Pet behaviour problems can be challenging at the best of times and in many cases, unfortunately, can lead to the pet being removed from the household. This is a sad and, in most cases, unnecessary step as many pet behavioural problems can be resolved.

The biggest obstacle to resolving these problems is usually a lack of understanding of the cause of the unwanted behaviour. If we can understand what sparks off the unwanted behaviour then we are half way to a solution.

As humans our biggest problem when it comes to dealing with pet behaviour problems is that we often impose a human solution on an animal problem. For example, your dog might start chewing your slippers. You whack the dog on the nose with a newspaper to discourage the behaviour. That might work but you stand an equal chance of the dog viewing your action as paying attention to it and so every time it wants your attention, it grabs your slippers. If you keep whacking it you are in fact reinforcing the behaviour ? which is the exact opposite to what you are wanting to achieve.

Training a pet is also an integral part of preventing or correcting pet behaviour problems. For many pet owners unacceptable pet behaviour problems such as aggression, excessive or inappropriate barking, biting and so on are problems that can easily sour the human-pet bond. However, many of these problems can be sorted out if the owner is willing to make an effort to understand WHY the pet is behaving in such a way and then does something constructive about it.

If the training is done in a humane way, it enriches the human - pet relationship in many ways and minimises potential conflict by reducing undesirable behaviours in the pet. This is the win/win result that everyone should be striving for.

So the next time your pet behaves in an antisocial way, pause and consider why it is acting in that way and then try to establish a "pet logical" way of dealing with it.

Keith Perrett is a qualified Veterinarian. Visit www.pet-health-for-humans.com/pet-behaviour-problems.html for some solutions on how to resolve pet behaviour problems

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