HOW YOU CAN LEARN TO READ YOUR PET’S MIND

THese days, animal behaviourists are in high demand for animals suffering from aggression, self-mutilation, oCD-like behaviour, anxiety and noise phobias. Here, KARen WilD, a pet behaviour counsellor and author of Being A Dog, reveals a typical day…

WE FIND it hard enough to interpret one another, so it’s hardly surprising we often misunderstand our pets’ signals. Why is my cat overgrooming? Why does my dog lunge for other dogs? How do I get him to stop attacking the postman?

Part of my job is to help people understand what their animal is trying to communicate or why it’s behaving in a certain way.

The other part is counselling owners as they often find it emotional. They feel guilty that their pet has been suffering, but it’s not a blame game.

We only work on veterinary referral. So many behavioural habits come from illness or a pain-related disorder, so it is imperative that is ruled out first. Once an animal is referred, I will visit them at their home: this enables me to get a fuller picture of their habits and situation.

I talk to owners in detail; afterwards I make recommendations, write a report and put a training plan in place. Some animals are high risk to other animals, their owner or themselves, so this has to be taken into account.

It can take several hours to make an assessment so I tend to see one animal a day — mainly dogs, though more and more cats as we begin to understand how complex they can be.

Often it’s ‘aggressive’ dogs. We go back along the line looking for the root cause: what are the triggers? Is it anxiety-related behaviour? (Often it is.)

I’ve had cases of dogs attacking their owners when they try to take them out.

On one occasion it turned out the dog had witnessed a firework go off in the street and that was that; they wouldn’t leave the house again. They attacked the owner in panic.

One dog was terrified of jets and other aeroplanes flying overhead. The family moved to a house that happened to be near a railway line; the dog became terrified of trains. The noise phobia escalated to whenever they got tin foil out of the cupboard or clattered pots and pans.

Something like this is quite a job to deal with. When it’s a fear response, we tend to look at desensitising the dog or cat.

We use positive rewardbased methods. Lots of people use food because it’s accessible so quite useful. But you certainly wouldn’t simply wave food at a dog that’s petrified and hope it would work. We would gradually build up exposure to the stimulus and decide a suitable reward.

Separation anxiety is common with dogs. First, we work out the triggers: is it noises outside disturbing them? Is it that they’re in a frenzy for the first half an hour and then settle down? We use cameras to film and monitor the dogs when the owners are out, to assess what is happening. Then we start slowly: is this dog relaxed when you’re not in the same room but you’re still in the house? Can they get used to you going away and coming back? Gradually we increase the time you’re away.

We use a trained relaxation pattern — can the dog lie on the bed while you walk to the door? We reward them for that. We take it steadily — go back and forth with what they can/can’t cope with.

We then ask the owner to go back for varying lengths of time so the dog gets the message they will come back.

Thankfully I’ve never met an owner that’s not prepared to go that extra mile for their pampered pooch. Most are utterly devoted.

Anyone in the UK can call themselves a behaviourist, so look for accreditations from APBC (Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors) and CCAB (Certified Clinical Animal Behaviourist). They should also be registered with the ABTC (Animal Behaviour and Training Council).