Weekly article archive
The following questions and answers have appeared in my weekly column in the Albuquerque Journal since July, 1996. Each week a new one is added. You'll find information on the physical and behavioral maladies of dogs and cats and a few other species too. I invite you to use the search feature to find the specific answer that you and your pet need.
Second in a series
You want to end your dog’s incessant food filching fast. I get it. Your first impulse may be to scream, swat, squirt or even shock the perpetrator. But punishment can only diminish a behavior if it’s applied with sufficient strength, immediately following the event, and – here’s the essential and impossible requirement – every single time.
Build staff morale! A shared passion! Bring your own? Barking, biting, messes, bathroom breaks? I love office pets but it’s not all fun and games.
First in a series
Dogs are known to pilfer and eat some funky food and often genuine junk, that’s not even food. They’ve consumed beer, cannabis, chocolate, raisins and roast beast because, well, it’s there.
Good cats can go bad when petted. They may hiss or swat or bite your hand. Several pets, scratches, or strokes may be tolerated and then Wam! Yell at him?
A recently published study established what veterinary behaviorists have long understood about separation anxiety: physical discomfort is often a major factor.
Dogs with separation anxiety have a serious problem. I get it. I’ve come home to the sound of my dog Hazel barking and whining. As soon as I opened the door she’d greet me with wild intensity. She was more than just happy to see me; she acted like she’d been saved.
If the pacing, panting, barking/howling, and damage of separation anxiety keeps repeating, it will continue to worsen. People get frustrated. They’ve tried everything – except the right medication. Some worry about drug safety as their dog’s suffering reaches new depths. There’s no need for that.
So what can you do if the dog who’s stolen your heart damages your house while you’re away-often? If you have a dog like this you may feel desperate. Dogs with separation anxiety can actually learn to look forward to their alone time because that will be their chance to engage their innate survival instincts.
Those videos of your sweet dog, home alone and suffering with separation anxiety, have proven beyond a reasonable doubt that it is he who has desecrated your house and not some lurking poltergeist. Step #1: lose the crate.