Reisner Veterinary Behavior Services, LLC

06/08/2023

Good article. "Dogs are social animals, yes, and need exposure to other animals. But much like us, they’re not necessarily well suited to random interactions with a rotating cast of strangers, each with disparate social skills and reactive tendencies."

It’s not an oasis. It’s a thunderdome for pooches.

17/07/2023

Herschel demonstrates a new cynosport: Walnut Herding.

01/07/2023

Tips for a Fear Free Fourth of July -- short notice for an interesting Zoom event today (Saturday, July 1) at 4 pm EDT.

Join pet professionals and a professional pianist for a calming dog-focused concert and tips for reducing stress during noise events.

28/06/2023

While we're trying to , here's one more fight to fight.

Stop fireworks. There are no real benefits, as they terrify many pets, veterans with PTSD, and humans on the spectrum, and they pollute

31/05/2023

In the past week there have been several incidents of aggression by neighborhood dogs who have either left unfenced yards or have pulled out of the control of their humans.

1. A neighbor with a recently rescued, fearful and anxious dog - who has worked diligently to help her overcome her fear and defensive behavior with unfamiliar dogs with avoidance, feeding and gentle handling - was walking past another neighbor's house when an unleashed and quite aggressive dog attacked hers.

2. A friend was walking her sometimes reactive dog when she spotted an elderly woman approaching with two dogs on leash. The friend took her dog up a quiet driveway to feed/counter condition and reassure her. She saw the woman turn back towards home, counted to 60, and resumed her walk, feeling reassured that the two dogs were now in their own driveway, held on leash. When she got closer, the two dogs both lunged aggressively and - yes - the woman dropped both leashes. One of the dogs attacked her dog, biting her face; the other bit my friend in the hand.

3. I was walking my Cardis (always on leash) past someone's house where a dog with a history of aggression to other dogs was off leash in the unfenced front yard. A request to the resident to put the dog on leash or indoors so that I could walk past was met with anger.

We have all experienced the person with an off leash and out of control dog who yells "he's friendly!!" as their dog gallops away from them and towards us, but in each of the above cases these were dogs with known histories of aggression to unfamiliar dogs. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I feel that one incident might be resolved with a civil conversation; more than one incident should involve police. It is just unacceptable.

[My own photo from a different day, different place]

31/05/2023

Here's a perfect tip for teaching a dog to walk nicely on lead. And a bonus insight about housetraining.

[Thank you, Katherine Zaske]

How to get your dog walk next to you

28/05/2023

"It's OK - dogs love me!"

One of my go-to behavior peeps is Mullinax (http://serenitycanine.com) whose videos, blogs and posts are smart and so informative. Plus, she is d***ed funny. This is one I share with clients again and again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mu4FGW1bT-0

If you have a dog that is shy or fearful, this technique can keep your dog safe and prevent dog bites.

17/05/2023

Go right ahead and work. Don't mind me.

16/05/2023

Content warning: Injured dog - but she is OK now.

To be filed under: "You can't make this stuff up."

“I said, ‘You bit my finger.’ I hold up my hand, blood’s pouring out of it,” Burleson said. “He said, ‘I meant to bite my dog.’”

First of all, this is a good example of stereotype-busting. Any dog breed or mix is capable of biting; in pairs or in groups, that potential is greatly increased. This off-lead group of standard poodles has apparently caused problems in the past as well, which is no surprise. The attack on the corgi (who is 13 years old, by the way) was likely predatory behavior. And then, of course, their "pack leader" sounds like a [fill in the blank], with his own personal solution for interrupting the behavior. There is no way to stop the behavior of group of aroused dogs. These dogs should be removed and placed in responsible homes; the man needs to be crated, long-term.

[If you choose to share and want to include the above comment, you'll need to copy/paste; please include attribution to facebook.com/reisnervetbehavior ]

13/05/2023

When one lives with a large animal veterinarian, one gets some interesting catalogs in the mail. This ad, though, is pretty wonderful

01/05/2023

How can you distinguish between a primary behavioral vs a neurological problem? The next American College of Veterinary Behaviorists Webinar will be on May 18, 2023, with Dr. Karen Overall. If you can't make it in real time, it will be recorded and available for all who register.

More information via the link below (the photo does not contain a live link):

https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/1150555786157691481

01/05/2023

Does anyone know how to remove the "Call Now" button from the previous post? I am stuck in a FB vortex. It appeared unintentionally. Thanks for any help.