Is a veterinary behaviorist worth it?

[oscarsmom]

I have a 7 year old dog who I’ve had since she was about 3 months old. She became very dog aggressive around a year and a half despite a lot of socialization, and at 3 years old she was bit by my brother’s dog which greatly exasperated the issue. She is fantastic with dogs she already knows and I have been able to very carefully introduce dogs to her in the past and then she is great with them (e.g when I brought a new puppy home 2 years ago) but it takes a lot of time. Walking her, however, is extremely impossible, as she basically goes straight into killer mode when she spots a dog that she doesn’t know. It’s so crazy because it’s like she becomes a completely different dog. She has never shown an ounce of aggression toward any human or any dog she knows. Over the last 6 years, I have spent thousands and thousands of dollars on trainers and none have helped. I even did a board & train once, which didn’t work because after a few hours, she was used to the other dogs and no longer was aggressive toward them.

As I’m sure other reactive dog owners know, it is so heartbreaking to have a reactive dog. It breaks my heart because I want to be able to give her a better life, walk her more, and take her more places with me like I used to (she is so well behaved in every other capacity).

TLDR: The VCA animal hospital near me has a veterinary behaviorist and I’m wondering if anyone has experience in that? It’s very expensive and I don’t want to spend the money if it’s likely they won’t help.

 

[john446]

@oscarsmom Three things they can help you with:

-Underlying medical issues. Vets have a hard time diagnosing issues based off behaviour, so a behaviourist can help them figure out what's conditioned and what might be pain/discomfort-induced. That can lead to a diagnosis and potential treatment. Most dogs referred for problem behaviours have an underlying medical issue.

-Behavioural medication (again, working with the vet). Especially as part of a wider approach.

-Insight into your dog's behaviour based on modern insights. There's a lot of folk-basee beliefs floating around reactivity. A lot of these are wrong, but that doesn't stop trainers from using them. Someone certified in evidence-based methods will generally give you better advice, and help you find other experts if their own expertise is lacking.

On your point of cost - while the hourly rates are high, the total amount of hours with a veterinary behaviourist tend to be rather limited. It's also an excellent chance for lasting results, compared to non-specialised trainers.

In my case specifically, there were two in-person meetings and a few phone calls. They set us up for a diagnosis and treatment of our dog's health issue (have to admit, diagnosis was more expensive than the behaviourist) and helped us find a trainer with relevant certifications. The change has been incredible, heartwarming and lasting. We finally had someone who backed us up when we said our dog was in pain. We finally had someone help us navigate veterinary health. And now we have a dog who's happier, healthier and making incredible progress with their triggers.

 

[oscarsmom]

@john446 Thanks for the info. Unfortunately, she has had a ton of health issues (2 ACL surgeries, a few cancerous spots removed, and now she needs an episioplasty). She does have anxiety as well but medication in the past for that hasn’t helped with the reactivity at all. Maybe an VB will be able to find something our regular vet and trainers have missed.

 

[grace24]

@oscarsmom It was worth it for our dog. The vet behaviorist gave us a ton of training tips, spent some timed doing them with us and our dog and prescribes meds. Very knowledgeable and understanding. Also wrote a prescription for us to take to our regular pharmacy so that it wasn't as expensive.

 

[oscarsmom]

@grace24 This is good to know. Thank you!