Learning Objectives

• Understand why Health and Husbandry is specifically located as the 3rd Foundation in FSDT
• Be aware of behavioral "problems" that may be related to health, before a behavioral plan can be implemented.
• Understand how to dig deeper into possible health-related issues that affect behavior.

Why the Health Layer for FSDT?

The health layer is low in our foundation plans because it can drastically interfere with any behavior modification or training plan if it not addressed first.

With a baseline knowledge of canine behavior and husbandry, all time spent with dogs should include paying attention to what is physically and behaviorally "normal" for typical dogs. This assists trainers in making more accurate diagnoses of true behavior problems vs behaviors that are caused or exasperated by medical explanations.

Dog Wellness

The common signs of a healthy dog include bright eyes, a shiny coat, and a wet nose. However, these are not always indicative of good health. Even if a dog maintains a perfect physical condition, a dog's sparkling eyes may dull with age, a wire-haired dog's coat may not appear glossy, and a healthy dog may have a dry nose for various environmental or situational reasons.

A dog's body shape and weight, (see this link: Dog Body Weight) which should remain consistent, are perhaps more valuable health indicators. Odd swellings, unexpected weight loss, and bloating are possible early health concerns. A pet owner may track a puppy's weight increase and progress by measuring it weekly.

Changes in a dog's health can also be seen in its feces and urination behaviors, which vary significantly in each dog. The urination and defecation patterns should be consistent. As the dog's routine becomes established, it will become evident as the owner learns what is usual for the dog in terms of regularity, consistency, and color.

A healthy dog should be bright, alert, and plays with other pets. It should move around without stiffness, be enthusiastic about physical activity, and not be overly exhausted afterward. Additionally, the dog should also be interested in food and drink enough water, but not more than what is "normal".

Any change in a dog's behavior, routine, appetite, and activity level may indicate ill health.

Most common diseases are minor and highly treatable if caught early. Always consult a veterinarian before trying any home remedies that you are not 100 percent confident about. What is acceptable for people may be hazardous to dogs. In some cases, veterinary advice may be given to an owner over the phone, while others may need a physical evaluation to provide the best treatment plan.

Additional tests, like blood work and imaging, may be required once a veterinarian has taken the dog's history and examined it thoroughly. An illness that requires hospitalization, surgery, and long-term recovery is rare in dogs. However, minor disorders are common enough to be treated without much difficulty.

Behavioral Problems that May be Influenced by Health

Destructive Behavior

Dogs, especially puppies, enjoy chewing, which is a normal behavior. However, it can cause an owner-dog conflict when it becomes uncontrolled. Several reasons including physical pain or anxiety related to a medical condition can exasperate this behavior for self-soothing reasons.

Excessive Barking/Whining/Vocalizations

Another natural behavior of dogs is barking, but it becomes an issue when done too much. Besides the many behavioral reasons for vocalizations, any medical condition that causes discomfort or anxiety can be a potential reason for vocalizations in excess.

Restlessness/anxiety/quivering

• eclampsia/low calcium (nursing bitches)
• side effects from drugs (flea/tick medications)
• pain
• many illnesses

Licking

• gastrointestinal upset
• anxiety
• neurologic

Disobedience

When a dog seems to be abnormally disobedient compared to normal or abnormally difficult to train in obedience it is vital to explore any potential health conditions, especially:

• vision changes
• hearing loss
• pain (moving into sit and down positions especially)
  • Oral Joint Supplement Review
• ANY illness

Aggression

Many physical reasons may alter a dog's "normal" aggressive reactions:

• Neuter status
• Pain!!
• Thyroid? (debated) Read here: Thyroid and Behavior Studies (read both of the studies at this link)
• Neurologic disorders

Dietary related

• Quality of diet/volume
  • pica, coprophagia, etc
• Protein and aggression?
  • Tryptophan and Tyrosine
• Articles/Studies

Self-advocating/attention-seeking behavior

• Any health condition!
• Especially when sudden/not usual

Be aware of conditioned responses to past medical conditions

• aversions to movements
• expectation of pain even after healed (possible vocalization in anticipation)

Senior Pet Cognitive Dysfunction

• Senior dogs may develop brain lesions similar to Alzheimer's in humans
• Difficult to diagnose but signs of early dementia may be present in up to 35% of dogs over 8 years old
• disorientation
• forgetting familiar routines
• forgetting familiar people
• difficulty learning new tasks

Additional:

Medical Condition	Category	Behavioral Sign
Internal parasites, bacterial/viral infection	Illness or disease	Altered personality, lethargy, depression, withdrawal, anorexia, reduction in grooming, altered social relationships, altered response to stimuli
Central (affecting forebrain, limbic/temporal, and hypothalamic), rapid-eye movement sleep disorders	Neurologic	Altered awareness and response to stimuli, loss of learned behaviors, housesoiling, disorientation, confusion, altered activity levels, temporal disorientation, vocalization, change in temperament (fear, anxiety, aggression), altered appetite, altered sleep cycles, interrupted sleep (aggression/waking/activity)
Peripheral (neuropathy)	Neurologic	Self-mutilation, irritability, aggression, circling, hyperesthesia
Focal seizures/temporal lobe seizures	Neurologic	Repetitive behaviors, self-trauma, chomping, staring, altered temperament (eg, intermittent states of fear or aggression), tremors, shaking, interrupted sleep
Sensory dysfunction	Neurologic	Altered response to stimuli, confusion, disorientation, altered sleep cycles, irritability, aggression, vocalization, housesoiling
Hypothyroidism	Metabolic / Endocrine	Lethargy, decreased response to stimuli, irritability, aggression.
Hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing's disease)	Metabolic / Endocrine	Panting, night waking, housesoiling, irritability, polydipsia, polyphagia, anxiety
Diabetes/hyperglycemia	Metabolic / Endocrine	Housesoiling, night waking
Functional ovarian and testicular tumors	Physical	Androgen-induced behaviors: males—aggression, roaming, marking, sexual attraction, mounting; females—nesting or possessive aggression of objects
Hepatic or renal encephalopathy	Physical	Signs associated with affected organ, anxiety, irritability, aggression, altered sleep, housesoiling, mental dullness, decreased activity, restlessness, increased sleep, confusion
Anemia or electrolyte imbalances	Physical	Pica
Pain	Pain	Altered response to stimuli, decreased activity, restlessness/inability to settle, vocalization, housesoiling, aggression, irritability, self-trauma, waking at night
Gastrointestinal	Physical	Licking, polyphagia, pica, coprophagia, housesoiling (fecal), wind sucking, tongue rolling, unsettled sleep, restlessness
Urogenital	Physical	Housesoiling (urine), polydipsia, waking at night
Dermatologic	Physical	Acral lick dermatitis, nail biting, hyperesthesia, other self-trauma

Medications for Behavior Problems?

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are types of antidepressants that are commonly prescribed to dogs for a variety of behavior problems.  Prozac (fluoxetine) is one of the most commonly prescribed by veterinarians who have clients who complain about behavior problems.

Does it work?

• approved vs "off-label"
• drug vs behavior therapy

Read articles: Prozac for Behavior

There are other drugs, such as sedatives, that are used to manage behavior as needed. To be more familiar with drugs that you may encounter as a dog trainer prescribed by a client's veterinarian you can upload the pdf file below: