Small Animal/Exotics 20TH ANNIVERSARY Compendium August 1999

Highlights and Horizons in

Companion Animal
Behavior Counseling
Gary M. Landsberg, BSc, DVM
Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Behavior
Doncaster Animal Clinic
Thornhill, Ontario, Canada

onsidering the paucity of behavior

C training for veterinary students be-

fore 1980, dramatic strides in the
scope and type of behavior services provid-
ed by practitioners have been made in the past 20 years. Despite many advances
in the field of animal behavior, including recognition by the American Veteri-
nary Medical Association (AVMA) of the American College of Veterinary Be-
haviorists in 1993 and the licensing of new behavioral drugs, many veterinary
colleges still do not provide adequate training in veterinary behavior and many
practitioners offer limited or no behavior-counseling services. The importance of
behavior counseling to pets, pet owners, and veterinarians was clearly illustrated
by the results of two recent studies1,2 in the Journal of the American Veterinary
Medical Association. These studies found that the most common risk factors for Gary Landsberg, BSc, DVM
pet relinquishment include insufficient behavior advice, failure to neuter, and
such behavior problems as house soiling.1,2 hausen (ethologist), and John Paul
Scott and John L. Fuller (both psy-
A New Veterinary Specialty chologists), along with several impor-
The field of companion animal behavior was formally introduced to the vet- tant studies on canine and feline be-
erinary profession with the establishment of the American Society of Veterinary havior.
Ethology in 1975. A few veterinary colleges, such as the University of California, In 1978, Drs. David Tuber (psy-
Davis, offered undergraduate courses in veterinary behavior as far back as the chologist), David Hothersall (psychol-
1960s. For the most part, however, few veterinarians received training in the ogist), and Victoria Voith issued a
field 20 years ago, except perhaps in courses covering animal restraint and han- wake-up call for the emerging field of
dling. At that time, our understanding of the behavior of dogs and cats was lim- clinical animal psychology with an ar-
ited to a few landmark publications by Drs. Michael W. Fox (psychologist and ticle that proposed animal clinical psy-
veterinarian), Konrad Lorenz (psychologist and renowned ethologist), Paul Ley- chology counseling.3 In fact, in 1978

1974 1975 1978(?) 1980–1985 1983

ENDIU
MP 1980 1983
19
An article The American Society The first all-day The first veterinary The University of

1985
M’

20th
recommending a of Veterinary Ethology seminar at an textbooks devoted to Pennsylvania

CO

1981
S

proposal for animal is established; in American Animal clinical behavioral School of Veterinary

1979
clinical psychology 1985, it changes its Hospital Association issues in companion Medicine offers the
1 9 7

ANNIVERSARY
9 - 1
9 9 9
counseling is
published in
name to the
American Veterinary
1982
conference is
scheduled on
animals and the
diagnosis and
first residency in
animal behavior 19
American Society of Animal companion animal treatment of behavior
Psychologist Behavior
1984
behavior problems problems are published
 Compendium August 1999
this work directly inspired Drs.
Daniel Tortora and Peter Borchelt
(both psychologists) to open the first
animal behavior clinic at The Animal
Medical Center in New York City.
By the early 1980s, various veteri-
nary colleges had added to their cur-
ricula courses on normal canine and
feline behavior as well as on the pre-
vention and treatment of behavior
problems. These colleges and their
instructors were instrumental in in-
troducing the concept of applied ani-
mal behavior as a core subject and
helped to pave the way for establish-
ing a new veterinary specialty.
Among the most active and influ-
ential at the time were Dr. Ben Hart
(University of California, Davis), Dr.
Bonnie Beaver (Texas A&M Univer-
sity), Dr. Katherine Houpt (Cornell
University), Dr. Voith (University of
Pennsylvania), Dr. R. K. Anderson
(University of Minnesota), and Dr.
Don McKeown (Ontario Veterinary
College). Articles by Drs. Hart,
Beaver, and Voith and by William
Campbell, who has been an active
promoter of veterinary involvement
in applied animal behavior, began to
appear with more frequency in the
popular veterinary press. In addition,
at that time, Campbell’s textbook
Behavior Problems in Dogs4 was the
principal reference for many practi-
tioners and veterinary students. Al-
though it was somewhat unusual for
veterinary conferences to include be-
havior topics in their programs, at-
tendee interest and attendance were
always high when behavior sessions
were offered.
Attitudes and interests began to
change as the 1980s progressed. In
1985, the American Society of Vet-
erinary Ethology, in part to have the
987 1992
1990
Mid-1980s
1995
Consumer demands for
1993
The American
1998
behavior-counseling Veterinary Medical
1991
services are heightened, Association
1994
19891993 1997
and head halters are recognizes the
introduced for American College
986
reinforcement training
as an alternative to
of Veterinary
Behaviorists
choke devices (ACVB)
20TH ANNIVERSARY
field of veterinary behavior recog-
nized as a more clinically oriented
specialty, changed its name to the
American Veterinary Society of Ani-
mal Behavior (AVSAB). With the sup-
port of the AVSAB, a group spearhead-
ed by Dr. Beaver soon began to present
the case for veterinary behavior certi-
fication to the AVMA. In 1993, the
AVMA granted recognition to the field
of veterinary behavior, with eight
veterinarians given charter diplomate
status. In 1995, the American Col-
lege of Veterinary Behavior (ACVB)
offered the first examination for
board certification. At present, 20
veterinary behaviorists are board cer-
tified in the ACVB, and seven veteri-
nary colleges offer residency pro-
grams in the field.
Educational Opportunities
During the past 20 years, more
veterinary colleges have added behav-
ior courses to their curricula, with a
few even offering informal residency
programs. Behavior training continued
to be limited, however, not only be-
cause of the lack of qualified instructors
and educational material (textbooks)
but also because of a lingering atti-
tude that animal behavior was not a
legitimate field of veterinary study.
The first veterinary textbooks devot-
ed to clinical behavior in companion
animals were written in 1980 by Dr.
Beaver5 and in 1982 by Drs. Houpt
and Thomas Wolski,6 and the first
veterinary textbook on the diagnosis
and treatment of behavior problems
was tackled by Dr. Hart and Lynette
Hart7 in 1985.
Not until the mid-1990s, howev-
er, did a substantial number of text-
books, other publications, and train-
ing aids become available for both
1995
The first certification
The first International
examination in Conference on Veterinary
animal behavior is Behaviour Medicine
offered by the ACVB
Birmingham, England
Small Animal/Exotics
OWNERS’ OUTLOOK
■ Dog owners are taking advantage
of professional help to resolve their
pets’ misbehaving ways. When
it was founded in 1993, the
Association of Pet Dog Trainers
had 70 members. Today, the
organization boasts more than
3000 professional trainers, who
not only teach dogs the more
traditional obedience training
that includes how to use proper
manners but also tackle tough
behavioral cases of bad
temperament, house-soiling,
fearfulness, and separation anxiety.
In addition, many local chapters of
the Association for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
have animal behavior hotlines for
those really critical or emergency
cases of misbehavior.
Source: Dr. Ian Dunbar, Director,
Center for Applied Animal Behavior,
Berkeley, California, 1999.
practitioners and undergraduate train-
ing markets. In 1995, the American
Animal Hospital Association (AAHA)
published a practitioner manual by
Drs. Wayne Hunthausen and Gary
Landsberg8; and a 1997 handbook
by Drs. Landsberg, Hunthausen, and
Lowell Ackerman9 described various
canine and feline behavior problems.
Some client-oriented educational
tools designed to help veterinarians
advise pet owners on various behav-
ioral topics became available in 1997
and 1998, including a set of behavior
brochures on client education pub-
lished by the AAHA,10 a book enti-
tled Instructions for Veterinary Clients
by Dr. Stefanie Schwartz, 11 and a
diskette of client handouts by Drs.
Landsberg and Debra Horwitz.12 In
1997
1998–1999
The FDA approves two
veterinary formulations of
human behavioral drugs (1998);
is held in after their release in 1999,
1999
extensive media coverage
portrays the role of behavior-
modifying drugs in companion
animal medicine
Small Animal/Exotics
addition, veterinary publishers de-
voted a number of journal issues and
books to the field of companion
animal behavior, including most re-
cently a book edited by Drs. Voith
and Borchelt containing behavioral
articles13; an entire journal issue cov-
ering companion animal behavior14;
and a journal symposium on puppy
socialization, housebreaking, and
chewing problems.15–17
With the rapid advances occurring
in the field, Dr. Karen Overall re-
cently authored a comprehensive text
on behavior counseling for veterinar-
ians18; whereas Drs. Nick Dodman
and Louis Shuster coedited a book
devoted entirely to animal behavior
psychopharmacology. 19 Today, al-
most every major veterinary associa-
tion now includes behavior lectures
in their continuing education pro-
grams, and meeting rooms are often
full or overflowing. In fact, at the an-
nual AVMA conference, two full
days of general behavior topics are
scheduled in addition to a full-day
specialty session.
Behavior Counseling
in Clinical Practice
Before 1980, very few practition-
ers offered much in the way of be-
havior-counseling services, possibly
because they lacked appropriate
training or possibly because there
was less demand for counseling ser-
vices at the time. Today, a greater
number of canine behavior problems
might actually exist than did 20
years ago, perhaps in part because of
a lack of conscientious breeding
practices by some breeding facilities.
In addition, veterinary recommenda-
tions, such as social isolation from
parks and from other dogs until after
vaccinations have been completed,
have been implemented because of
the emergence of potentially fatal
diseases (e.g., parvovirus). Many
puppies are being isolated from other
dogs and new environments at a
time when primary socialization is
20TH ANNIVERSARY
most critical. However, the most
likely reason for the increasing need
of dog and cat owners for behavioral
advice is the change in lifestyles and
attitudes toward pets during the past
20 years.
Societal changes (e.g., increasing
number of two-income and single-
parent families), the practice of
housing pets in high-rise or multiple-
family buildings, and busier or more
programmed daily schedules may
contribute to the increasing number
of separation-anxiety cases or other
forms of destructiveness (e.g., house
soiling or excessive vocalization) seen
in pets today. Because urbanization
fosters a more concentrated pet pop-
ulation into an environmentally
small area, pet–pet and pet–human
conflicts may be increasing. Such
smaller living quarters and busier
lifestyles may also be the reason for
an increasing number of single-pet
households, which could lead to im-
paired social skills with conspecifics.
Cats and dogs that may have been
allowed to roam more freely or
spend more time outdoors are today
more likely to be housed indoors,
thereby prompting behavior (e.g.,
marking, elimination habits, scratch-
ing, chewing, climbing, scavenging,
prey catching) that might have been
acceptable or unnoticed when the
pets were housed outdoors but prob-
lematic for indoor pets. In addition,
many pet owners of the 1990s have
begun to expect and demand more
extensive specialty services because
they are now available in human
medicine. It is also possible that the
pet–owner bond and the personal
needs that the pet fulfills have
changed owner commitments and
thus encouraged better pet care.
Changing Attitudes
One of the primary sources of ad-
vice on canine behavior has always
been the dog trainer; whereas advice
on feline behavior was usually ad-
dressed by breeders, psychologists, or
Compendium August 1999
self-professed cat experts. With certi-
fication of veterinary behaviorists,
more extensive training of veterinari-
ans and their staff, and certification
of behaviorists in such other areas as
applied ethology, the trend of relying
on others as the source of all behav-
ioral advice is slowly changing. Un-
fortunately, in many cases training con-
tinues to center around owners being
assertive and authoritarian with their
dogs by using various pinching, chok-
ing, and prong devices when they
refuse to obey.
Inadequate understanding of ca-
nine behavior and the principles of
learning and behavior modification
has made it difficult for trainers and
veterinarians to achieve improve-
ment. Through his books, seminars,
and leadership, Dr. Ian Dunbar has
been one of the major forces in edu-
cating trainers and veterinarians in
understanding the reasons pets be-
have the way they do and in practic-
ing humane, effective methods of
properly rewarding, shaping, and
modifying canine behavior using re-
inforcement-based techniques. An
important innovation that has helped
owners to use reinforcement-based
training techniques rather than pun-
ishment has been the introduction of
head halters and collars. Both were
first developed in the mid-1980s and
have become increasingly popular in
the 1990s as a kinder, gentler alter-
native to neck collars.
Advances in the Field
In December 1998, the FDA ap-
proved two veterinary formulations
of drugs formerly used to treat hu-
mans only: selegiline hydrochloride
(Anipryl®; Pfizer, Exton, PA) for the
treatment of cognitive dysfunction
syndrome and clomipramine (Clomi-
calm®; Novartis, Greensboro, NC)
for the treatment of separation anxi-
ety. Sponsorship from major corpo-
rations (e.g., Friskies, Novartis, and
Pfizer) has greatly increased veteri-
narians’ awareness of the importance
Small Animal/Exotics 20TH ANNIVERSARY
of behavior services and why such services can and should
be offered by veterinary practices. Many new products
have also been developed for behavior management, in-
cluding citronella spray devices used for retraining and a
synthetic cheek gland pheromone that reduces urine spray-
ing. Practitioners, veterinary students, and trainers are
gaining a better understanding of basic canine and feline
behavior; the principles of learning and behavior modifica-
tion; the proper use of rewards for training; and the con-
cept of shaping. Greater awareness should eventually lead
to a shift from assertive, disciplinary, and punishment-
based training methods, which are often unsuccessful and
sometimes counterproductive or inhumane, to reinforce-
ment techniques. Perhaps the greatest advances in the field
of animal behavior are the increasing willingness and abili-
ty of veterinarians to offer behavior-counseling services—
from pet selection counseling to geriatric counseling and
from puppy and kitten preventive counseling to consulta-
tions on behavior problems.
References
1. Patronek GJ, Glickman LT, Beck AM, et al: Risk factors for relinquish-
ment of cats to an animal shelter. JAVMA 209(3):582–588, 1996.
2. Patronek GJ, Glickman LT, Beck AM, et al: Risk factors for relinquish-
ment of dogs to an animal shelter. JAVMA 209(3):572–581, 1996.
3. Tuber D, Hothersall D, Voith V: American clinical psychology: A
modest proposal. Am Psychol 29:762–766, 1974.
Compendium August 1999
4. Campbell W: Behavior Problems in Dogs. Santa Barbara, CA, Ameri-
can Veterinary Publications, 1975.
5. Beaver B: Veterinary Aspects of Feline Behavior. St. Louis, Mosby,
1980.
6. Houpt K, Wolski T: Domestic Animal Behavior. Ames, IA, Iowa
State University Press, 1982.
7. Hart B, Hart L: Canine and Feline Behavior. Philadelphia, WB
Saunders Co, 1985.
8. Hunthausen W, Landsberg G: Practitioner’s Guide to Pet Behavior
Problems. Denver, American Animal Hospital Association, 1995.
9. Landsberg G, Hunthausen W, Ackerman L: Handbook of Behaviour
Problems of the Dog and Cat. Oxford, England, Butterworth-Heine-
mann, 1997.
10. Schwartz S: Instructions for Veterinary Clients. Philadelphia, Mosby,
1997.
11. American Animal Hospital Association, series of 10 behavior bro-
chures, Denver, 1997–1998.
12. Landsberg G, Horwitz D: Custom Care on Diskette. Guelph, On-
tario, Canada, Lifelearn, 1998.
13. Voith V, Borchelt P (eds): Readings in Companion Animal Behavior.
Trenton, NJ, Veterinary Learning Systems Co, Inc, 1996.
14. Progress in companion animal behavior symposium. Vet Clin North
Am Small Anim Pract 27(3):427–697, 1997.
15. Horwitz DF: Counseling pet owners on puppy socialization and es-
tablishing leadership. Vet Med 94(2):149–156, 1999.
16. Melese P: How to stop chewing problems in puppies. Vet Med 94(2):
157–163, 1999.
17. Horwitz DF: A practitioner’s guide to housebreaking puppies. Vet
Med 94(2):165–168, 1999.
18. Overall KJ: Clinical Small Animal Behavioral Medicine. St. Louis,
Mosby, 1997.
19. Dodman N, Shuster: Psychopharmacology of Animal Behavior Disor-
ders. Malden, MA, Blackwell Science, 1998.