At Blue Lake Animal Care Center, we know that the behavioral health of your pet can have a huge impact on his/her, and your, quality of life. We are here to help ensure that your pet is not just physically healthy, but also happy throughout their life.
Preventative Care
As with medical problems, prevention is the best cure for behavioral problems! When you bring your new puppy, kitten, or newly adopted adult to us, we will check in to make sure everything is going smoothly in the behavior department. We will give you information and resources about the basics of behavioral wellness and training to get you started off on the right foot, and can offer resources for more in-depth help as needed.
Behavioral Problems
As problems arise as your pet matures or ages, we are here to help. Your pet’s behavior consult will start with a complete history, full physical exam, and if needed, diagnostics such as blood work or x-rays to rule out a medical underlying cause to the problem. We will then discuss all your options with you, including medications, behavior modification (training), and management, and in some cases, referral to a veterinary behaviorist.
Common behavioral problems that we can help address:
Anxiety
Aggression
Housetraining and litter box problems
Noise phobias (thunder, fireworks)
Chewing
Barking
Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (senility)
OCD (spinning, fly snapping, tail chasing)
Overgrooming
… and more
Resources
indoorpet.osu.edu
Excellent resources for both dogs and cats on a variety of topics
FearfulDogs.com
Excellent, accurate resources for living with a fearful dog
iSpeakDog.org
A very fun site all about what your dog is telling you with their behavior and body language.
www.lovewagsatail.com/webinar-
A straightforward webinar to help you potty train any dog
malenademartini.com
State-of-the-art training for Separation Anxiety
muzzleupproject.com
Resources for helping dogs to love wearing their muzzles
www.dogsenseonline.com
Online basic obedience and family dog courses
www.yourpitbullandyou.com
Resources for pit bull owners and lovers
https://www.academyfordogtrainers.com/blog/on-leash-etiquette-management-and-reactivity
Information regarding Leash Training/Aggression
Books
Life Skills for Puppies – Zulch, Mills, Baumber
A Guide to Living with and Training a Fearful Dog – Debbie Jacobs
The Culture Clash – Jean Donaldson
Don’t Shoot the Dog – Karen Pryor
No Walks? No Worries – Ryan, Zulch, Baumber