As practitioners learn how important canine and feline social interactions and cognition are, they ask questions about how they can better understand the interactions and their outcomes. The key to understanding interaction is through signaling.
Within a few months, Solo's separation anxiety had decreased and he could be left
alone for an hour or so. As often happens with rescued dogs, he had also begun
to show some other, less savory behaviors.
This column outlines the course of treatment for a dog who has been
a patient for 2.5 years. It demonstrates the complexity of behavioral cases
and as well as this client's understanding, tenacity and compassion. It
also demonstrates the capacity of these distressed dogs to become more than
we could ever have guessed.
This column illustrates the importance of addressing anxiety disorders
as soon as they appear. Many people choose to "manage", rather
than truly treat these conditions in the early stages because it is easier
for the clients to live with some aspect of the problem under the new management