Dr. Emily Levine is a veterinarian who specializes in behavior problems at Animal Emergency & Referral Associates in Fairfield NJ and she will be blogging about pet behavior topics. www.animalerc.com
Dr. Emily Levine of AERA Writes A Pet Behavior Blog!
Fireworks are coming…be prepared
Many pets have noise fears and July 4th is a terrible time for these pets and their families. If you know your pet has difficulty with fireworks you should know there are many options to help them; however, don’t wait until the last minute. Contact your veterinarian now to find out what options you have to help your pet. There are many medications that can be used, there are certain music cd’s and other ancillary anxiety aids that may help. For those of you who really want to get at the root of the problem, you can do behavior modifications using noise recordings! Please note, this does NOT mean blasting sounds of fireworks and hoping your dog gets better.
What you should not do:
1. Ignore this issue ( your pet is genuinely terrified and or anxious and deserves relief)
2. Punish your pet for this behavior ( that includes yelling at them)
3. Call your vet while your pet is in the middle of being fearful and asking for meds at that time. This is likely not to be as effective as getting meds on board prior to the fireworks starting ( Of course, this is better than doing nothing).
What you should do:
1 Call your vet prior to July 4th. There are better medications out there now a days than the old standard Acepromazine. There are a class of medications called benzodiazepines that can be really helpful with acute fears like fireworks.
2. Offer you pet very high value foods during the thunderstorm ( peanut butter in a Kong – freeze it to last longer).
3. Try and block out noises of the fireworks by playing white noise or by playing calming classical music ( Throughadogsear.com)
4. Try playing with your dog during fireworks.
5. Try the Thundershirt.
There will be many of you who will read the above and know that your dog is too nervous to eat, play etc.. If this is the case, they need more help. Call your vet or my office to set up an appointment to discuss options.
Brain Scans of awake dogs gives insight into behavior…….
Please click on the link below to read a brief article about doing brain scans on awake dogs while offering them treats! While the results will be of no surprise to many of us, this technique has a lot of potential to increase our understanding about dogs’ cognitive, perceptual, and emotional abilities.
http://www.livescience.com/20126-dogs-thoughts-brain-scans.html
Warning about dog treats causing illness!
The information below regarding which treats to avoid is from Dr. Mark Peterson’s blog. His link is as follows:
http://animalendocrine.blogspot.com
3 Brands of Chicken Jerky Treats Implicated in Causing Illness in Dogs
According to FDA records obtained by MSNBC.com, 3 brands of chicken jerky treats made in China have been connected to multiple canine illnesses following their consumption.
Brands most often cited in Priority 1 cases — instances in which the animal was younger than 11 years old and medical records were available — included Waggin’ Train and Canyon Creek Ranch jerky or tenders, produced by Nestle Purina PetCare, and Milo’s Kitchen Home-style Dog Treats, manufactured by Del Monte.
See the MSNBC/Vitals blog for the complete story
Please pass this information along to any dog owners you know – Dr. Levine
Don’t Take My Bone!
Many dog owners want to make sure that their dog does not become aggressive over bones ( or a favorite toy). To do this, many people will periodically take the bone away from the dog. They do this to make sure the dog “allows” the bone to be taken. Now, here is where I have an issue with this method being used for bones. Most people take away the bone and put it away. At the beginning many dogs do “allow” this. Here is what I want everyone to think about: What are we teaching that dog?
You are teaching the dog that when you approach him while he is chewing a bone, you are going to take it away from him. What do you think this dog might start to do if he does not want the bone taken away? Lets put it another way, you are eating a great bowl of ice cream covered with chocolate and caramel and every time you sit down to enjoy this dessert, I come into your home and take it away it from you. How many of you would let me in your house or want me around when you are eating ice cream? 
There are dogs who will learn to protect their bone if they have been taught that it will be taken away from them. How can we modify the training so this does not happen? You should take the bone away, then give a yummy treat, and then GIVE THAT DARN BONE BACK! We want them to learn that when things are taken from them, they get something better in return and then get the original item back. This way they have no reason to learn to become defensive (yes, some dogs will aggress no matter what and this is likely genetics). Think of it this way, every time you are eating that bowl of ice cream, I come over, take the bowl., give you $1000.00 and then give your bowl back. Now, how many of you would open the door when I came over while you were eating ice cream:)
Too Much, Too Little or Just Right??
So you have a dog who pulls things off counters, jumps on you all the time, bites at his leash on walks and all sorts of other “normal” dog behaviors. Is it possible that these behaviors are not normal? Yes.
Most dogs who engage in these behaviors are just being dogs and with appropriate and humane training techniques and proper mental stimulation, these behaviors should improve within a relatively short period of time. However, I have seen many cases where despite implementing appropriate training techniques, the dogs are not stopping the problematic behaviors. Why is this?
It is important to understand that behaviors occur on a spectrum. Think about kids for a moment. There are kids who can not pay attention very well ( Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder – ADHD) and there are kids who pay too much attention to certain things ( autistic kids). Then there are kids who seem to pay a “normal” amount of attention to things. Attention is a normal behavior but depending on the underlying neurochemistry of the brain, that behavior can be too much, too little or just right.
Even though biting at the leash, pulling things off counters etc..are very normal behaviors for dogs, there are some dogs who do those behaviors at an abnormal intensity or frequency. These animals ( and their families) need help, not criticism.
I wanted to blog about this because so many people feel like failures as dog owners when in fact, it may be that they have a dog who truly has a chemical imbalance.
Do Dogs Get “Roid Rage” ?
Steroids are used in veterinary medicine quite often. The physical side effects are well known and well documented. In people and rats, there are psychological and behavioral side effects ranging from anxiety and depression to an increase in aggression. This is due to the complex effects of steroids on the brain that involve multiple neurotransmitters.
Do dogs have psychological changes as a result of receiving steroids? A recent preliminary study suggests that the answer is yes.
The study that was done with respect to steroids and behavior changes in dogs was a small preliminary study that will serve as a base for more thorough and in-depth studies that are needed to really answer this question. In this preliminary study, 33% of dogs showed behavioral changes. The changes that the owners reported are as follows:
- nervousness/restlessness
- an increase in the startle response
- food guarding
- decrease in activity level
- increase in avoidance responses
- irritable aggression
- increase in barking
If your dog has shown any behavioral changes while on steroids, please let us ( and everyone else reading this blog) know by posting a comment.
Felines Hit the Headlines!
I often talk to my clients about how to mentally stimulate their cats as part of an overall behavior program. I tell ( and show) people how to teach their cats to do commands such as sit, go to place and even some target training. I also encourage some people to get their cats into agility. Certainly not every cat is cut out for this, but if you have a cat who is motivated by food or toys, you should certainly try to teach your cat something! Click on the link below to see the New York Times article about cat agility! If nothing else, it should put a smile on you face.
Losing a loved one….
Losing a pet can be devastating. Unfortunately we live in a society where we are expected to bounce back the next day as if nothing ever happened. For many of us, time to grieve is essential. What I want everyone to know is that there are special hotlines out there and counselors that can help you get through the loss of your beloved pet. The following are just a few resources you can access at anytime on this blog in case you, a family member, or a friend, need some extra help and understanding to help get through the grieving process.
If anyone reading this would like to share information about a good local resource you have used, please comment so everyone can benefit from this information.
1. Chicago VMA 630-325-1600
2.Colorado State 970-297-1242
3.Cornell University 607-253-3932
4.University of Illinois: 217-244-2273
5.Michigan State: 517-432-2696
6.The Ohio State: 614-292-1823
7.Tufts University: 508-839-7966
New Training Game For Family and Dogs
With dogs, kids, running errands, and work, who has time anymore to train their dogs? We are all time crunched in our lives. When I came across this box game I was thrilled. It offered a fun and creative way to work in training our dogs ( or maintaining their skills) in a practical manner. I really love this box game for getting the kids motivated and involved with teaching and training dogs. Basically, it is a deck of cards and one can be picked once a day, or a week, whichever works best for you. On each card is an instruction such as, “…ask your dog to sit 5 times today.” It also has some, what I like to call, “good Karma cards” like ”…go through your dog toys and donate those you don’t use anymore to a shelter.
For those of you who live close, you can come on by here ( Animal Emergency & Referral Associates) and look through the deck of cards to see if this would be right for you and your family. It is in our lobby on a shelf for people to look through. Or, perhaps after looking through it, it will inspire you to make your own deck of cards for training your dog.
If after reading this you know it would be a fun help, you can order it online at http://www.inquisitivecanine.com/dog-training-game/.
…Could make a good stocking stuffer for your dog’s stocking 
Parrot Quiz Answer
Congrats to all of those who chose SLEEPING!!!!!
I don’t know about you, but I am jealous:)
