Bayside Dog Behaviour

15/12/2024

At this point in time, most folks understand the link between pain and behavior. It’s logical: you don’t feel well, you have less patience and tolerance, you lash out or shut down or otherwise are not the best version of yourself. It makes sense that the same would be true for dogs.

But how do we know there is pain with animals who cannot verbalize that pain?

The short answer: we can’t know.

The longer answer: we also can’t know there ISN’T pain.

Meet Malus.

From puppyhood, he’s been a little spicy. But he’s a terrier, so that’s normal, right? He didn’t like having his feet handled. No biggie. And as he got older, he got a little reactive to other dogs - again, see “terrier” in the dictionary. And after he got neutered at 2.5 years old, his behavior spiraled - going after his housemates, aggression directed at his owners, even less tolerance for handling, increased fence fighting. But there’s some evidence of increased aggression after neutering, so maybe he just got unlucky.

For many folks, that explanation would’ve been enough. They would’ve worked on behavior modification, or just accepted a crate and rotate household, or managed the heck out of all of his triggers… or, honestly, would’ve ended up euthanizing him for his dangerous behavior.

Luckily, Malus’s mom is Katrina, who is essentially a terrier in a human body. She dug in.

Training, a veterinary behaviorist, consulting with other behavior experts, expensive testing - and then we got our first physical explanation: low zinc.

But even with a zinc supplement, his aggressive episodes remained unpredictable. Katrina had noticed some very, very intermittent lameness, foot chewing, butt/tail biting, so off they went to the first orthopedic specialist - one who cleared him orthopedically for all activities.

So they did physical therapy, and pain meds, and kept working on training.

But the weird, mild lameness continued, and so did visits to specialists. A neurologist who recommended an MRI, then more physical therapy for a possible psoas strain, different meds, another orthopedic/rehab specialist consultation, adjustments to physical therapy, a PEMF bed for home use, adjustments to behavior meds, consults with nationally respected trainers and behavior specialists, and finally - FINALLY - a recommendation to see a pain management specialist.

“I think he may have Tethered Cord Syndrome. I’m going to try different pain meds, but there’s a specialist in Massachusetts you should get in touch with.”

With the new meds on board, his behavior improved. He was brighter, happier, had fewer episodes of lameness, self mutilation, and aggression.

Yesterday, Malus had a dynamic MRI at Tufts, where Tethered Cord Syndrome was confirmed.

Today, he had surgery to relieve the adhesions to his spinal cord that have been causing him pain.

He was never “just being a terrier.” He was not acting out for no good reason. He didn’t need harsher training methods. He wasn’t aggressing for no reason.

He was in pain.

There are no words to adequately describe how thrilled I am for Katrina and Malus to have this diagnosis and surgery in their rear view mirror - it has been a long time coming. The strain on Katrina and Kevin’s emotions, time, resources, finances, and household over the last 5 years cannot be overstated. Most folks wouldn’t - and couldn’t - go to the lengths they did.

We can’t rule out pain. We can only rule out specific issues and diagnoses. For Malus, it took finding the right vet who had heard about this rarely diagnosed issue to connect them with the vet who could help.

To my clients I encourage to work with their veterinarian to try to find any physical explanations: Katrina and Malus are the reason why I will push you more if your primary care vet shrugs you off. It’s why I will push and push and push, especially if your commitment to training and management is excellent but we still are struggling to make progress. Malus is on my shoulder (sometimes literally), poking me with his nose, screeching in my ear to look harder.

If you’ve ever heard him, you know how hard that ✨ delightful ✨ noise is to ignore.

(PS - Here’s your sign to sign up for pet insurance.)

To learn more about Tethered Cord Syndrome:
https://vet.tufts.edu/news-events/news/breakthrough-surgical-procedure-relieves-dogs-chronic-pain

26/09/2024

Please take a moment to read and sign this petition for Jennifer Wilcox to retain her puppy training venue. She has provided an invaluable service to the community for over twenty years, and now Kingston Council want to evict her from the premises without any consultation or logical reasoning. Thank you 🙏🏼

Allow Dog Training Professionals to use Community Space for Community Education!

18/09/2024

This is becoming a welfare issue!

Im tired of hearing “the vet says there is no pain” by a guardian after they have taken their dog to the vet. It leaves me deflated and frustrated and feeling so sorry for the dog.

Myth Bust:

PAIN CANNOT BE RULED OUT IN ANY ANIMAL (dog, cat, horse or hamster), by anyone!

* A quick palpation - CANNOT RULE OUT PAIN

WHY?

The dog may shut down due to environmental factors or dislike of a strange human touching them, they keep still to get it over with ASAP!

The dog may be over aroused or overwhelmed by the clinical environment (excited/scared etc) to the point that adrenaline is so high it blocks pain!

* Blood Tests - CANNOT RULE OUT PAIN

There is currently NO blood test that can detect pain.

* Diagnostic imaging - CANNOT RULE OUT PAIN

Yes they can pick up a variety of conditions, but even the GOLD standard MRI doesn’t pick up everything, but NONE of them can detect PAIN.

Just because a source cannot be found doesn’t mean there is no pain.

PAIN is subjective, it is whatever that being (human or animal) perceives it to be!

Pain can come in many different forms, it is extremely complex, and can effect the individual in many different ways. A dog may get injured, the injury may have healed, but the pain remains … this is known as maladaptive pain.

Behaviour can be a HUGE indicator for PAIN:

* There could be a change of behaviour that has been directly caused by PAIN.

* There could be a worsening of behaviour due to an increase or new presence of PAIN.

* There could be a lack of “normal” behaviour due to PAIN.

* There could be behaviours that are present but that the guardian/owner don’t deem to be problematic that are indicators of PAIN.

* The dog may have ALWAYS displayed behaviours that are indicators of PAIN, but they have been ignored and put down to “just the way they are”.

* There may be NO problematic behaviours at all …. And the dog might still be in PAIN!

* The dog might be energetic, always on the go … and still be in PAIN.

* The dog might be lazy … and still be in PAIN.

* The dog may zoom up and down stairs … and still be in PAIN.

Diagnosing PAIN is not simple and can be difficult to get on top of.

A PAIN relief trail can be great! But often only one type of analgesic is tried and sometimes this doesn’t get results leading to the ASSUMPTION that there is no PAIN!

Here’s why:

* The drug was only trialed for 2 weeks - when living with chronic pain it can take longer to relieve. 2 weeks is not enough.

* The drug used wasn’t targeted to the type of pain the animal is feeling; soft tissue, bone, nerve or a combination of all.

It might take a number of different medications or a combination OVER TIME to see a difference.

ALWAYS keep in mind, NO ONE can rule out another being’s PAIN.

NO ONE. Not me. Not you. Not a Doctor. Not a Vet.

19/02/2024

K9 Nose Work is an excellent activity for all dogs. They LOVE it. K9 Nose Fun is a great place to learn all about it. 🐾😍

The best FUN for just about ALL. dogs and their people ♥️

01/02/2024

Unlike humans who are more visual, dogs ‘see’ the world through their noses.

Sniffing can provide our dogs with important information about their environment. As well, it can be calming and lower stress levels, reduce cognitive decline, and promote overall well being.

A leisurely self paced sniffy walk can provide physical and mental exercise and stimulation for our dogs, and maybe for us too.

Whose walk is it anyway?

01/02/2024

Sniffing is life. Let them sniff!

If I could tell the world one thing, it would be:

LET YOUR DOGS SNIFF

Whilst us humans SEE the world, with vision our primary sense, our dogs SMELL the world. Their olfactory abilities are beyond incredible and they are how they navigate the world.

Imagine wearing blinkers throughout life, that is what it must be like for dogs not being allowed to sniff.

I often relate how, as a shift worker, I would sometimes walk my dogs while it was still dark. I was always looking around me, behind me, a little on edge. Because I couldn’t see very well, I didn’t feel safe.

Dogs can find out sooo much about the world by being allowed to gather that information through their noses. And that allows them to feel safe.

I am aware of recent information in the media where it was advised not to let dogs sniff. I want to be very clear, as a qualified dog trainer who has worked professionally with dogs in a range of disciplines (for over 20 years) my advice is the opposite. Let your dogs sniff. Long sniffy walks are hereby prescribed for ALL dogs. I would love for anyone who does not allow their dogs to sniff to trial a long sniffy walk each day. See how this changes your dog’s arousal levels. See how it improves their behaviour and well being.

This is more important for working dogs - it helps them decompress. I would take my detection dogs for long sniffy walks as often as I could. Let them enjoy the recreation sniffs. If a dog is motivated to do it’s job, it should be able to enjoy all of life’s pleasures, including sniffing. Working dogs deserve this. It is much more important in my opinion to become a better trainer so that your dog does not need to be deprived, in fact their non working lives should be enriched.

Here is a collage of just some of my clients herding breed dogs sniffing. These dogs live very fulfilling lives and compete in a variety of disciplines - tricks, obedience, herding, agility, and being goodest dogs on the couch too. Some are dogs who have worked through behavioural issues where sniffing has played a very important role.

Please, let your dog sniff.

18/12/2023