When a Pet Acts Out, Owner's Often at Fault

Toronto Star - Thursday, April 9, 1998 - By Catherine Patch

You've got the job, the jeep, the Eddie Bauer weekend wardrobe - but the picture's still not quite complete. There's a missing component in that fashionable lifestyle statement.

What you need is a dog!

Wrong, says Allan Reznik, editor-inchief of the publication Dogs In Canada.

"Life is not an L.L. Bean catalogue," Reznik says. "Among the most common cause of behavioural problems with dogs are owners who bought a puppy on impulse, because its looks pleased them, or because it was the latest `designer' breed.

"What so many people don't consider is that a purebred puppy is genetically programmed to do what its ancestors did," he states. "A border collie is bred to herd sheep 24 hours a day. It has to have stamina, endurance and energy. You can't take a breed like that and expect it to nap for the day while you're at work."

When it comes to trends in pets, movies like 101 Dalmatians, which turned the breed into an overnight sensation, inadvertently contribute to the problem, he says.

Much the same thing has happened with the hit television series Frasier and its popular Jack Russell terrier.

"A terrier was bred to dig, to ferret out rodents," says Reznik. "It's a very high-energy dog that barks a lot. But people think, `Well, it's a small dog and I work and live in an apartment in the middle of the city, so it's perfect.' "

But lately it appears that more people are doing research on breeds before they buy.

"The dog owners we see now usually knew what they wanted and how it would fit into their lives," says Dr. James Young of the Boardwalk Animal Clinic on Queen St. E., who says he often gets asked questions about pets' emotional health and behaviour.

Potential buyers should consider the size of the house and yard in relation to the activity level of the dog, ages of children in the house and the amount of time available for giving the dog the exercise, training and grooming it needs, Reznik says.

Common behaviour problems are "house destruction," refusal to accept training and excessive barking and biting, says Audrey Souccar, owner of the Guildwood Animal Clinic and a partner at the Boardwalk Animal Clinic.

"Most of these are symptoms of separation anxiety," she says. "People change their routines, are suddenly home less, and the dog is upset and anxious."

"We advise owners to ignore the pet for the first five minutes before they leave and after they return to the house," Young adds. "As well, increased exercise often works by helping pets burn off all that pent-up energy."

People feed their pets' anxiety about being alone, Reznik says.]

"You coo and talk baby-talk to a dog and he'll pick up on the change in your voice and manner. That alone makes him anxious."

The most common indication that a cat is unhappy takes the form of what Young delicately refers to as "inappropriate urination."

"The first thing we have to do is find the cause," says Young. "We have to rule out any medical cause."

The most common source of evil is the litter box itself, he says.

"It can be anything from a change in the location of the box, too much traffic in the area, or a litter box that's too dirty or even too clean. It might even be a change in the litter itself - from clay litter, say, to disposable 'clumping' litter. We look for any change in the pattern.

"Dogs love variety - but cats are a different story," he continues. "A cat may not obsess about weight the way a human might.

"But a new kitten comes home and suddenly Fifi will just blow up. Another cat might react to stress or change by licking itself constantly- clinically a condition called psychogenic alopecia."

Young points to other stress factors for a pet, like moving house, the addition of a new animal or person to the household, changes in the arrangement of familiar furniture, a strange cat or dog coming around, or a change in its owner's routine.

"If you're away from home more than you used to be, your cat may try to `reclaim' you by peeing on your clothes, your bedding - anything that carries your scent," Young warns.

Other, less orthodox remedies and practitioners abound in Toronto.

Clairvoyant Deborah Levin works from her Cabbagetown home. She consults with clients by phone or in person. One of Levin's most recent cases involved a woman whose cat had developed a sudden aversion to her.

HERE COMES TROUBLE: Bringing home a new kitten can cause the resident cat to act out.

"It was a phone consultation," says Levin. "I picked up that the cat was upset about a smell, so I was focusing on trying to identify where the smell was coming from. I saw a table, a radio/alarm clock, some pens and a bottle.

"I started describing the bottle to the woman and suddenly she just said, `Oh God, that's the perfume I just bought.' She loved it but her cat hated it."

Other pet owners prefer to put their faith in the stars.

Toni Thomas-Johns, a Toronto psychic and astrologer recently appeared on the Life Network with veterinarian and animal behaviour specialist Gary Landsberger.

"My first clients were Hugo, a Chinese pug, and his owner Christina. Christina wanted to know if Hugo would be a problem when she had children," says Thomas-Johns.

"Hugo was born in the Chinese Year of the Ox," Thomas-Johns says. "That means he'd be very protective and kids would be good for him. But he'd benefit from some schooling - he's very self-determined and doesn't like to take orders."

Thomas-Johns does weekend readings at Wunjo's, a Queen St. E. newage emporium and tea house.