. She went to University Village to meet people and puppies, to Home Depot to receive treats around all the scary sights and sounds there, took tons of car rides, visited the vet for lots of cookies, and essentially had a socialization blitz for the next two months.

For the first month that I had Fiona, I didn’t have to worry about her jumping up on people- she was too scared to approach strangers and my husband and I had already taught her to sit for attention. When she did start investigating strange people, I was so excited that I would’ve let her jump on them, anyway. I’d much rather have a dog that’s so excited to see people that she’s bouncing all over the place than the dog that bites someone out of fear. Now that she’s 9 ½ months old, I hesitate to discourage her from the crazy greeting she gives her favorite people, since it took so much work to have her even tolerate direct eye contact without shivering.

The longer I have Fiona, the more I internalize (even though I’ve said this to owners a thousand times) that her training is a life-long project. She’s just now going through her second fear phase, and all of the things we worked so hard to counter-condition when she was tiny have become scary again. I find myself breaking out the treats and taking a deep breath before every walk again, and am still amazed at the things that trigger her. (Yes Fiona, I know there is an umbrella. AND that man has a hood?! How DARE he!) I also really see what a difference mental and physical exercise make in her reactivity. The days when I haven’t had a chance to take her for a good long zoom, she’s so much more alert to everything around her, and often picks up on things that I would never even notice if I didn’t have her with me.  She is a lot of work.

For all the work that she’s been, however, there have also been some things that have been ridiculously easy with her. For example, so far she hasn’t done any counter-surfing. I have left a forgotten plate of pizza on the kitchen counter with her barricaded in with it, and it will still be there when I return. She also doesn’t chew on inappropriate things, she gets along fantastically with other dogs (so far- she’s still a puppy, so that may change when she matures), housetrained very easily, and has always ridden well in the car (with a Kong and stuffed animals and chew toys). She has endeared herself to Nick completely, which is very important to me, and has been fantastic with my parrot, Kiwi. (Actually, her fear was rather helpful in this case. It only took one instance of Kiwi unexpectedly flapping off of her play stand and landing near Fiona for my poor cowardly dog to decide this angry green ball of fluff was something best avoided.)

All in all, I got very lucky. Since I’ve found Fiona, I’ve also come across two other dogs that would have been much easier to own and would have probably fit into my life just as easily. But having this project dog has made me much more empathetic to the owners of the dogs I work with. And it’s brought me to the conclusion that it’s not about finding a dog without any issues, but one whose issues you’ll be able to work with. If you’ve seen RENT, it’s summed up pretty well- “I’m looking for baggage that goes with mine.”

Got any stories about your new puppy? Are you thinking about adopting a puppy? Do you have questions about finding a puppy or setting your new puppy up for success in your new home? We’d love to hear from you!!

It’s more than mildly ridiculous that a dog trainer would not have a dog. Unfortunately, living in a Seattle apartment is very rarely conducive to dog ownership/parentage. Similarly, college, working multiple jobs, and driving a lot don’t lend themselves to being an ideal dog owner. As a result, this dog trainer has had to make do with adoring client dogs and spoiling the bejeezus out of her parents’ two dogs, Hobbes and Gracie (really, they’re family dogs, so they feel like ‘my’ dogs even though I don’t get to live with them on a day-to-day basis). However, I am finally in an apartment that allows dogs and has a convenient place to exercise and enjoy them, and I finally have a job that is flexible enough to allow me to provide sufficient attention for a dog, and I have a husband who is ready and willing to help care for and spoil a dog. What does that mean? It’s time to go dog shopping!

As soon as I realized that we were finally going to be able to bring a fuzzy animal to live with us on a permanent basis, I was ecstatic, but also very, very nervous. As a dog trainer and someone who’s worked with plenty of “problem dogs”, I’ve seen my fair share of dog-owner pairs that are simply not the right fit, whether because of the dog’s age, the breed, the owner’s age, or lifestyles and events that hadn’t been taken into consideration when the owner decided to adopt a dog. Part of the reason that it’s taken me so long to make the firm decision that it’s time to get a dog is my intense paranoia about adopting the wrong dog and not being able to provide for it properly.  Now, I’m sure that not all families preparing to bring a dog into their homes over-think the process as I much as I currently am (I’m sure of this because I’ve met many dogs who seem to have simply “appeared” in a home without much thought process at all). However, I also believe that there are plenty of potential adopters that are similarly concerned about getting the right dog for their home.  Here are some important questions to ask yourself before you decide to adopt a dog, and some recommendations once you’ve answered them honestly.

1. How much time do you have to invest in a dog? Ask this as a general question, once your new dog has adjusted to your home. Some breeds and individual dogs will require less time from an owner once they get settled in- older dogs usually don’t need as much physical exercise as a puppy or adolescent dog, and senior dogs will probably be happier to just “hang out” with you while you watch TV or read a book to unwind at the end of the day than a juvenile dog will be. If you don’t have the time to spend running or walking or playing with a high-drive dog like a herding or working breed, don’t adopt one! Australian shepherds, Border collies, hunting dogs, etc… all of these dogs can be expected to need at least two intensive exercise sessions each day, running, playing fetch, or a dog park visit (if appropriate).

2. How much energy do you want to invest in a dog? I think this is a huge question that many people don’t really consider.  I used to think that I wanted a high-drive, creepy-smart dog. Then I trained a few of them and talked to other trainers and owners who had more extensive experience with them, and realized how much energy it takes to own them.  Puppies are also energy-intensive. A rescue dog with some basic training from the rescue staff or from its previous owners probably won’t require the 100% supervision for months on end that a tiny puppy will. A puppy may require three or four hours (or more) of attention daily focused solely on the dog and their needs. As they turn into adolescents, new behavior and obedience challenges may appear, or old ones return. Even if you have the time available, will you feel burdened or resentful that your dog requires so much focused attention after you’ve had a hard day at work? Or will the time you spend exercising and training the dog be as cathartic to you as it is to the furry one?

3. What are your behavioral deal-breakers? I’m a dog trainer, and even I have some behaviors that, in my search for my own dog, I know that I will not be able to manage or fix. One of the most common (and one that, because of my work schedule, I am not prepared to modify) is separation anxiety. In an apartment building, incessant barking as a result of anxiety is a serious problem, not to mention the potential for destruction. How about potty training? Resource guarding? Dog aggression? Stranger aggression? Carefully consider your own lifestyle and the things you’d like to do with your dog. If your dog must be able to go on long walks with you in the city, you probably don’t want to adopt a leash reactive pup unless you’ve got a trainer in mind to help you with the behavior modification. Also, think carefully about resource guarding, especially in conjunction with question #7.

4. Grooming! If you are a fastidious housekeeper and are not going to enjoy having dog hair everywhere, huskies are probably not for you. How often do you want to brush your dog? Never? Once a day? I, personally, am looking for a low-maintenance kind of dog, and don’t mind the dog hair much- I’m not looking for a poodle, which won’t shed much but will need lots of brushing and regular trims to avoid matting. Keep in mind that most dogs billed as “no shed” dogs will lose some fur at some point, and generally cost more for grooming upkeep unless you’re confident enough to do your own clipping/shaving/trimming.

5. Do you want a cuddle bug or a dog that’s more independent? I want a cuddle bug, and my husband wants a cuddle bug. Some people might call these dogs clingy, but I crave the touchy-feely-scritchy contact with dogs, and would be perfectly happy with a pup that comes up and puts a paw or their head in my lap when they need attention.  Some dogs I’ve worked with would rather you throw the darn ball right now lady than pet them, and that would be hard for my little ego to swallow in my own pet. Some people would rather not have the dog hair layer on their clothes that I’ve grown accustomed to, and might want to avoid the “Velcro dogs.” Again, talk to the rescue group or breeder and tell them what you’re looking for, since they’ll be able to point you toward available dogs that may be more or less needy/clingy/cuddly.

6. Other pets? I wrote a previous post about my Quaker, Kiwi. I have the view that she came first, and newcomers to the household are going to have to learn to live with her (my husband included). If you have or think you’ll want to have other animals, consider how much time and energy you want to put into training them to coexist happily, or whether you’re willing to manage the situation to keep everyone safe. Nick and I “test drove” a marvelous German Shorthair Pointer mix named Rocket whom we thought was fabulous. He didn’t destroy my car on the way to our house, he didn’t chew on anything in the apartment, he was happy to see us but didn’t jump on either of us, was amazingly easy to call away from distractions (including an intense play session with another dog) and was generally just a wonderful, happy lover-boy. But when we cautiously introduced Kiwi (I was holding her  body with both hands, he was on a harness and leash, and believe me, she was safe), he got a light in his eyes that neither of us was completely comfortable with, could not be called off, and air-snapped in her general direction twice. We knew at that moment he was not the dog for us. We could have managed the situation- Kiwi stays in the bedroom when he’s not in the crate, we make sure he’s tired to the bone, and we teach an amazing recall and “leave it.” But that’s not where I want to focus my energy, and this amazing dog would probably be much happier in a home that wouldn’t provide such a tasty temptation.

7. The future. Countless dogs are brought to shelters and rescues each year as a result of predictable life changes. If you’re planning to get married, even if it’s in the distant future, don’t get a dog that will be afraid of or aggressive towards your spouse unless you’re prepared to work with both parties on being more comfortable around each other. If a dog is going to be afraid of something it’s very often men (or men in baseball caps or hoodies). Sorry, guys, you’re just scary with your broad shoulders and deep voices. Also consider the possibility of human babies or grandbabies in the lifetime of the dog. If you don’t have any yet, might you want some in the future? Are you willing to socialize a dog to kids and all of the strange baby equipment and noises that they’ll have to put up with when the furless children appear? If your dog guards toys or food bowls, will you be willing and able to manage the situation to avoid putting children at risk of a bite? How about moving? What are the chances that you’ll have to downsize or move long distance during your dog’s life? If you have a working breed, it will take more energy to keep your dog exercised in the city than it will in a rural setting with a backyard, so it’s a good idea to consider how likely it is that you will be changing your home environment drastically. Many dogs don’t transition well to an apartment.

This list may seem fairly obsessive and it probably is. But the answers to all of these questions can guide you toward the right dog (or maybe steer you towards the right species if a dog isn’t going to fit your lifestyle). Ultimately, it’s not just about being able to take care of a dog, but being able to enjoy taking care of it. Regardless of the pup, some things will never be fun (I don’t think anyone could make a good case for the joys of poop scooping), some things will be a blast (nothing better to me than a huge puppy smile and full-body wag when I come home), and some things will be tolerable (taking the final potty walk of the night in the Seattle mizzle).  Which aspects fall into each category depend on the person and the dog, and to ensure that you end up with a dog that you will not simply live with, but will be enriched by, spend some time before you go dog hunting to decide which traits are most important to you. Better yet, talk to other owners, trainers, groomers, rescue groups and shelter workers. Discuss your expectations for a fuzzy family member, potential life changes, and maybe even hire someone to help you select the right dog for your family. Be realistic, take your time, and expect from the outset to take some kind of positive reinforcement training class with your new dog, even if he’s already a rock star at obedience.

Part One of this article pointed out that the proposed breed-specific legislation for the City of Seattle is ambiguous and uncertain in designating which dogs it should apply to.  But even if the City works out this knot, the legislation creates further problems.

Some of the restrictions on these breeds present potential health issues. The bill’s purpose is ultimately to eliminate these breeds (or their mixes) in Seattle, mixed or purebred; accordingly, if this law passes, all mixes or purebred dogs affected by the legislation must be sterilized within seven days, “with the exception of immature dogs.” Puppies will be exempt until they’re 13 weeks old if female or 9 weeks old if male. I’m not a vet, but my puppy class students and Companion Animal Solutions‘ clients tell me their vets advise waiting to spay or neuter until the puppy reaches at least six months old.  One reason: to make sure that lack of hormones doesn’t adversely affect the puppies’ growth. Sex hormones regulate bone growth and early neutering can change some joint angles in an unhealthy way, possibly contributing to hip dysplasia or CCL rupture. Additionally, sex hormones help regulate bone density, and dogs that are spayed or neutered prematurely often have lower density.

Considering the health risks presented by neutering puppies at such a young age, I believe that a vet, not a law, should determine an appropriate age for spaying or neutering based on an individual dog’s needs. And while I am an advocate of trying to reduce pet overpopulation by neutering the vast majority of cats and dogs, thirteen weeks seems awfully young to subject a puppy to an invasive surgery like ovariohysterctomy (spaying).

A different health concern arises from the requirement that all dogs affected by the law be attended by their owner or “a responsible person designated by the owner” when outside their own home unless they are in a locked car and muzzled. My first reaction to this was disbelief, since I immediately pictured a dog in a grooming muzzle locked in a car in the middle of summer. I was slightly less nauseated when I internalized the time limit specified: less than thirty minutes. Still, in a locked car, a muzzle could be a death sentence for a dog during the summer. The definition of a muzzle in the legislation is this: “Muzzle means a restraining appliance made of metal, plastic, leather, cloth, or a combination of these materials that, when fitted and fastened over a dog’s head, nose, and mouth, prevents the dog from biting but allows the dog to breathe or pant.”

Breathe or pant. I’m arguing semantics here, but to avoid killing a dog, this particular passage should be very clear that (a) dogs shouldn’t be locked in cars when it’s hot and (b) any dog locked in a car must be able to pant with an open mouth, not just breath through their nose. Because dogs cannot sweat as humans can, their best bet for cooling off is to pant, and they can easily overheat if they’re unable to do so. Without further defining appropriate muzzles as basket muzzles, which allow dogs to fully open their mouths, take food, and drink water, but not bite, this law puts these dogs’ health and lives at risk, not through humane euthanasia but by potential heatstroke.

In Part Three of this blog, I’ll examine further aspects of the bill.

Companion Animal Solutions believes that breed bans are a bad idea for a number of reasons. Instead of discussing this broad topic in a general way, I decided to get a copy of Seattle’s proposed breed ban legislation. I found so many vague and problematic issues with Seattle’s proposed legislation that I’m breaking my article into three parts. This is the first of those three parts.

Recently I’ve noticed bumper stickers and posters popping up with sweetheart pictures of stocky dogs or small children or both, either in support of or in opposition to breed bans. In many dog communities, breed-specific legislation (BSL) has become a prominent topic of discussion and debate, resulting in a variety of websites and groups centered on promoting or preventing laws restricting ownership or breeding of “pit bulls” among other breeds. One article can neither fully explore the numerous perspectives on this delicate, emotionally loaded topic, nor discuss the rationale (or lack thereof) behind all of them. This series of blog entries will focus on the local situation: the practicality of proposed legislation that has recently been circulating in Seattle. After reading the proposed law from beginning to end, I’m convinced that the writers missed out on a few very important facts about dogs, beginning with their designation of which dogs this law would affect.

One of the biggest debate points regarding breed bans has been the ability to identify the banned breeds to begin with. The proposed Seattle law would affect the following breeds: “Akita, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Bull Terrier, Cane Corso, Dogo Argentino, Dogue de Bordeaux, Kuvasz, Pit Bull Terrier, Presa Canario, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, or Tosa Inu, or breed of any dog, or any mix of dog breeds which contains as an element of its breeding any of the abovelisted breeds, as to be identifiable of or partially of such breed(s), and any breed designated by the Director pursuant to this chapter as a “fighting breed”.

“Any mix of dog breeds with an element of any of those breeds?” How large a percentage is considered an element? Considering that dog trainers, breeders, veterinarians, and shelter workers with years of experience working with a variety of breeds are often at a loss when it comes to identifying the combination of breeds that make up many mixed-breed dogs, I’m interested to know how the city intends to enforce this. For many dogs, visual inspection will not allow reliable, accurate identification. Many Boxer or American Bulldog mixes (heck, even purebreds are frequently misidentified) might be labeled “pitbull mixes” because of their stocky build and short fur. For example, the “Find a Pit Bull Quiz” is quite enlightening for many people.

An alternative might be DNA testing, but even here we run into a reliability problem. I’ve met or heard of a number of Heinz 57 mutts whose DNA results came back “unknown,” talked to owners of AKC purebreds whose results listed three or four breeds, with the dog’s registered breed third or fourth on the list. The “Wisdom Panel MX Mixed Breed Analysis,” one of the more expensive DNA tests available, retails at about $130 before you pay the vet to do the blood draw required. My Google search to find product reviews for different DNA tests) suggests vets consider the Wisdom Panel more reliable than the cheaper cheek swab kits. According to the company website, the test has “an average accuracy of 90% in first generation cross-bred dogs.” It says nothing of second or third generation cross-bred dogs (what if the dog in question comes from two mutts, as well?), and even among the dogs they used to test, 90% accuracy isn’t a number I’d be willing to bet a dog’s life on. However, should the City of Seattle find DNA tests to be an acceptable method of determining if an element of one of the breeds in question exists, who will foot the bill for the test? Simply determining which dogs the restrictions should apply to is a huge challenge.

I’ll look at further problems with the legislation in Part Two of this blog.

I have a little Quaker Parrot (or Monk Parakeet). Her name is Kiwi, she’s about 12 years old, and I’ve owned her since she was a baby. Unfortunately, when she first came to live with me, I was young and inexperienced. Because of this, Kiwi has not had the picture perfect upbringing – not because I don’t love her dearly or because I don’t care about her behavior problems, but because I didn’t know better. As a result, she and I have some challenges to overcome, not the least of which is her desire to reduce my toes to shreds when they are placed in her line of sight. Plastic bags, salt and pepper shakers, hats, anything remotely stick-shaped, and anyone who has the audacity to come into her presence without the standard gift of applesauce are also on her List.

This latter hatred is my biggest concern with my bird, and I have been working with her fairly regularly to counter-condition her reaction when someone new enters the house. Kiwi’s fear aggression became particularly problematic for me when I decided to marry the human being she hated most: The Competition. My husband has been incredibly patient with Kiwi- the man should get a medal. She’s taken advantage of my distraction to bite him on multiple occasions- his toes, his ears (he really did want them pierced anyway), his face. And she’s survived to laugh about it later. (She reliably cackles maniacally when I rescue him.)

When Nick entered my life (and Kiwi’s), I didn’t understand much about associative learning or operant conditioning. Because Kiwi has always been fairly sensitive to new people and the way they react to her, and because Nick has not experienced birds other than Kiwi, they did not immediately get along. I did one of the worst things I could have done when she began to react badly towards him- I began to put her away every time he came over. The learning that happened was not “bird behaves badly and is timed out,” but “Nick arrives and bird is alone.” Birds are social creatures, and by returning her to her cage, even with her toys and treats in it, Nick’s presence came to predict isolation, which to Kiwi is the ultimate punishment. As Nick and I spent more time together, Kiwi’s reaction became increasingly worse, and Nick’s began to get defensive, and Kiwi figured out that screaming and rushing at him across her cage would make him go away. And her stupid mommy (me) would occasionally stick around and try to soothe her, which meant she was running the competition out and then receiving all of my attention once he was gone. As I have become far more learning savvy, it has become painfully clear to me how many things I did wrong with Kiwi early on, and how much more work I have to do with her as a result.

Enter the applesauce. I spent a fortune on twenty or more different kinds of baby food, a variety of yogurt, fruits, veggies, dried goods, etc, and discovered that the treat she really loves (and is easiest to deliver) is applesauce. Once this had been determined, we set out to change Kiwi’s association with Nick and isolation to Nick and gooey goodness. Every time Nick came to visit, he told me in advance, and Kiwi would be in her cage before he arrived, and we open the jar of applesauce, put it on a spoon, and Nick would bring it to her in her cage. At first, she attacked the spoon (she hates anything stick-like, as I mentioned before). But when she went to bite it, she accidentally got applesauce on her beak, which was enough to make her rethink the situation. We’d have Nick feed her a few more times with me watching from the doorway, and then we’d leave the room. A minute or two later, we’d return with more applesauce, and she’d rush the cage again, get the good stuff, and decide the spoon was not so bad.

Eventually, we could move Kiwi to the top of her cage and not worry about her flying at him, then we moved to the living room with her on the back of the couch, or sometimes sitting with me. The process has evolved now that we’re all in the same household, and we’ve had a number of setbacks. But here’s the step-by-step version of our “protocol.” We do change up the treat Nick offers her to make sure she doesn’t get bored (and if we accidentally run out), but generally she prefers gooey things that can be delivered on a spoon. We prefer those, too, since it means Nick doesn’t risk his fingers if she happens to be in a particularly wenchy mood. We are teaching Kiwi that all treats come from this guy, and she’s getting it! Here is the process that we’ve been using for her:

1. Kiwi is on her playstand or on top of her cage, Nick has a bowl of Something Good. Nick approaches and talks nicely to her. At first, Kiwi would start whacking her beak on the playstand and screeching as he approached, then attack the spoon when he offered it. The benefit of gooey things on a spoon is that when she tries to bite the spoon, she accidentally gets the good stuff, which usually makes her pause for a split second to re-evaluate. CLICK-TREAT! As long as she stays quiet and calm, Nick clicks and treats her.
2. If she starts screaming, he pulls the spoon away and we wait for her to quiet down again. In this situation, I do not ask him to walk away, because for Kiwi this would probably be a strong reinforce of her behavior- she screams, The Competition leaves.
3. If the screeching continues for more than about 30 seconds, I’ll tell her “That’s enough.” If she quiets down, Nick clicks and treats her. If not, “Too bad” and she goes to sit on the towel rack in the bathroom with the door closed. When she stops screaming about it, I’ll bring her back out. I try not to use her cage for time outs because I really want her to be happy in it.

During training time, I try to be as neutral as possible. I don’t want to be the one reinforcing her, because she already loves me most of the time. We also try to keep the sessions to a manageable length. Kiwi has a small stomach and a limited tolerance for frustration, so if we push her to tolerate Nick for too long, she’ll be angry at the end of the session. When we’re done, she gets to have some cuddle time from me while Nick feeds her whatever is left on the spoon. We do change up the treat Nick offers her to make sure she doesn’t get bored (and if we accidentally run out), but generally she prefers gooey things that can be delivered on a spoon. We prefer those, too, since it means Nick doesn’t risk his fingers if she happens to be in a particularly wenchy mood.

We are teaching Kiwi that all treats come from this guy, and she’s getting it! Kiwi learns pretty quickly, and has been figuring this game out. We have gradually moved to the point where she is stepping up on Nick’s hand and spending some time with him. I came home from work recently to find them sitting calmly at the computer with her preening his ears and hair. This is not a reliable situation, and you can bet that he was paying attention to how frantically she preened, but it’s huge progress. Another bonus of this work is that she doesn’t feel the need to scream at him every time he enters the bedroom (where her cage is), and if I hug him in her presence she’s far more likely to give him a kiss than to take a chunk out of his neck. Progress!

We have a long way to go, but we’re getting there. I have resigned myself to the fact that it is going to take a while for a variety of reasons- I’m not as diligent as I should be, even Saint Husband gets angry once in a while when he’s a victim of Kiwi’s surprise attacks, and Kiwi is a middle-aged parrot and fairly set in her ways. But I don’t mind rowing a little upstream for these two.

When I read the September edition of the Animal Behavior Associates newsletter, I found a statistic that was quite alarming. It was estimated that 36% of the 81 million cats in the United States did not see a vet in 2006. Why are so many cats not receiving regular healthcare? Regular checkups are key to preventing future health conditions and potential causes for behavioral problems. It is likely because many people find trips to the vet to be a nightmare. The whole occasion is simply too stressful for their cat and for themselves. Therefore, I thought I would outline some basic tips about making a trip to the vet less traumatic on your feline friend.

For your cat, a trip to the veterinarian involves dealing with one stressful situation after another. They are put in a carrier, loaded into a car, and driven away from their familiar surroundings. They then arrive to an unfamiliar building full of the smells, sounds, and sights of other animals… and all of this just to be handled and examined by strangers. All these unfamiliar factors cause some level of anxiety in your cat, and that anxiety tends to accumulate. They likely only occur in the context of going to the vet, so each event begins to predict that more stressful events are to come. It is then no surprise that after a couple of trips to the vet, you now have an extremely anxious cat as soon as you pull out the carrier. However, there are things that you can do to make this anxiety-ridden trip less stressful for your feline friend. Here are some helpful tips:

Work on getting your cat used to their carrier. Place comfortable bedding inside and leave it out for them to explore. Put favorite toys or special treats inside. As they become used to the carrier, you can also start feeding them inside. DO NOT rush your cat into the carrier, and just close the door. Let your cat dictate the speed of the exercise. Once they are comfortable entering the carrier on their own, start closing the door for progressively longer amounts of time, reinforcing your cat while he is inside.

Get your cat used to riding in the car. Once they are calm going into their carrier, start taking them out for short car rides. Be sure to give them special treats while they are in the car. You do not have to go anywhere in particular, but this will get them used to being driven around, and they will learn that going into the car does not always mean they are going to the vet.

However, do go to the vet occasionally, even if you do not have an appointment. People often recommend that dogs should be taken to the vet just to get weighed and greeted by the staff to make it a positive experience, so why not do this with cats. Take them in; have them sit in the lobby for a bit while you give them treats. Have staff members give them treats, and pet them. Then just go home. We want these casual visits to be very positive for your cat.

Have your cat become more accustomed to be handled by strangers. Recruit neighbors / friends to come over to handle your cat. Similar to the carrier work explained above, do not push your cat. Allow your cat to move at his or her own pace. Steps in handling should be gradual. Reward them for coming to people, and allowing them to pet them. Once they are comfortable around these people, have the person slowly increase the intensity of handling by touching the paws and tail, then holding the paws, and so on. Constantly reward the cat as progress is made. We want body handling to be an extremely positive experience.

Doing these exercises will create positive associations with these different stressful situations. Make sure to use reinforcers that are high value (wet food, tuna fish, anchovy paste, spray cheese) and particularly in the beginning, keep your rate of reinforcement high. Doing the work now will make future routine trips a breeze, and emergency trips less hectic.

Do you have tips for getting your cat to the veterinarian that you’re willing to share? Maybe you have a funny story about taking your cat to the vet. We love to hear from our cat owners, so feel free to share an idea or a story.