Caab Pass: Fill & Download for Free

Question: What do animal behavioralists think of Cesar Milan?First of all, behavioralist is not a word. The correct term is behaviorist. When I think of a behaviorist, I think of a board-certified veterinary behaviorist, a veterinarian with advanced training in animal behavior and treatment of behavior problems. This is similar to a psychiatrist in human medicine.The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) has published several position statements that will answer your question about what these experts think of Cesar Millan’s methods:The Use of Punishment for Behavior Modification of AnimalsThe Use of Dominance Theory in the Behavior Modification of AnimalsAVSAB Response Statement to Cesar 911The American College of Veterinary Behaviorists has published guidelines for veterinarians and for pet owners on how to select a trainer. In these guidelines they advise pet owners to avoid any trainer who explains most dog behavior as a result of the dog trying to be ‘dominant.’Dr. Andrew Luescher, DVM, PhD, DACVB, former director of the Purdue University Animal Behavior Clinic, someone I had the honor of speaking to in person at a week-long behavior program offered by the clinic, was asked by National Geographic to review 4 videotapes of The Dog Whisperer program prior to it being aired. He was critical of what he saw, but National Geographic chose to ignore what Luescher said and air the program anyway. You can read what Dr. Luescher wrote on the Beyond Cesar Millan website.In addition to board-certified veterinary behaviorists, there are also behavior specialists and behavior consultants. The Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers has an online directory of Certified Professional Dog Trainers and Behavior Consultants.These are trainers who have had the required number of hours of experience, passed a standardized examination, and met some other requirements, for example, have satisfactory references and signed an ethics statement and on an ongoing basis, have completed the required number of hours of continuing education.Melissa McCue-McGrath, CPDT-KA (Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers) has written an article that is published on the Certification for Professional Dog Trainers website about behaviorists. In it she discusses what it means to be a “behaviorist” in light of animal cruelty allegations against Cesar Millan.Veterinary Technicians with a specialty certification in behavior have also met experience and education requirements to be certified. You can find a list of current specialists on the website of the Academy of Veterinary Behavior Technicians.Finally, there are Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists (CAAB) and Associate Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists (ACAAB), professionals with an advanced degree in an animal behavior field who have met additional requirements for certification.The Association of Professional Dog Trainers is the major professional organization for dog trainers. It does not restrict membership to trainers with specific training philosophies or methods, but works to promote humane training methods and continuing education for all trainers. The organization has published several position statements on its website, including one on dominance and being the “alpha.”

Thank you, Rachid Cheddad, for your A2A: How can I make my 2 adult cats accept my new kitten?Acceptance usually follows a successful introduction. Unlike dogs, which are pack animals, cats are individuals and they do not always welcome new additions to their families. The main reasons are that newcomers are seen as invading their territories and competing for resources (food, water, litter box use, etc.). Thus, if your new kitten is going to fit in then it needs to be successfully introduced so that the older cats will accept it and allow it to have a place in their homes.From the wording of your question it seems you may already have tried to introduce the kitten to the existing adult cats but things didn’t work out. You may need a re-set and a re-introduction.Before continuing I’d like to recommend that you get a good cat book such as The Cat Whisperer by Mieshelle Nagelschneider or one of the many good cat behaviour books by Jackson Galaxy. You should be able to borrow them at your public library or obtain them through inter-library loan. Of course, you could always purchase them online. Additionally you might wish to google the topic.Mieshelle Nagelschneider covers the topic in much more detail in her work, a book that I find covers almost every conceivable cat problem you will ever face. This web site How To Introduce Your New Kitten To An Older Cat recommends separating the cats from the new kitten and says,“Before bringing their new kitten home, pet owners should create a separate ‘territory’ for each cat, complete with everything they need. ‘Owners should designate a separate room that can be closed off for the new cat — an unoccupied bedroom or a bathroom are good options,’ Lee advises. ‘The new cat should have its own litter box, bedding, toys, and water and food bowls in its room.’ This initial part of the process should last for at least a few days, but can sometimes continue for weeks or even months, notes Lee, ‘depending on how the introductions go.’As the cats acclimate to the new situation, it’s important to watch out for signs of stress and anxiety, notes Dr. Sheila Segurson in a release by the Best Friends Animal Society. These signs can include ‘hiding, aggressive behavior, decreased appetite, and/or excessive vocalization’ and if they continue for more than a few days, a veterinarian should be consulted.One way to help your cat through this transition is with consistency. ‘Try to keep as many aspects of the resident cat’s routine in place so that the resident cat does not get too stressed out. Avoid making too many changes at once,’ Lee adds.”The next stage involves a scent exchange, so that both kitten and cats know there are others around and can get accustomed to their smells. As the web site says, “This means the cats should be able to hear and smell each other, but not see or touch each other … “A few ways to get them used to each other’s presence is by setting up a dinner date for the two of them, feeding them at the same time on either side of the closed door. This helps them associate tasty food with the presence of the other cat, Lee notes. Pet owners can also play with the cats on either side of the closed door, encouraging them to paw at the space underneath the door (which may evolve into positive play with each other down the road).”After this you go to the visual introduction stage. “If passive introductions go smoothly, the two cats can finally get a look at what’s behind the door — at a distance, that is.Lee recommends setting up a baby gate in place of a closed door as a comforting barrier. ‘Play with or give yummy treats to each cat while on either side of the baby gate, and recruit a family member or friend to help you so that both cats are occupied,’ Lee says. ‘When the cats seem relaxed after these exercises, you can allow them to be near each other without a barrier.’”Following the visual introduction you may include supervised playtime. “’Start off with short sessions and gradually increase the amount of time they are together,’ Lee recommends. However, if either of the cats seems stressed or displays aggressive behavior (hissing, growling, swatting), take a step back in the process. Under no circumstance should the owner let the cats ‘fight it out,’ Lee says. ‘Keep in mind that the introduction can take anywhere from a few days to many months so go at your cats’ pace!’” It is recommended that positive reinforcement be used to reward good behaviour. What positive reinforcement do cats best understand? Treats, of course.Bearing in mind that the whole introductory process takes a long time and considerable patience, the web site adds: “’The slower you go the better,’ Lee notes. ‘However, there is a chance that cats will merely learn to live with each other and share the same house.’ If you run into serious issues along the way and need extra help, Lee recommends pet owners reach out to a behavior expert, such as a certified applied animal behaviorist (CAAB or ACAAB) or a board-certified veterinary behaviorist.” If the cats merely learn to live together in the same house, at least there will be detente. Real friendship may or may not develop. If it does, it may take a couple of years. Our Velvet and Peach had a hard time working things out but they are, after 3 1/2 years, becoming close. If one died tomorrow the other one would miss it. Two years ago that likely would not have been the case.These other web sites basically give the same advice with subtle differences and you may wish to read them in addition to the main site I used. They are: How to introduce a new cat to your resident cat, 5 Steps to Introducing Your New Kitten to Your Resident Cat | Litter-Robot Blog, and How to introduce a new kitten to your resident cat.Normally I write Quora articles about cats and prefer to write about cats. Feel free to click on my profile to see them and hopefully read some. Hopefully you will find articles that are helpful and enjoyable.Thank you for taking the time to read this.I try to answer questions I think I can effectively answer but may pass if I don’t know the answer, or if I have previously answered a very similar question, or someone else may have answered the question as well or better than I could, or the answer can be found easily by googling the topic. I hope you understand and are not offended if I don’t post an answer to your question(s).

First of all, if your dog is anxious, it isn't necessarily your fault. I work with anxious dogs a lot, and have one of my own who I have worked with over a period of time. She is so much better than she was, but when her stress level goes up, so does her anxiety. It waxes and wanes.So, with regard to your question about your dog being lost, first I want to say thank you for asking the question, as well as asking me. This shows me your concern for your dog and your desire to do what you can for him. I am so glad you found him unharmed.As far as what you can expect long term, that's hard to say since you weren't with him. He could have been frightened by something but you will probably never know. He may be anxious when you leave him with your family again. He may already be just because you are leaving him. It's good you are thinking about this and asking this question, but I wouldn't worry about it too much because there probably won't be any particular lasting effect. The most likely thing, in my estimation, would be anxiety, or more anxiety when you leave him.So, here are my recommendations. Train him to wait at the door, and train him to have a reliable recall. I'll talk about the anxiety in a minute.To teach him to wait at the door, cue (not command - commands are orders with an implied threat. A cue is an opportunity for reinforcement) him to sit at the door. Reach for the door and if you can, start to open it slightly. If he gets up from the sit, close the door.The concept you are teaching him is if he remains sitting, he will earn the privilege of going through the door. If he gets up, the door closes and he loses his opportunity for reinforcement, reinforcement being allowed to go out the door.Being able to go out the door strengthens the behavior of sitting and waiting to be released to go through. So, when he is still sitting with the door open just a bit for just a second, release him with a word such as "ok" or "free" to get up and go through the door.After a while, sitting at the door will become automatic, but you have to be consistent. Cue him to sit each time you are about to go through a door. My collie mix knows this so well, that she will not go through a door or even get out of the car unless I cue her to! Sometimes I forget and wonder why she's still sitting there.To teach your dog to come when called reliably I'm going to refer you to Leslie Nelson's Really Reliable Recall. Once you have taught this, you need to get your family on board so that they don't "poison" your cue, or make it irrelevant to your dog.Now, as far as your dog's anxiety goes, I would really like to see it reduced. I feel bad for any dog that has to live like this, scared or anxious all the time. The first thing I am going to recommend to you is to take that choke chain collar off of him, and if you are using any leash corrections, stop completely and immediately. Please place a flat buckle collar on him and use a well-fitted harness, not necessarily a front-fastening one, and not an Easy Walk, with a 6 foot leash, not a retractable leash. A well-fitted harness lies about an inch behind the front legs and does not cut across the shoulders, interfering with forward or backward front leg movement.Your dog may benefit from medication for a while, but if you put him on medication for anxiety, you also need to work with him on behavior modification, which is helping him be less anxious and learning new ways of responding to his environment. This is something that is best done under the guidance of a qualified professional, such as a Certified Professional Dog Trainer or Certified Dog Behavior Consultant, a Board-certified Veterinary Behaviorist (DACVB), or a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB or ACAAB).I usually recommend my clients try non-pharmacological means to alleviate their dogs' anxiety before talking to their vet about medication, unless the dog's anxiety warrants trying medication first. There are natural substances that are often effective in reducing anxiety: L-trytophan, L-theanine, B vitamins and colostrum. The first two are naturally occurring amino acids. These substances are sold separately or in combination, and you can buy them over-the-counter without a prescription. The L-theanine is marketed as Anxitane and available by prescription as well.In addition to these substances, I recommend the Original Anxiety Wrap, which I have been using for the past 7 or so years and have never once been disappointed in the results obtained. This is an amazing product. It was originally invented by Susan Sharp, a Certified Professional Dog Trainer who unfortunately passed away a couple of years ago. She was a wonderful dog trainer, and a wonderful person.This is not the same as the Thundershirt. The Thundershirt is the knockoff. Now, there are more and more products coming out that are very similar, but I recommend the original. It is much better made and much more effective - so long as you use it per the instructions which come with it.The product line developed by Susan was sold to Company of Animals prior to her death, and they have come out with a new design that, to my disappointment looks just like the knockoff. The reason they did this was to decrease the number of sizes the Anxiety Wrap comes in in order to encourage retailers to stock it. The original design, which is the one I recommend you get, comes in 11 sizes and fits far better than the new design that comes in only 7 - just like the Thundershirt. You can find the old design of the Original Anxiety Wrap on Amazon.Here is a very short video clip of a dog I put the Anxiety Wrap (the original) on in an animal shelter. You can see the dramatic effect:Here's another of my favorite videos showing the dramatic effect of the Anxiety Wrap on a dog with what is known as leash aggression:You may also want to consider getting some music for your dog. There are several options out there, but the one I am familiar with is Through A Dog's Ear. It is clinically designed to reduce anxiety in dogs:Through A Dog's Ear has CDs with sounds as well as music. The sounds CDs can be used to desensitize your dog to noises. They come with easy-to-follow instructions.Please stick with positive reinforcement training with your dog. Avoid anything that causes him pain or discomfort, or anything that evokes fear. so that means, no choke chains, prong collars, shock/e-collars, no leash corrections, no dominance maneuvers, no "pack leader" stuff.This is not just my recommendation. Please refer to the position statements of the American Veterinary Society of animal Behavior:PunishmentDominanceHere is the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists guideline on how to select a trainer:How to Choose a Trainer"It is advised that dog owners call, interview, and ideally observe a trainer prior to hiring them. If the trainer you are considering using falls into any of these categories, you should pick another trainer."Notify the equipment listed here, and notice numbers 4, 5 and 6:4. The trainer believes most or all training is about encouraging the person to be “alpha”and teaching the dog to “submit”.5. The trainer explains that most dog behavior, for example, jumping on people, occurs because the dog is trying to be “dominant”.6. A trainer recommends “alpha rolls”, “scruffing”, “helicoptering”, “choking” or any other painful or physical methods as a means of “training” or modifying behavior.For more information on methods of dog training, see the following articles I have written:The Different Theories of Training ExplainedPositive Reinforcement Training. What is it?Positive Reinforcement Training: What it is and Why it WorksClicker Training. What is it?I hope this answers your question, and sets you on the right path to reducing your lovely dog's anxiety.