My years as a vet have caused me to suspect that some people have no idea whatsoever how their pet’s mind works. Consider the following true story.

A gentleman brought his dog to see me. The dog had urinated inside the house the previous day. The man thought he knew why.

Earlier on the day of the incident, the man had caught the dog sleeping on the sofa. The man believed that the dog knew the sofa was of limits. The dog therefore became embarrassed and responded later by urinating on the floor.

This made no sense to me on the face of things. Why would a dog respond to embarrassment by soiling the house?

Furthermore, as the man was telling me this story, the dog was busily grooming his hind end. Is an animal that will lick its anus in front of a complete stranger capable of feeling embarrassed? I didn’t think so, and I said as much to the owner. He was shocked, and I had no come back for his retort:

“Well doc, he may lick his butt here in the room, but, see, he knows he’s not allowed on the sofa, so he got embarrassed!”

A recent issue of Time contained a fascinating article on canine thought. I was riveted as I read it. The article discusses attempts by researchers to learn more about how the dog mind truly works. It also discusses the evolution of dogs and a fascinating experiment in Siberia in which foxes have been bred to be remarkably similar to dogs over 40 generations.

But I was most interested in the article’s revelations on canine thought. Here are some quotes.

Trying to plumb the canine mind is a favorite pastime of dog owners. “Everyone feels like an expert on their dog,” says Alexandra Horowitz, a cognitive scientist at Barnard College and author of the new book Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know. But scientists had carried out few studies to test those beliefs–until now.

The first rule for scientists studying dogs is, Don’t trust your hunches. Just because a dog looks as if it can count or understand words doesn’t mean it can. “We say to owners, Look, you may have intuitions about your dog that are valuable,” says Hauser. “But they might be wrong.”

We’ve all seen guilty dogs slinking away with lowered tails, for example. Horowitz wondered if they behave this way because they truly recognize they’ve done something wrong, so she devised an experiment. First she observed how dogs behaved when they did something they weren’t supposed to do and were scolded by their owners. Then she tricked the owners into believing the dogs had misbehaved when they hadn’t. When the humans scolded the dogs, the dogs were just as likely to look guilty, even though they were innocent of any misbehavior. What’s at play here, she concluded, is not some inner sense of right and wrong but a learned ability to act submissive when an owner gets angry. “It’s a white-flag response,” Horowitz says.

While this kind of manipulation may be unsettling to us, it reveals how carefully dogs pay attention to humans and learn from what they observe.

It turns out that dogs may not feel guilt. The question of embarrassment, however, is still open.

Photo: Duke has nothing to feel guilty or embarrassed about.

Gary
San Diego, CA

The word Prozac has become associated with many ideas in our culture. At first, Prozac symbolized an easy solution to a complicated problem: clinical depression. Over time, as Prozac failed to live up to the unrealistic hype, the name has become associated in many people’s minds with disappointment. Among doctors and veterinarians, a Prozac prescription sometimes is seen, unfairly in many cases, as a cop out for professionals who can’t be bothered to engage in serious therapy (in humans) or behavior modification (in pets).

Prozac and other psychotropic medications can help with certain behavioral disorders in pets. But Prozac is not a panacea. It works best in conjunction with serious training and behavior modification. I always recommend that owners work the training and behavior modification angle before they give Prozac to their dogs. Prozac shouldn’t be a first choice.

Gary, your efforts to work with your dog sound commendable indeed. For a situation such as yours, in which a bona fide effort has been made to change behavior without medication, drugs such as Prozac are, in my opinion, an acceptable next step.

Talk to your vet about this matter again. Don’t expect a miracle, and be patient (the full effects of medicines such as Prozac might not be realized for over a month). Your dog will need regular blood tests while on the medication. But it sounds like it’s worth trying.

Kim
West Virginia

What a sad story. I am sorry for the loss of your grandmother-in-law.

Cats are highly social animals. They have complex emotional needs. They bond intensely to human beings and they need human companionship, preferably every day, to truly thrive. I shudder to think of a cat that has gone eight months in isolation.

Although the isolation has undoubtedly been unpleasant for the cat, there is good news. Cats are incredibly resilient and adaptable creatures. The most important socialization period for cats usually occurs from birth to 20 weeks of age. Cats that are well socialized during that time generally will remain well socialized for life.

The trauma of isolation may have adversely affected your former grandmother-in-law’s cat’s temperament temporarily. But even if it has there is a good chance that he can return to his sweet ways.

My recommendations are the same in this case as they would be for any new-to-you cat. Give him a private area (such as his own room) in the house so that he can feel secure in his new territory. This also prevents the spread of disease.

Try to spend as much time as possible interacting with him. Always let him set the terms of interaction. Do not chase him around the room in order to force him on your lap. Instead, let him approach you. Take a book into the room and read it until he solicits your attention. Speak quietly and be gentle. Read and respect his body language.

Your work at the humane society leaves you well positioned to help this cat. I hope you are able to find a better situation for him.

Anita
Montana

Most dogs love attention. For example, I’m pretty convinced that my pal Buster would be content to receive attention from every person on earth simultaneously for 24 hours out of every day.

The realities of life prevent most dogs from receiving such extreme amounts of attention. And most of them do fine in spite of it. Buster uses most of his time alone to engage another of his favorite activities: napping.

Some dogs suffer from a condition known as separation anxiety. These individuals may become extremely agitated when they are left alone or do not receive the sort of attention that they desire. Fortunately nothing in your question indicates that your dog is afflicted with separation anxiety.

I recommend that you start with some enrichment activities for your dog. Make sure he gets plenty of exercise every day. Consider feeding him in a Kong toy or foraging ball. Spend part of each day training him–this sort of mental stimulation is vital for well being.

Finally, remember that, if you are like most people, you cannot devote your entire life to your dog. Do not give him attention when he demands it. Instead, give it to him when you want to and are able. There is nothing wrong with ignoring his attention-seeking behavior when you have other things to get done.

Of course, I am not recommending that you neglect your pet. But I have a hunch that will never happen. Spend as much time as you can with him.

Remember that many dogs are left unattended for eight or 10 hours every day while their owners work. The average dog gets by with an hour or two of play time each day. I’d recommend that you, and everyone, aim for much better than average. But 18 hours each day definitely is excessive.

Photo: Foraging balls. The best idea since sliced bread.

Sit, Kitty! Stay!

Playing fetch — it’s not just for dogs anymore.

Sit, roll over, shake hands — and this coming from an animal that takes 20-hour naps? At the UC Davis Companion Animal Behavior Service, you can learn how to train your cat just like a person would train a dog.

“Some people have a notion that cats are aloof or unfriendly,” said Melissa Bain, assistant professor of veterinary medicine and epidemiology at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, “but they’re not!” Bain, a board-certified veterinary behaviorist, has trained her own cats at home for the past 10 years. “It’s not mainstream, and most people haven’t done it, but that doesn’t mean they can’t,” Bain said.

She said in the past, she’s seen cats play fetch, roll over, get in a box and shake hands, to name a few tricks. This is opposed to the usual tricks cats perform on a daily basis — eat, sleep and shed fur. And while animal trainers in Hollywood have been training cats for decades, this is a fairly new phenomenon for the common cat.

According to Bain, it’s important to use positive reinforcement when training cats, like rewarding them with treats, instead of punishing them, which makes them much less likely to want to participate in the training process. She also uses “clicking training” to help her cat recognize what she wants him to do. “It’s not magic — the clicker is a tool, and it can’t be used as punishment unless you throw it at them,” she said.

When I was a child I made a concerted attempt to train my cat to perform tricks. I can’t remember what tricks I wanted to teach her, but I do know that my attempts at cat training failed miserably. Obviously Dr. Bain has better credentials than I!

Photo: Lily gives five.

Boosters of various training forms and methods have long pointed to theoretical advantages of their tactics. But rigorous studies into the efficacy of each technique have been lacking until now.

A paper in the November, 2008 North American Veterinary Conference Clinician’s Brief outlined one recent study. Here is what the study found.

Dogs trained with positive reinforcement showed significantly fewer behavior problems than those disciplined by other training aids [any form of punishment]. A fear of other dogs was significantly more likely in dogs whose owners used any type of punishment in their training. Dogs trained at home demonstrated significantly more problems than those that attended classes and home training was more likely to be associated with use of physical corrections and inconsistent interactions between dog and owner. Attendance at agility classes was significantly associated with reduction in problem behaviors.

The study implies that the first and most important step to training your pet (especially your dog) is to commit to a formal training program led by an expert. When selecting a program, choose one that focuses on positive reinforcement of good behaviors, rather than correction or punishment of bad ones.

Kittens and puppies, definitively, are most socializable and trainable when they are young. But this has led to debate among veterinarians. Young animals are most socializable when they have not yet received their full complement of puppy or kitten vaccines.

Some veterinarians discourage early socialization. They worry that young pets attending puppy school or kitten kindergarten may be at increased risk of contracting infectious diseases. Others (myself included) generally feel that the benefits of early socialization outweigh the risks.

The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) is an organization of veterinarians dedicated to promoting healthy human-animal bonds through appropriate behavior training. They recently released guidelines recommending that puppy and kitten socialization begin early in life–when pets are seven or eight weeks old.

These guidelines have led to an interesting debate in the pages of the North American Veterinary Conference’s Clinician’s Brief. The November, 2008 issue of the Brief contained a letter to the editor that outlined one vet’s concerns with this policy.

How can the [AVSAB] in good conscience recommend socialization (I assume classes) for 7- to 8-week-old puppies prior to completion of their vaccination series? Apparently the AVSAB has no fear of puppies getting distemper or parvovirus and no regard for their legal liability or that of any veterinarian who follows their advice. I see many puppies with parvo at 8 to 16 weeks of age. I know most of these puppies received lots of socialization (contact with other dogs and people) to their detriment. I have to feel this is poor advice until proven otherwise.

Jiim Kinnerly, DVM
Santee, California

Dr. Kinnerly’s letter succinctly sums up the concerns of many vets. However, I felt that the AVSAB’s response to the letter was very powerful.

They state:

The sad reality is that more dogs are euthanized because of behavioral problems than due to infectious . . . diseases.

Kate Hurley, MPVM, DVM also offers some steps that people can take to minimize the risk of infectious disease in young animals as they are socialized. Her recommendations include quarantining new puppies for two weeks after adoption and limiting exposure to other puppies during this time (although puppies can be “socialized with fully vaccinated dogs and . . . people, vacuum cleaners, etc.”) Puppy classes should take place in clean environments that are regularly treated with agents that kill parvovirus. Puppies and kittens should benefit from a medically approved regimen of vaccinations during the socialization process. Puppies should not go to high-risk areas such as dog parks until their vaccines are complete.

I have told many clients that I support puppy school and kitten kindergarten in general because these classes are filled by self-selected responsible pet owners. The sort of people who work hard to socialize their pets also generally follow their vets’ vaccination guidelines. This reduces the likelihood of disease outbreaks.

Certainly, puppy school and kitty kindergarten have risks. But my opinion is that failing to socialize your pet properly is much riskier by far. And E. Kathryn Meyer, VMD, President of the AVSAB seems to agree.

As with most things in life, the recommendation to allow young puppies to socialize together prior to completing their vaccination series is based on a risk-benefit analysis. Review of the scientific literature regarding the behavioral development of dogs and the real-life practical experiences of those who have aplied these principles suppport AVSAB’s position that the benefit exceeds the risk in these controlled environments, provided the guidelines noted above are followed.

Hat tip to Sugar Plum for the photo.

Name Withheld
Marysville, WA

Wow. Your question seems appropriate for Halloween because your situation is very scary.

Dogs evolved to live among humans. As everyone knows, most dogs are amazingly well-adapted to life in two-legged society. But there are exceptions.

Dogs that display aggressive tendencies towards humans are dangerous. Large dogs that threaten children are beyond dangerous. You need to address this situation immediately.

I recommend that you keep the two dogs in question completely isolated from people (especially children) until you have sought the advice of a veterinarian who has special training and is certified in canine behavior.

If you don’t tackle this problem immediately and aggressively, a child may be harmed. You could end up with a lifetime of guilt–and a prison sentence.

Laura
Brentwood, NY

Ah, to be a cat! They don’t have to go to work each morning. They get to sleep all day. If people led such lives perhaps we would be interested in playing at 4:30 am as well. But for working people there is no doubt about it: a rambunctious kitten is not very amusing in the wee hours.

Actually, the problem runs slightly deeper than work-related sleeping patterns. Cats are instinctively crepuscular. This means that they are most active at (and for a few hours before and after) dawn and dusk. Humans are diurnal. We are generally daytime creatures.

This conflict leads to one of the most common complaints I hear from cat people: their pet wakes them up when they want to sleep.

Unfortunately, struggling to make your cat or kitten sleep through the night is fighting against nature. It is often a losing battle. Nonetheless there are some tactics you can employ.

First (this isn’t a tactic, but it might offer some consolation), remember that kittens are more playful than adults. Mature cats are much less likely to become rambunctious in the early hours. Your kitten may outgrow this behavior over time.

Also, remember that truly tired animals sleep longer than those that aren’t. Physical activity and enrichment activities during the day may help your kitten to sleep more soundly at night. Try wearing him out by playing with him each day. But be careful about roughhousing just before bedtime. This may backfire and result in a riled-up kitten when you want to sleep.

On busy days, you may want to consider using a foraging ball to feed your kitten. These devices release food slowly over time as animals play with them. They are excellent enrichment devices.

I have a hunch that if you employ these tactics and wait for your kitten to mature, the problem will resolve. But that’s easy for me to say–I’m not the one being awakened every morning!

Dogs suffering from storm phobia may hide, pace, tremble or vocalize (howl or whine) during storms. Severely affected dogs may panic and injure themselves in a desperate attempt to escape from the frightening stimuli.

Pheromones are chemicals that trigger instinctive responses in animals. Several pheromones have been well documented in dogs.

Dog-appeasing pheromone is commercially available. It is marketed for its calming effects on dogs. In theory, it should be beneficial to dogs that suffer from storm phobias.

Like diet’s effects on feline diabetes, this sort of theory is easy to test with an unbiased scientific study. The April, 2008 NAVC Clinician’s Brief reports on one such study. From the Brief’s commentary on the study:

The results are clear and show that the use of the DAP [dog-appeasing pheromone] diffuser–along with other behavioral therapy, such as desensitization to storm sounds–can improve the behavior of some dogs with storm phobia.

I am very happy to have a scientifically proven way to help my storm-phobic patients. It stands to reason that dog-appeasing pheromone may have many additional uses. But, as scientists like to say, more research is needed.