Page 1639 - Clinical Small Animal Internal Medicine

177 Behavior Triage for Internists and the General Practitioner 1577

widely, it is advisable to create different referral lists body posture and tucked or lashing tails as well as
VetBooks.ir depending on the needs of the clients and patients. For behavioral signs including refusing treats, not follow-
ing commands and displacement behaviors like yawn-
example, some individuals may be highly accomplished
trainers (able to teach basic obedience, agility, nosework,
and feline body language (available in behavior
etc.) but do not have the background or education to ing, lip licking, and grooming. Handouts on canine
treat behavior problems. Other behaviorists may feel textbooks) may be sent home with clients to aid iden-
comfortable treating “normal,” training‐related behavior tification. To reduce the frequency and severity of
problems but not “aberrant/abnormal” cases such as subsequent undesirable behaviors, clients should
aggression or anxiety disorders. Some behaviorists spe- remove their pet from the situation as soon as they
cialize only in a particular species. recognize the initial signs of impending aggression
or anxiety.
Do not use punishment or confrontational training
Summary ●
techniques as these may exacerbate fear, anxiety, and
A team effort is required to successfully treat behavior aggression. Warn clients that physical correc-
problems. Every member of the team – referring veteri- tions – such as hitting, swatting, kicking, forcibly hold-
narian, behaviorist, and client – should feel comfortable ing the pet down (“alpha rolling”), choke or prong
working with each other for the pet’s benefit. Ask your collar use, scruffing, etc. – foster negative associations
clients for feedback regarding their experience with the with the client and create anxiety and mistrust. If
behaviorist or trainer they worked with so you know incorrectly used, punishment‐based techniques may
whom to refer to in the future. No matter to whom you physically harm the pet and worsen their behavior. For
refer, referrals reflect on you and your practice. additional information on the hazards of punishment‐
based training, see the AVSAB Position Statement on
the use of punishment for behavior modification in
Safety and Avoidance: Short‐Term animals available on the AVSAB website.
Recommendations ● Reward the pet for desirable behaviors. Encourage cli-
ents to reward their pet when it behaves appropriately
(positive reinforcement). Recommend that clients
Unless they have an interest in behavioral medicine, the think proactively rather than reactively by identifying
veterinarian should not feel obligated to provide a com- desirable behaviors, creating situations that allow their
prehensive behavioral treatment plan to the client. pet to behave in an appropriate manner and rewarding
However, the veterinarian should provide short‐term, it when it does so. For example, rather than punishing
interim recommendations geared toward keeping the pet a dog for jumping on them, the client may preemp-
and people safe and to prevent the pet’s behavior from tively instruct the dog to sit before he jumps up, and
worsening until referral to a qualified individual occurs. then reward him with attention while he is seated.
Treat physical conditions that affect the pet’s behavior.
● Encourage clients to formally train their pets. Training
Encourage clients to treat any medical problem that provides clients and their pets with a common language
may contribute to the behavioral disorder. in which to communicate. Dogs and cats can be taught
Avoid situations that cause the undesirable behavior to
● simple commands such as “sit,” “down,” “stay,” and “come”
occur. Avoiding situations that cause anxiety or aggres- which are used to facilitate behavior modification tech-
sion may be necessary to prevent the pet from becom- niques such as desensitization and counterconditioning
ing self‐injurious or harming other animals or people. to specific triggers. When positive reinforcement train-
Avoidance also prevents the pet from developing a ing techniques are used, the pet enjoys interacting with
progressively stronger averse response to the situation the client and its anxiety decreases because interactions
due to repeated exposure (sensitization). Rather than are consistent, predictable, and rewarding.
simply instructing clients not to let their dog or cat
become anxious or aggressive, provide specific avoid-
ance recommendations tailored to the pet and behav-
ior problem. Relevant guidelines may be found in Managing Client Expectations
behavior textbooks.
Recognize early signs of fear, anxiety, and aggression. Many clients have unrealistic goals such as wanting
●
Pets often exhibit subtle signs of discomfort before their pet “to be friendly with every person and animal”
their anxiety or aggression intensifies. Teach clients to or “to never to be anxious or aggressive again.”
recognize physical cues such as pinned ears, crouched Alternatively, clients may not realize that their dog or