Synergy Veterinary Behavior

Synergy Veterinary Behavior Creating harmony between people and their pets

We are a veterinary behavior referral practice dedicated to bringing happiness to the Portland-area's people and their pets by providing supportive and comprehensive programs for diagnosis and treatment of problem behaviors.

Happy "Let's-Avoid-Pancreatitis" Day! 🍂If you're partaking in any feasting today, be mindful that most foods you'll indu...
11/27/2025

Happy "Let's-Avoid-Pancreatitis" Day! 🍂

If you're partaking in any feasting today, be mindful that most foods you'll indulge in can cause severe tummy troubles for your pets!

While your pets may disagree, they'll thank you for it later! Here are some foods you should avoid sharing:

Turkey skin, bones, drippings (unseasoned turkey is okay)
Mashed potatoes and stuffing
Garlic
Onion and scallion
Mushrooms
Sweets (including grandma's sweet potatoes, unless she sets a plain one off to the side)

Reminder: We're closing early today! We'll be closing at 1pm today, November 26th, 2025. If you need a refill request pr...
11/26/2025

Reminder: We're closing early today!

We'll be closing at 1pm today, November 26th, 2025.

If you need a refill request processed today, please make sure to submit it by 11am. All medications for pickup will need to be picked up by 1pm or wait until we're back on Sunday, November 30th.

Time to go pawty like an Archie! 😜

Are you a city-savvy dog parent? 🐶 🏙Do you...⭐ Always pick up after your dog? Picking up p**p is the best way to prevent...
11/25/2025

Are you a city-savvy dog parent? 🐶 🏙

Do you...

⭐ Always pick up after your dog?
Picking up p**p is the best way to prevent the spread of disease and parasites, including Giardia, roundworms, hookworms, etc.

⭐️ Pay attention to your dog on walks, instead of to your phone?
Being attentive to your dog on walks can help prevent unwanted situations and allows you to be present and enjoy your time together.

⭐️ Prevent them from peeing on buildings and signs?
Allowing our pets to urinate on buildings and signs can be incredibly damaging to the structures, cause lasting odors, and it forces others to deal with our pets' messes. Aim for the greenery!

⭐ Always keep your dog on leash?
Leash laws exist for a reason, and that is to protect not only yourself and your dog, but others in the community as well. Don't be the jerk who has an off-leash dog running up on others! Utilize off-leash areas like dog parks or Sniffspots to provide your dog free-roaming time. Don't put the burden of your dog on other people and their pets.

⭐ Advocate for your dog to help them succeed?
This can look different for everyone, but can include things like:
▪ crossing the street to give your dog space
▪ letting someone know your dog does not want to say "hi" to them or their dog
▪ keeping your dog at home if they'd be stressed sitting at a restaurant or patio

⭐ Not let everyone greet your dog?
Just because someone asks, doesn't mean your dog needs to or wants to greet them! Many dogs are okay passing by strangers, but don't want them in their space, and that is okay. Separately, many dogs love strangers, but are maybe working on polite greetings, which can be hard to facilitate with someone you don't know, who isn't obligated to help you.

If you said "YES" to all of these things, CONGRATS! You are a City-Savvy Pet Parent😎
If you said "NO" to some or all of these things, it's okay! We believe in your ability to implement these things so you, too, can be a City-Savvy Pet Parent!

While we try to fill the holiday season with love, joy, and fun, it doesn't always mean it's also stress-free.Let's set ...
11/24/2025

While we try to fill the holiday season with love, joy, and fun, it doesn't always mean it's also stress-free.

Let's set ourselves and our pets up for success this year and minimize unnecessary stress so we can ALL enjoy the end-of-the-year festivities. 🐶🐱

🍂 Utilize Separation
Your pet doesn't need to be involved in everything. Give them breaks or keep them separate if they don't appreciate strangers!

❄ Routine
Maintain their routine as much as possible, especially if traveling. Add additional enrichment activities if you expect you'll be busy.

🍂 Training Opportunities
Take time to practice training/behavior modification! Utilize the extra people to your advantage, but don't overdo it. It's also okay to skip this if your pet will be too stressed.

❄ Ask for help!
Ask your friends and family members who will be around to help with your pet's behavior goals. Set rules and expectations for them ahead of time, and add additional management to avoid mishaps. If you are working on your dog's jumping, or need people to stay out of your pet's "safe room", speak up!

Synergy's Holiday Hours! ❄️We will be closing early this Wednesday, November 26th at 1:00 PM. ➡ Any medication refills n...
11/23/2025

Synergy's Holiday Hours! ❄️

We will be closing early this Wednesday, November 26th at 1:00 PM.
➡ Any medication refills needed before the holiday weekend will need to be submitted by 10am on November 26th to be processed before we leave for the weekend.

We will be closed on Wednesday, December 24th and Wednesday, December 31st. We'll post another reminder closer to these dates 😄

For anyone celebrating the holidays, we hope you have some good food, share some laughs, and have extra time for some self-care 💙 (Even if you don't celebrate, we still wish you the same!)

⭐ Portland Veterinary Medical Association's Pet Food and Supplies Drive is here! ⭐We are excited to be one of the collec...
11/22/2025

⭐ Portland Veterinary Medical Association's Pet Food and Supplies Drive is here! ⭐
We are excited to be one of the collection locations this year! Donations will be accepted through January 15th, 2026.

Donations can be brought to us Sun-Weds from 9am-6pm at 2127 NW York St, Portland, OR 97210. Please email us before arriving at [email protected]

👉 👉 What's needed:
▪ New or gently used: collars, leashes, harnesses, head halters, warm pet clothes, beds, blankets, cat litter
▪ Training treats and dry or canned/pouch food: Must be unopened and in original packaging (must be within 1yr of expiration)
▪ Clinic, medical, and grooming supplies: cleaning products, storage bins, syringes, gloves, etc
▪ Common-use medications, over-the-counter supplements, and flea/tick/HW preventatives (no controlled substances) (must be within 1yr of expiration)
▪ Dog and cat toys (new/gently used)

💙 Recipients of the donations will be: 💙
• Portland Animal Welfare Team: www.pawteam.org
The Portland Animal Welfare (PAW) Team saves lives, alleviates suffering, and keeps pets and people together by providing free veterinary care to the pets of people who are experiencing homelessness or extreme poverty.

• Coffee Creek Puppy Program: www.canine.org
A small group of adults in custody (AIC) at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility (CCCF) in Wilsonville raise puppies for Canine Companions. Canine Companions is a national non-profit organization that enhances the lives of people with physical, cognitive, and developmental disabilities by providing highly trained service dogs. The AIC handlers raise the puppies for the first year and a half of the dog’s life. PVMA member hospitals provide veterinary sponsorship while the dogs are in our area.

Resource guarding is surrounded by misconceptions and outdated advice. Do you know what is true and accurate?"You need t...
11/20/2025

Resource guarding is surrounded by misconceptions and outdated advice.
Do you know what is true and accurate?

"You need to establish your dominance" - FALSE. Alpha/dominance theory is outdated, disproven, and a dangerously inaccurate description of the problem.

"You need to get them used to being messed with" - FALSE. We should not be messing with our dogs to teach "tolerance". This most often teaches dogs that we are not to be trusted, as we continuously invade their space. We also need to get over the idea that dogs need to learn to tolerate everything.

"You need to be able to take things from your dog whenever you want" - KIND OF. While we should work on solid "trade you", "drop it", and "leave it" cues, the more we physically take resources away from them, ESPECIALLY when there is a resource-guarding issue, the more likely the problem is to escalate. Again, we are showing them we are not to be trusted.

"Resource guarding is always over food or toys" - FALSE. Resource guarding can be over anything a dog sees as a valuable resource. This can include spaces, people, and even random items they find.

Resource guarding most often stems from underlying anxiety or insecurity. We need to be able to meet their needs and make them feel safe and secure to improve. If you're unsure how to achieve that or need help, please reach out!

What is your dog trying to tell you? 🐶It's normal to feel frustrated by your dog's behavior at times. However, all behav...
11/19/2025

What is your dog trying to tell you? 🐶

It's normal to feel frustrated by your dog's behavior at times. However, all behaviors serve a purpose - to meet their needs.

So, when you notice a behavior you don't like...

👀 First: What are they doing?
Describe the behavior(s) you see. What are they trying to access or get away from?

👀 Second: Dig!
What body language do you notice before, during, and after the behavior(s) are performed? Based on your observations, can you tell what they might be feeling?

💭 Third: Plan
What actions can we take to help meet their needs? How can we prevent the unwanted behaviors from being rehearsed? How can we set them up to succeed next time we're in this situation?

Even when you're feeling frustrated, remember that all behaviors serve a purpose, and your dog is not doing something to spite you. If you are struggling, please reach out to a qualified, positive reinforcement-based behavior professional for help.

11/19/2025

Punishment in dog training: what does the science tell us?

Today's Facebook Live is going to be SPICY 🌶 🥵Join Lorenzo Fox (FDM, SAPT, PDT, CCUI) for our Facebook Live TODAY, Novem...
11/18/2025

Today's Facebook Live is going to be SPICY 🌶 🥵

Join Lorenzo Fox (FDM, SAPT, PDT, CCUI) for our Facebook Live TODAY, November 18th, at 5:30pm Pacific Time.

Lorenzo will dive into what the science ACTUALLY tells us regarding aversive tools and techniques in animal training.

Can't wait to see you there!

PSA: Your pet is not stubborn!You may be, though😉What is often attributed to as "stubbornness" in our pets is typically:...
11/17/2025

PSA: Your pet is not stubborn!

You may be, though😉

What is often attributed to as "stubbornness" in our pets is typically:
▪ A lack of understanding
▪ We are asking for something they don't know, or don't know well enough to repeat in different situations
▪ There is a lack of appropriate reinforcement history
▪ A pet's emotional state can also impact their ability to respond to cues

If we want our pets to listen to us or do things a certain way, the first and most important step is building your relationship with them. From there, practice and repetition will be your new best friends!

Synergy Veterinary Behavior's Group Class Schedule! 🐶Classes are held online or at our facility at 2127 NW York St, Port...
11/16/2025

Synergy Veterinary Behavior's Group Class Schedule! 🐶
Classes are held online or at our facility at 2127 NW York St, Portland, OR 97210

➡ Register and view upcoming classes here: https://www.synergybehavior.com/dog-group-classes/

⭐ Class Offerings: ⭐
▪ Reactive Rover: Homeschool - Starts Tues, 11/18/25 and Tues, 2/3/26 at 6:00 PM
▪ Nose Knows - Starts Weds, 1/7/26 at 6:00 PM
▪ Control Unleashed 1: Reactive to Resilient - Starts Sun, 1/11/26 at 4:00 PM
▪Nose Knows MORE! - Starts Sun, 2/8/26 at 5:30 PM

Address

2127 NW York Street
Portland, OR
97210

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 6:30pm
Tuesday 9am - 6:30pm
Wednesday 9am - 6:30pm
Sunday 9am - 6:30pm

Telephone

+15033361202

Website

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