Animal expert Karen Wild discusses fixing pet behaviour
It’s hard to realise that as a pet owner, we want a quick result for any problems we might have.
Just like we might want to get thin in a month, get ripped and show a six pack without decent nutrition, or learn to speak Spanish the week before our holiday (although not at the moment!), it’s easy to fall into the ‘quick fix’ trap and forget that behaviour problems in pets have often been learned over a long time.
It is horrible to have a worry about your pets. We feel upset, we feel stressed, we might deny the problems exist, and finally, as these issues become permanent fixtures in our lives, we might accept them and start to work on what we can do. Or we may not. However, the important thing to remember is that without your help, your pet can’t resolve their issues. It isn’t all your ‘fault’, but it isn’t all theirs either. Helping your pets is a team effort.
The next question, and this is by far the most important one, is who are you going to call? Sensible owners contact their veterinary practice, particularly if their dog or cat is showing signs of aggressive behaviour. Vets have a specific code of practice and hard-earned qualifications and they have a duty to your animal’s care. This means the Vet can assess what is happening and help you to contact a suitable source of aid.
Please don’t - ever! - copy what you see on TV. Many welfare complaints have been made over some TV shows, even the newest ones. We want results but kind methods are not weak or slow. They just don’t make good TV. Just as fat loss shows portray a crying overweight person being told to get a grip or ‘just eat less and move more’. If it were that easy, they’d have it sorted by now.
You might search the internet for help, but beware. All the ‘fake’ remedies that are being sold make millions from our need for help. Drops in the dog’s food promising to cure hyperactivity, or an herbal spray which will prevent them from feeling lonely? How about the new ‘anxiety bed’ that is super fluffy? It won’t replace the fact that your pet likes you and wants YOU there.
There is very little scientific evidence for their effect, but claims are not always regulated. Look for the science, if you value your pet.
Decent practical help is not always easy to identify when it comes to dogs and their behaviour or training. Ask yourself if you would get your car brakes seen to by an unqualified mechanic, whether you would trust a pilot to fly you who is uncertified or that has only flown a few times before. We even check our hairdressers have suitable training! Thus it is exactly the same with your dog. A trainer should be ABTC-registered as an animal training instructor. A behaviourist should be ABTC-registered as a Clinical Animal Behaviourist. Lots of letters and titles exist, but they are not regulated. Give your dog, and your family, the best chance to solve any problems, and never choose a fake for your best friend.
