Top tips whilst awaiting professional behavioural support
There are many circumstances where professional behavioural support will be required, though sometimes it can take time to find the right person and to get an appointment booked in. With the help of our in-house behaviourist we have put together the following top tips to help you out in the interim period.
- Keep a diary. It can be really helpful to keep a record of your pet’s problematic behaviour:
1. What do they do?
2. When do they do it?
3. How long does it last?
4. Are there any known triggers?
- So long as it is safe to do so, it may assist your behaviourist if you are able to video the difficult behaviour, as our pets don’t always play ball and display these traits during a long-awaited behavioural assessment!
- Try and stay calm yourself, our pets are very preceptive and can readily pick up on our stress levels which can exacerbate their behaviour.
- Avoid negative interactions or punishments
- Consider your pet’s emotional needs, and make and changes where possible to meet them. Click here to see our article ‘Considering your pet’s emotional needs’ for further guidance on this topic.
- Try and keep your pet’s routine as similar day-to-day as possible.
- If known stressors are unavoidable, try to prepare as best as possible for them (e.g. if car travel is a stressor – travel when the traffic is lightest, take the shortest route, put them in the car at the last minute etc).
Keep everyone safe
If your pet has shown any sign of aggression then professional behavioural support should be sought ASAP. In the meantime, it is essential you take steps to keep everyone safe; as a dog owner in particular, you are liable for your dog’s actions.
- Keep your dog on a lead at all times when out of the house
- Muzzle train your dog, and ensure they are wearing their muzzle whenever you leave the house
- Avoid known triggers where possible
- Keep children away from the dog, and never leave them together unattended
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