Re: [A/S] First overnight stay and delivery/dogs

[Robert C Townsend <rctowns@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

An animal behaviorist can teach you how to 'take it down a few
notches'...but beware of animal shrinks that prescribe prozac for pets,
right off the bat... i'm serious.

Medication may or may not work, and the problem will return as soon as Maile
develops a tolerance for the drug, or habituates to its effects. Drugs may
be useful in conjunction with a behavioral training program, in severe
cases. But it's the behavioral training that will make the behavior change -
drugs might facilitate it, but could also hinder it.

The procedure is much the same as dealing with 'night-time crying' in
infants. First step is a 'functional assessment' of the problem behavior,
and an identification of a 'target behavior', that is, what you'd like Maile
to do instead.

Problem behaviors are 'learned', and serve some function for the
animal/person. Just offhand (no way to know without doing an FA), i'd say
that she's probably tuned in to your 'about-to-leave behaviors' and the
chain begins there. The key is to find a link in the behavioral chain, and
change it.... all the subsequent behaviors will change. Like I say, animal
behaviorists are really, really good at dealing with exactly this sort of
thing.

This is clearly off-topic, but important for those of us who travel with our
anipals.

Tuna (A behaviorist who's currently leash-training Dr.Katz to travel with
him on road trips)