How Pet Behavioral Issues Affect Their Owners

A new study published in Science Direct takes a hard look how problematic pet behaviors can affect owners. Reported behaviors included house soiling, destructive behavior, inappropriate vocalization and fear/anxiety issues. While this particular study focused mainly on dog owners, consequences of living with difficult behaviors such as negative quality of life, negative emotions, loss of free time, limitations on leaving the home and/or on visitors were reported.

Many participants reflected on how addressing their pet's behavioral issue with the assistance of veterinarians and behaviorists helped them to cope with their pet's behavioral issue. Professional advice was said to not only assist with alleviating the primary issue, but relieve stress as well as give hope to owners, helping them to feel less socially isolated.

Many of those in the study noted that more available and accessible behavior support would be helpful in order to decrease the burden that behavior problems place on both pets and their people. Unfortunately, most veterinary schools don’t teach much in the way of behavior, leaving a significant knowledge gap for many veterinarians dealing with behavior cases. Associate Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists and Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists are generally nonveterinary behavior specialists with advanced degrees (MS or PhD) in animal behavior and are the best choices, working in tandem with your veterinarian, to tackle your pet’s difficult behavior issues!