Family Pet Medical Center Can Help With Problem Pet Behaviors

Even the sweetest and most well-behaved pet can have behavioral issues from time to time. If your dog or cat is frequently causing problems in your home, however, you may need a little extra help from a professional. At Family Pet Medical Center, our Fort Lauderdale pet behaviorist has the skills and the knowledge necessary to help your pet learn new and better habits while eliminating the problem behaviors effectively. As a leading Fort Lauderdale animal hospital, Family Pet Medical Center can deliver the right solutions for problem pet behaviors.

Physical Problems Could Be Responsible

Before beginning your pet training process, Family Pet Medical Center will perform a thorough examination and will ask you to fill out a questionnaire detailing the exact problem, the time that it started and the circumstances surrounding the problem behavior. In some cases, painful or chronic veterinary conditions could be partially or completely responsible for the issues you have been having with your cat or dog. This is especially true for aggression in dogs or for cats that urinate or defecate outside the litter box. The veterinarians at Family Pet Medical Center will rule out physical causes for the issues where possible and will provide you with solutions for veterinary issues that can be treated directly in our office.

Problems We Can Treat

Our Fort Lauderdale pet behaviorist can address a wide range of issues that could be disruptive or destructive, including the following problem behaviors:

• Housetraining problems, including initial housebreaking and relapses in housetraining habits
• Reactivity on the leash or harness
• Phobias of thunderstorms, loud noises and other stimuli
• Repetitive and constant circling or spinning
• Anxieties, including separation anxiety, generalized anxiety and nighttime anxieties
• Marking of territory for both cats and dogs
• Cognitive dysfunctions to include dementia and other physiological brain issues
• Extreme reactions to strangers
• Excessive barking

Addressing these issues with the help of our Fort Lauderdale pet behaviorist can help you to improve the quality of life for your family as well as for your pets. Family Pet Medical Center can provide the support you need to manage difficult pet problems and to restore peace and harmony between your pets and your family.

Dealing With Emotional Problems

Our Fort Lauderdale pet behaviorist can provide you with specialized help for stubborn emotional issues that could affect your cat or dog. Some basic guidelines for treating these issues at home could also prove useful as a starting point or to augment your pet’s treatment in our Fort Lauderdale animal hospital:

• Be patient. These behaviors typically do not begin overnight and will not generally be extinguished right away.
• Know your pet. If your dog is often afraid of strangers or loud noises, take steps before these stimuli are present to reassure and to comfort your pet in advance of the arrival of strangers or before running the vacuum or making other loud sounds.
• Maintain a regular routine to reduce stress on your pet.
• Increase your pet’s activity level. For dogs, walks twice or three times daily can help them to expend nervous energy and can reduce acting out at home. Cats can often benefit from frequent sessions of active play with toys. This can help them to stay healthier, which can often contribute to better behavior and reduced unwanted habits that could make things more difficult for you.

At our Fort Lauderdale animal hospital, we use a holistic approach to veterinary care. Our talented Fort Lauderdale pet behaviorist can provide you with practical solutions that will help your pet feel more comfortable and less likely to engage in problem behaviors. Cal us today at 954-567-2500 to schedule an appointment with our veterinarians or with our pet behaviorist. At Family Pet Medical Center, we are here to help you and your pet live your best lives.