Ask the Trainer: Four Tips to Solve Any Dog or Cat Behavior Challenge

Recently I did an Ask the Trainer event for Snohomish County’s wellness week. Fun! County employees brought their training and behavior questions. There were the usual suspects: dogs who jump up on guests and bark loudly at everything and cats soiling outside the litter box and walking all over the counters.

Yes, there are things you can teach animals to do instead of these behaviors and common ways to address these issues. However, I did offer a few important caveats:

All Animals are Individuals

There are no:

• dog or cat whisperers (you, of course, are the person who knows your dog and cat best and what works best and is possible for your family)

• simple solutions (well-practiced unwanted behaviors take time and practice to resolve)

• guarantees when it comes to animal behavior

It’s always important to pay attention to:

• what motivates an individual

• what need an animal is seeking to fill

• an individual animal’s body language (Are they feeling fear, anxiety, and frustration or are they confident, at ease, playful, and safe?)

Resolving unwanted behaviors takes time and attentiveness.

That said there are four pieces of advice I offer generally which are a great place to start.

Vet Check (for any new behavior challenge)

For any new unwanted behavior, start with your veterinarian. Pain can be an underlying cause of some unwanted behaviors as can a variety of medical issues (digestive issue, allergies, joint issues, hormonal changes etc.). Consider whether ages or stages may be a contributing factor. Puppies/kittens, adolescents, adults, and senior animals have different needs.

Management (Prevent practice of unwanted behaviors)

Make changes to the environment to stop the behavior from being repeated! I often talk about how practice is important to instill new wanted behaviors that will work in lots of different situations. Practice is also key to resolving unwanted behaviors — in this case you don’t want the animal to keep rehearsing the unwanted behavior! This can mean closing blinds to prevent a dog from barking out the window, having the dog behind a door to prevent jumping on guests, or placing items in the way to prevent cats jumping onto unwanted surfaces. A few changes in routine or how the house is set up for animals can go a long way toward resolving issues.

Enrichment (Fun ways to do what they want in places where it’s OK to do them!)

Boredom breeds discontent. Animals need outlets to do the behaviors that they find fun and are part of their life and needs. Give animals things to do. Dogs love to forage (snuffle mats, food puzzles). Cats love to hunt (food puzzles, wand toy play). This can mean dig pits for dogs who love to dig and, of course, scratching posts, vertical perches, and places to hide for cats. Training games can also be fun and helpful!

Training (Encourage practice of wanted behaviors)

Training is a great way to improve your communication and bond with your dog or cat. Look for ways to say, “Yes!”, to your friend. Teach and reward behaviors you want to see more of and you'll get more of those behaviors. Then, remember to ask for those behaviors. I often advocate for “wireless, hands-free” training. Teach a hand target, for example, and you have a tool to ask your friend to jump up or down from furniture or to move away from a distraction.

There was also some discussion of how to help fearful animals.

I recommend the website Fear Free Happy Homes and the accompanying book From Fearful to Fear Free as well as the books Bark, Wag, and Purr by Zazie Todd.