Synergy Veterinary Behavior

09/22/2025

That moment when your dog moves away from a trigger on their own for the first time >>>

We love seeing progress 😍

(Had to hop in on the TSwizzle memes for our Swifties 😉)

09/21/2025

The Feline Veterinary Medical Association says that it is vital to provide a cat with an environment that meets their natural and normal behavioral needs. By doing so, we will help preserve the physical, emotional, and cognitive health of our beloved felines.

So, how can we ensure their needs are being met?

1. Provide them with a safe place
2. Provide them with multiple and separate key environmental resources (food, water, litter boxes, cat trees, etc)
3. Provide them with opportunities for play and predatory behavior
4. Provide positive, consistent, and predictable human and cat social interactions
5. Provide an environment that respects their senses, including their sense of smell

Checking off all of these boxes will help minimize stress, behavioral concerns, and stress-induced illnesses.

Credit to the Feline VMA: https://catvets.com/resource/2025-meeting-the-physical-and-emotional-needs-of-indoor-cats/

09/18/2025

🐱 Meeting Your Cat's Scratching Needs 🐈

Since scratching is an important and natural cat behavior, how can we keep them from destroying our furniture?

Cats have different preferences when it comes to scratching surfaces, so we must provide them with a variety of options. Thankfully, there are many to choose from, and if you want, making cat trees and scratching posts can make for a fun DIY project. 😁

▪️Materials and types matter! Have both horizontal and vertical scratching surface options that allow them to stretch out fully when they scratch. Figure out what materials they prefer, like sisal rope, cardboard, wood, and carpet. Make sure these surfaces are relatively sturdy so they don't wobble or fall over with use.
▪️ Where does your cat spend time in your home? Keep scratchers readily available in both resting areas and social areas. If there are "problem" areas, like the side of your couch, put one there!
▪️Nail maintenance will also help prevent damage from unwanted scratching. Regular nail trims are a good habit to get into with your feline companions. Declawing is not the answer to destructive scratching.

Teaching cats where to scratch can take some patience, and for others, it comes easily! Be sure you redirect them to appropriate scratching areas and reward them with food or play. You can also consider using catnip, silvervine, and Feliscratch to attract them to their scratching posts, cat trees, etc.

09/17/2025

Why do cats scratch? 🐱

Scratching is a natural and instinctive behavior in cats. It is often an indicator of a content, well-adjusted feline.

🐱 Scent marking & communication
Cats have scent glands in their paw pads that leave behind odors to mark where they’ve been.

🐈 Health & wellness
Cats maintain their nails by scratching, and it allows them to stretch and tone their muscles.

🐈‍⬛ Emotions & Play
Scratching can provide an outlet for stress or frustration, and may happen during moments of play or arousal.

Cats must be provided with appropriate outlets for their scratching needs. This is not a behavior that will go away, and we don't want it to! A scratchy cat is a happy cat! 😉

09/17/2025

09/16/2025

While they are very different than dogs, cats make great companions for children and can be very influential in teaching them compassion, empathy, and responsibility. Just like with any animal though, we need to make sure that we set everyone in the house up for success.

Join our Veterinary Behavior Technician Jenn as she talks about a few things we can do to make living with kids and cats peaceful and calm,

09/16/2025

📖 Behavior Term Tuesday ➡ ➡ Coprophagia 💩

Coprophagia is when an animal eats their own f***s or the f***s of another animal. This is often a normal behavior to see in dogs, cats, and other animals. We know, what a fun topic! 😆😉

When is this "normal"?
Mothers who are still nursing will often lick their babies to clean them and to stimulate urinating and defecating on their own. Puppies and kittens can learn this behavior from their mothers.

Medical concerns can also cause our pets to eat their own f***s, such as malnutrition, pica, or polyphagia.

Behavioral reasons can lie behind poop-eating as well, like separation anxiety, anxiety, and stress. Some pets may also learn to eat their f***s to avoid scolding and punishment when they have an accident in the house.

Prevention:
The best way to stop coprophagia is with preventative measures. For dogs, take them out on a leash and move them away after using the bathroom. Consider a basket muzzle with a front guard, especially if they like to scavenge for other animals' f***s. For cats, automatic litter boxes can be extremely helpful. Some have success using products like For-bid, or foods like canned spinach or pineapple, but there is no guarantee they'll work for your pet.
Avoid scolding and punishment when they eat the f***s, as it can easily make things worse.

09/15/2025

If you share your home with children and cats, or plan to, this Facebook Live is for you! 🐱 👶 🧒

While most cats get along quite well with the small humans in our homes, there are still things that we should do to ensure that everyone is peacefully coexisting.

Join our Veterinary Behavior Technician Specialist, Jenn, for some great tips on keeping our kitties and kiddies happy in our homes.

When: Tuesday, September 16th, at 5:00 PM Pacific Time
Where: Live! On Facebook

See you there!

09/14/2025

"Quick fixes" are not the answer for behavioral treatment!

We realize it's tempting when you're promised a complete behavioral turnaround within a couple of weeks or a month, but it's not that simple.

Lasting behavior change takes place over time, with consistency and practice in real-life situations. Quick fixes look appealing, but they rarely hold up, and risk not only damaging the relationship you have with your pet, but can also lead to worsening behaviors.

"Quick fix" trainers often rely heavily on aversive tools and methods, which are typically used to suppress behavior, not actually "fix" the behavior or help a pet cope with their fear, stress, and anxiety. Corrections are not the same as behavior modification.

Training and behavior modification must transfer back to you, your home, and the locations where the behaviors occur. Without intentional practice and coaching for you, it’s hard to maintain long-term success.

True behavior change is built on partnership, trust, and a strong relationship with your dog.

With challenges like fear, anxiety, or aggression, the goal isn’t a quick fix; it’s steady improvement that leads to lasting change and a stronger bond with your dog.

09/11/2025

Pattern games are great for many reasons, one of which is building engagement between you and your pup. Let's learn one together!

The Ping Pong Pattern Game 🏓 is from the Control Unleashed training program created by Leslie McDevitt. It's quick, easy to practice, and really doesn't require setup other than having some treats ready.

1. Call your dog over to you and place a treat on the ground in front of you.
2. As soon as your dog eats it and looks up at you, mark (using a clicker or marker word), and toss a treat to the RIGHT of your feet.
3. As soon as your dog eats it and looks up at you, mark, and toss a treat to the LEFT of your feet.
4. Repeat 10-15 times
You can gradually increase the distance you toss the treats, as well as practice in more distracting environments, over time.

It makes for a fun way to begin or break up training sessions and can also be used to practice moving through thresholds or moving slightly closer to an exciting or somewhat scary thing!

09/10/2025

Yesterday, we talked about what to expect during your pup's adolescent stage, but what do you actually do about it? 🐶

The best approach to have with your adolescent pup is one with patience, consistency, and practice. Without any one of these components, you're likely to feel far more frustrated, and we don't want that!

Be sure to...
⭐ Provide enough exercise, enrichment, and rest times. They will likely have more energy in their rambunctious teenager stage, but they still need sleep!
⭐ Practice and reinforce good habits and behaviors. Implement management to prevent unwanted behaviors from being rehearsed.
⭐ Keep training sessions short and fun! Always end a session before your pup gets bored.
⭐ Socialize them for life! Learning never stops. Their behaviors around people and other dogs may change (including developing fear, anxiety, and reactivity), so work on confidence-building in situations they are set up to succeed in, and don't be afraid to ask for help from a qualified professional sooner rather than later if you see anything concerning.

Most importantly, don't feel bad or guilty if you need breaks. Having a "teenage" dog is not always fun and games. Mental enrichment and management are your friends for the challenging days!

09/10/2025

Do you have a kid and a dog? Do you want them to grow up to be best friends? Here are some tips for you from Dr. Valli Parthasarathy, Veterinary Behaviorist at Synergy!