TulsaPets Magazine May 2023

32 TulsaPets • May / June 2023 H elp! I don’t know why my dog is growling at me. He has never done anything like that before. He has al- ways wanted me to pet and play with him. Now he just bares his teeth and growls. To get to the bottom of the change in your dog’s behavior, it is important to determine what has occurred in his life to make him behave differently. It is crucial to get to the root of the behavior. Approach the problem the way a behaviorist would — backward. Winston Churchill said, “The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you can see.” We should learn from past mistakes and try diligently to not repeat them. How can we use a look backward to help our pets? Where do we start? Rule Out a Medical Problem When your dog’s behavior changes, it is important to consider the possibility of a medical issue. One of the first ways that dog owners know something is not quite right is a change in behavior. Often, the behavior has a sudden onset and is drastic. For example, is your dog growling at you and his best doggy friend in the home? Is this a drastic behavioral response that had not been an issue in the past? Has the dog’s body posture changed? An evaluation by a veterinarian would rule out medical issues. The vet might run blood work, test urine, manipulate limbs and vertebrae, and follow up with X-rays. The medical diagnosis can help owners understand what might be leading to inap- propriate behaviors. Dogs who experience pain might antici- pate interactions with their favorite beloved humans or dogs as painful. They might re- spond defensively in their efforts to protect themselves. The dogs might be less likely to walk away from unwanted interactions because a painful condition makes moving uncomfortable. Instead, they might rely on other forms of communication such as growling or baring teeth to say “Back off.” Pain can wax and wane, so what is tolerable one minute or one day might be intolerable the next. Signals of pain can be very subtle. Medical information allows you to treat the behavior with more accura- cy and efficacy. Change for the Better Help Your Dog by Thinking Backward Story and photos by Karen Dugan Holman, B.S., B.S.E., M.S. Brownie is very grateful that her sweet owner left her meatball sandwich on the kitchen island. As soon as the owner turned her back, it was yummy in Brownie’s tummy!