Veterinary Behavior of Indiana

01/10/2025

CJ is our ⭐️ Student today! CJ and his pet parents have been working very hard on structured interactions at home and even demonstrated for our team in office! Keep up the great work CJ!

01/08/2025

With profound sadness and immense gratitude, we honor the life and legacy of Karen Pryor, a true pioneer in the fields of animal behavior and positive reinforcement training. Karen’s groundbreaking work revolutionized how we communicate with animals—and each other—leaving an indelible mark on science, education, and the lives of countless species around the world.

Continue reading: https://bit.ly/4214rRG

01/07/2025

Norma Jean is our ⭐️ Student today! Norma Jean and her mom have been working very hard these past few months with helping Norma with her separation anxiety. Norma has been working on being independent around the household from her humans and working on her pre-departure routine (she’s a big fan of the Woof Pupsicle!). Way to go Norma Jean and keep up the great work!

12/20/2024

🌟Behavior Star Student Winston🌟
Winston came in this morning for a recheck appointment and he was READY to learn! He loved learning the Ping Pong patten game!

12/18/2024

Please see our schedule below for our Holiday Hours through the New Year. Happy Howlidays from the VBI Team!

12/17/2024

We had a fun afternoon getting into the holiday spirit! It was nice to unwind and share a few laughs together!
Happy Howlidays!!! 🎄❤️

12/12/2024

11/28/2024

Wishing everyone a peaceful Thanksgiving!

11/05/2024

🌟 Behavior Star Student Alert 🌟
Queenie came back today for her recheck visit today! She is doing better with being able to settle herself when excited, respond to cues in a new environment, and she is a rockstar with fun enrichment games!
Way to go, Queenie! 👸🏻
Keep up the good work!!

11/04/2024

Dr. Rigterink discusses why your dog may be acting “off” or restless in this article:

Is your dog acting weird and restless? Discover the common causes behind this behavior, and learn how to help your pet feel calmer.

10/22/2024

⭐️Gold Star Behavior Student⭐️
Loki and his pet parent have done an AMAZING job over the years with growing his confidence in a fun way! Here he is demonstrating his “chute” behavior! Keep up the great work!!!!

10/16/2024

Make your Halloween a little less frightening for your pet! Fear Free Happy Homes has a great handout on how to prevent those Halloween Howls and help your pet during this spooky season! 🐶🧡🍬🐱
https://www.fearfreehappyhomes.com/how-to-prevent-halloween-howls-from-your-pet-2/

10/03/2024

This is a throwback image from 2001. I remember asking my son over 20 years ago to give our(then) dog Carin a hug so I could get a picture of the two of them together. I wanted to share how well our newly adopted dog did with our children. This and other images went out to our extended family as we welcomed Carin into our home.

What I and everyone else neglected to pay attention to was Carin’s face. She CLEARLY did not want to be in this situation.

I did not know what I was missing in her body language. I just wanted to send a picture out showing my kiddo and new dog and tell everyone “look how well they get along.” Well my son looked happy but Carin looks anything but.

I am sure many of you have done the same thing. Set your dog and child up for a photograph and not quite recognize the discomfort the situation created for your dog. Many of us have. We want to change this to be more comfortable when taking images. Dogs and children (especially babies and toddlers) do not need to be on or right next to one another for a cute image.

Here are some things to consider when wanting to catch your dog and child in an image:

☑Never suggest your kiddo goes over to your dog and hugs them (like I did here)
Always try to have an adult in between or actively supporting both dog and child in the picture.
☑Be very mindful of your dog and child’s expressions. Are they enjoying this closeness and pressured experience? Carin is CLEARLY not. I see it now 20 some years later but at the time I would not have known to look for whale eye, tight mouth, ears back, body shift away etc. I did not have the Dog Aware skills (body language). I was just taking photos to send to everyone saying how great she and my kids were getting along.

☑Give your dog something to do and your child something to do before you want to take an image.

‼ Ex. Dog has a licky mat and the child has crayons or chalk. They can sit close with an adult between them.

💯We just suggest not having the pressure of a close image put on your dog and child in close proximity. Every encounter your dog has with your child is an important one. Keep this in mind when taking images.

09/25/2024

Having a cat that eliminates outside the litter box is stressful for both the cat and the caretaker. The good news is that there are simple ways to prevent this behavior or attempt to fix an already present problem. Below are some tips on how to make the litterbox a safe place for your cat. Remember that the litterbox is not just a toileting area but also a place where your cat establishes his or her territory to feel secure in their environment.

09/17/2024

🌟Behavior Star Student Alert🌟
Maddy came in for her recheck visit today and she has made excellent progress with some life obstacles recently. Keep up the hard work, girl!!!

09/11/2024

Important information about those “teenage” years!

Adolescence occurs between six months and 18 months of age—a time when guardians typically struggle the most with their dogs. Some guardians are so overwhelmed and underprepared for this developmental stage of their dog’s life, they choose to surrender the dog to a local shelter or rescue group. In a recent study published in the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science found that the majority of the surrendered dogs (47.7 percent) ) were between 5 months and 3 years of age (M.D. Salman,John G. New, Jr.,Janet M. Scarlett,Philip H. Kass,Rebecca Ruch-Gallie &Suzanne Hetts, 2010)

The neurobiology of adolescence is fascinating, with some key events that alter both the structure and function of the brain.

During canine adolescence, changing s*x hormones effect the animals stress responses. Adolescent dogs have a decreased ability to process information they are receiving from the environment including the presence of dogs, vehicles, people, or really anything around them. They behave in ways that might feel frustrating or upsetting for the dog’s person.

The connectivity between the frontal cortex (responsible for decision making) and amygdala (responsible for emotional processing) decreases, resulting in less behavioral control. We see increased risk taking and more sensitivity to fear.

So what does this mean? This could mean that what was once no big deal to the dog now feels scary; what was once easy to do is now stressful; what once made sense is now confusing. At times, the world can feel like ‘too much’ for the adolescent dog.

As your puppy undergoes this transition into adulthood their inner world is intense, even chaotic. Many pet owners experience an increase in undesirable behavior and find themselves becoming increasingly frustrated. In turn, our own frustration and impatience can cause us to act unpredictably. This adds to our puppy’s inner turmoil. When the inside and the outside are both unpredictable it can be difficult for our dogs to adjust.

If you have an adolescent dog, what can you do? You can give your dog the time and space to observe what is going on around them when on leash at a distance away from the activity when possible. You can give your dog long walks to sniff and explore in nature, giving their brain time to decompress. You can offer your dog a quiet space to sleep so that they can consolidate memories effectively. You can continue training various skills, breaking them down into easier steps that can be generously reinforced.

By understanding what our adolescent dog is experiencing we gain greater compassion and understanding. When we approach adolescence with patience we create a world that is predictable and gentle so our puppies grow up to be their best adult selves.

09/09/2024

🌟Behavior Star Student🌟
Phoebe was a past star student but she and her pet parent did SO well with working on her confidence and diminishing her noise phobia over this summer.. she is back on the list! She also loves licking yummy items! ❤️

07/18/2024

This is a wonderful resource for dog/baby interactions!!! Spread the word!

https://www.familypaws.com/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3zo-5cG21mXGXBUR3GU3JU3bvYsIQE3OH9sbbgDeAANnp6dzMgzpbnRtY_aem_sNomxDd-w1MuTi6slAM_TA

Preparing your dog for baby, introducing your dog to your new baby, we know you have questions! Trust our 20 years of experience!