From feather-picking parrots to aggressive dogs, UF animal behaviorist sees it all

Driven to desperation by her dog’s fierce barking fits and other behavior problems, Lorraine Edwards finally took her veterinarian’s advice and sought help from an animal behaviorist.

Marley, an Australian Shepherd mixed-breed dog abandoned on a dirt road as a puppy and rescued by dog lovers, would terrify neighbors by barking incessantly and rushing his fence whenever they tried to walk to their car or visit other neighbors. Edwards, of Athens, Ga., knew Marley had behavior problems and that he had been abused as a puppy.

The last straw, however, was during his second annual veterinary visit, when out of the blue he went from a passive, sitting position to nipping a technician’s knee.

“That motivated me to action, as I did not want him biting anyone,” Edwards said.

Enter veterinarian Terry Curtis, an animal behaviorist who began working at UF’s Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital on Aug. 4. She’s returned to her alma mater after learning the ins and outs of creature psychology: why some parrots pick their feathers and certain Siamese cats chew wool blankets, for example. Not to mention why aggressive dogs that bite generally are motivated by fear or some other factor, not because they are inherently vicious or mean.

After studying Marley’s history and home environment, Curtis changed the location of the dog’s crate to a more secluded spot, lessening the noise factor, and encouraged Edwards to add a “doggie door” so that Marley would not feel trapped inside the house when his owners weren’t home. As a result, Marley’s anxiety level —and, consequently, his need for attention — decreased.

Edwards is one of an increasing number of pet owners who seek professional, specialized veterinary care to improve their pet’s — and their own — quality of life. Among the most common behavior problems seen in both dogs and cats are inappropriate elimination, thunderstorm phobia, separation anxiety, excessive barking and aggression directed at strangers, owners and other animals.

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Association revealed that behavior problems were the reason most dogs and cats were turned over to animal shelters.

“Since shelters nationally have a 40 percent to 80 percent euthanasia rate, there is a good possibility that animals relinquished to shelters may not survive,” said Lynne Siebert, D.V.M., president of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior. “Animals with behavior problems also are three times more likely than other animals to be given away.”

Yet the number of veterinarians who have received specialized training in how to deal with behavior problems is small: Currently only 32 board-certified veterinary animal behaviorists practice in the United States.

“The demand is coming from the public and as a result of their needs being expressed, the specialty started,” said Bonnie Beaver, D.V.M., a board-certified animal behaviorist and president-elect of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

In addition to preventing suffering in animal patients, veterinary behaviorists are increasingly being sought to address the public health issues associated with dog bites to humans, professionals say. “The issue of aggressiveness in animals is very complex,” Curtis said. “Most attacks are not unprovoked from the dog’s point of view, so getting a thorough history is very important. The dog gets a bad rap when in most cases, it’s a human problem.”

She added that dogs are individuals just as humans are and that every situation involving aggression is unique.

“A dog that is motivated by fear is going to be treated differently than a dog that has protection issues.”

Added Edwards, “Dr. Curtis helped us see Marley in a different light. As a family, we recognize that he had problems, much as an abused child, and now we work around those problems.”

The family does its best not to put Marley in situations where he would be uncomfortable or fearful, Edwards said.

“As a result, Marley is on the whole more relaxed, and we are back to a more normal life,” she said.

Curtis urged the owners of aggressive animals not to give up. “I have actually never had a case where I finally wound up telling the owner there was no hope for the dog,” she said.