Tis the season for festivities with family,
friends and pets! If your pet is well
socialized and trained, she will be welcome at many gatherings. If not, she will be left out, and you may be
as well. I work with clients who can't
share their home with friends and family due to the behaviour of their
pets. During the process of
training/behaviour modification we discuss that it is best to not set the dog
up for failure and therefore avoid elaborate get togethers until their dog has
fluent behaviour with duration and can handle many distractions.
When people entertain, they are typically are
not focused on their pets' body language and behaviour and it's quite possible
to miss the signs of a potential problem that their pet may be displaying.With
dogs that display arousal and/or aggression behaviours, this can cause a pet to
feel uncomfortable and exhibit a behaviour set that we have been trying to
decrease. The concern is not from the
behaviour modification perspective; clients with dogs that display inappropriate
behaviour are very sensitive about their dog's reputation and take it
personally. They often feel that their
pet's concerns are their fault and that people don't see the side of their pet
that they love and live with 90% of the time. They are worried that they will be judged on their pets’ behaviour as
well as the methods they are using to deal with it.
In today's urban social arrangement, our
pets are pressed into interacting with many people and animals that they may
not be comfortable with (due to genetics, previous experience, etc.). Socialization and training can help increase
an animal's comfort and change certain behaviours in these situations, but it
cannot be expected to fix everything.
- Barbara Walmer CPDT-KSA, CBCC-KA, KPA CTP,
ACDBC
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