Why Is My Dog Like That? Insights from a Veterinary Behaviorist
As a dog trainer working with fear, reactivity, aggression, and separation anxiety, I sometimes refer dog guardians to a veterinary behaviorist, which, as the name implies, is a veterinarian who specializes in animal behavior. For some dogs, addressing underlying health issues, pain, or anxiety is critical to effective training, and I’m grateful to be able to include veterinary behaviorists as part of a comprehensive care plan for my clients.
I recently spoke with veterinary behaviorist Dr. Wailani Sung (DVM MS, PHD, DACVB), who currently serves as Director of Behavior and Welfare Programs at the San Francisco SPCA. Here are some key takeaways from our conversation:
Q: When do you recommend dog guardians work with a trainer, a veterinarian, or a veterinary behaviorist?
Dr. Wailani Sung photo: SF SPCA
A: “A positive reinforcement trainer is important at all life stages of a dog's life and is like a teacher. The trainer should work in conjunction with either a veterinarian or veterinary behaviorist. As the vet behaviorist, I'm concerned about the dog mentally. Are we on the right training and management plan? And if it’s time, to talk about medication.
“Do all my patients get medication? No, not all of them do. The majority of them get placed on medication because they are at that point where I think it's severe enough. Maybe a dog needs it because the level of reactivity or level of anxiety is just too much. Because if they could handle it, they wouldn't have this extreme reaction.
“Sometimes people don't understand a dog’s ability to cope, which is dependent on many factors. Where is the dog developmentally, and where is he physically and mentally? If he’s sick, his ability to cope might be lower because he's already coping with illness or pain. What causes stress in a dog's life? Is the stressor manageable? What is the duration, intensity, and frequency of the things that make the dog upset? Does the dog have any control? Can the dog avoid things? And quite often our dogs can't avoid things.
“If your dog is afraid of noise and you live in San Francisco on a busy street with people and dogs and buses and trucks going by, it's really hard to ignore all that. And the answer is not oh, well, you ship your dog off into the country, right? Because you love your dog. You want your dog to be happy. So what can we do? Can we increase resiliency? Can we teach some coping mechanisms?
“Veterinary behaviorists are there to look at your plan, make adjustments to management, and help refine exercises you need to build coping mechanisms for your dog. Medication can help reduce the overall level of anxiety. When a dog is stressed, the elevation of cortisol and adrenaline interferes with learning. Prolonged release of cortisol also brings on a multitude of health problems.”
Q: What are some examples of underlying health issues contributing to behavior problems?
A: “When I have a dog whose owners are telling me ‘oh, he normally vomits a couple times a week.’ That's not normal. Or ‘his stool has always been soft.’ All liquidy stool is not normal. Normal stool is like a log that you can pick up. People don't always realize anxiety can contribute to GI upset, and underlying GI issues can add to anxiety.
“Whether it's a headache or a GI-related or orthopedic issue that contributes to problems, if we don't know then the veterinarian in me takes over. I would say, has your own veterinarian worked this up? Have you done any testing? Have we done any trials? We would talk about food trials or adding probiotics or both. Should we do a GI panel? Should we look at some values in your dog’s GI to see if your dog has dysbiosis, meaning there is an imbalance in the GI tract potentially interfering with function and absorption? Does the dog have an underlying health problem? Does it have any food sensitivities? The veterinarian in me will figure it out because I need the dog to be healthy.
“If you already have a behavioral disorder and you're physiologically not healthy, it is much harder for me to help manage the behavior issues. Take orthopedic pain. I have a dog who suddenly started growling at the children and the owner didn’t know what was going on. I said ‘let's bring him in, I haven't seen him in a year.’ I'm looking at the dog and he shifts his weight on one hind leg and then another. I said ‘we need to do x-rays.’ He went back to his regular vet, they did x-rays and it turns out that he had some partially torn ligaments in his knee. That would be painful. He goes on group walks three times a week, running around off leash with other dogs, aggravating the problem. Those are things that are interesting. It takes up both parts of our brain, the behaviorist in us and the veterinarian in us.”
Not all dogs will need to see a veterinary behaviorist. But if you are noticing sudden changes, complex behavior issues, or your trainer or veterinarian has recommended it, consulting with a veterinary behaviorist may help.
Looking at the relationship between health and behavior is a win for the dogs - and for the humans who love them.