CLINICAL ANIMAL BEHAVIOR .2. PROBLEMS IN BEHAVIOR AND METHODS OF TREATMENT

Via series of office visits or telephone calls, clinical animal behaviorists supervise their clients' application of the required behavior modification methods. In dogs, the most common problems are phobias, separation anxiety, elimination in the home, and several different types of aggression. Treatments for these various problems include one or more of the following: Flooding, systematic desensitization, counterconditioning, extinction, obedience training, castration, progestin therapy, or anxiolytic medication. In cats, the most common problems are elimination in the home, aggression towards humans or other cats, excessive vocalization, excessive grooming, overactivity, and destructive claw-sharpening. Possible treatment methods include flooding, systematic desensitization, counterconditioning, extinction, environmental manipulation, castration, progestin therapy, anxiolytic medication, or an olfactory tractotomy.