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BEHAVIOR & TRAINING TOPICS

DOGS:
Bark Collars
Coprophagia in the Canine
Parmacologic Treatment of Separation Anxiety
Behavior Modification: Departures
Behavior Modification: Relaxation
Behavior Modificaition: Uncouple Departures and Departure Cues

CATS:
Kitten behavior and training
Toilet Training your Cat
Feline Agression

GENERAL:
Fears and Phobias
Destructive Behavior
Compulsive Behavior

OUTSIDE LINKS

http://www.greatpets.com/
http://www.gentleleader.com/
Pet Partners Program
Canines Unlimited
Capital Kennel Club

Introduction
Most destructive behavior exhibited by puppies and kittens
arises from their inherent needs to explore, play, scavenge,
hunt, and, perhaps, teethe. In kittens, scratching--which also
has components of marking and claw conditioning--also begins
to emerge, while some puppy digging may arise out of hunting
and caching behavior. Puppies and kittens that are confined
may become destructive in an attempt to escape. Providing an
appropriate environment to meet the needs of these puppies and
kittens is generally all that is required to control or
resolve and control the destructive behavior problems.
Destructiveness that persists or begins to emerge in adult
dogs and cats, however, or as the puppy or kitten grows into
adulthood, can be a serious concern for the owners and a
potential cause of relinquishment.1-3 Determining the reasons
that these pets are destructive is essential for an
appropriate treatment program to be designed and implemented.

Discussion
Destructive Puppies and Kittens
Most puppies and kittens exhibit varying degrees of
destructiveness as part of their normal behavioral repertoire,
which includes object play, exploration, and
hunting/scavenging rituals. Early counseling can help pet
owners to understand why these types of destructive behavior
arise, and how to provide appropriate outlets for the
behaviors.

For puppies, such outlets include training, play and exercise,
and a variety of play and chew toys that are sufficiently
appealing to the puppy to keep up interest. However, until the
puppy can be trusted to chew and play only with its own toys,
the owners must either supervise the puppy (a remote leash and
head halter often works best), booby trap items that might be
chewed, or confine the puppy to a "puppy proofed" room or
area. In addition, the concepts of saving and using rewards
for training and shaping, and ensuring that inappropriate and
puppy-initiated demands are not inadvertently rewarded, should
be discussed.

Similarly for kittens, interactive play and exercise sessions;
self-play toys that can be chased, batted, and chewed;
activity centers for play and scratching; the timely and
proper use of rewards; and supervision and booby traps or
confinement (cat proofing) to prevent undesirable behavior
should successfully prevent most destructive behavior
problems. Veterinarians and staff should make time to discuss
these behavioral issues with each new puppy and kitten owner,
and appropriate reading suggestions or handouts can also be
provided. (See Sources.)

Destructiveness in Adult Dogs and Cats
As dogs and cats grow into adults, new causes of
destructiveness may begin to emerge, although many of the
puppy and kitten problems may also persist. Newly emerging
causes of destructiveness might include dogs and cats that
have not been properly crate trained and are attempting to
escape from their confinement areas. Dogs that have been bred
for their energy and stamina may be understimulated if they
are not provided with an opportunity to “work” or a suitable
substitute.

Chewing and digging that may first have arisen out of play may
be further encouraged by the owner, who reinforces the
behavior (by giving attention, food, or toys) in an attempt to
stop the problem; while dogs and cats that find food or
enjoyable items to chew during exploration are constantly
being reinforced. Punishment can also aggravate behavior
problems because, if it is too mild, it, too, may serve as a
reward.

Dogs with separation anxiety are overly attached to the owners
and may panic and become destructive when the owners leave.
Fears and phobias of specific stimuli (thunder, fireworks) and
territorial responses to stimuli, such as other dogs or
intruders, can also lead to destructiveness.

Digging may also be a problem in dogs left outdoors. Dogs may
dig to cool down, escape confinement, chase stimuli on the
other side of a fence, as part of prey-seeking and caching
rituals, or as a form of play when there are insufficient
acceptable alternatives.

In cats, predatory play and exploration may lead to continued
damage to the owner's property. Some cats, particularly the
oriental breeds, may develop picas where extensive damage can
be done when sucking, chewing on, and ingesting a variety of
objects from wool and cloth to paper or rubber bands.
Scratching is another common problem in cats, as it is a
normal marking, stretching, and claw-conditioning behavior.

Treatment
An appropriate treatment plan for destructiveness is based on
the underlying cause. Medical problems must first be
identified and resolved. Dogs and cats receiving insufficient
stimulation, social interaction, or self-play toys require
more intensive play, exercise, toys, and training. Any
reinforcers must be identified and removed. Dogs and cats that
are destructive in the owner’s presence can be interrupted
with audible or ultrasonic alarms, shake cans, water sprayers,
a citronella spray, or a remote training device; but a long
leash or drag line attached to a body harness or head halter
(dogs) often works best. Once disrupted or deterred, the dog
should then be trained and encouraged to behave appropriately.

Problem areas can be kept off limits with crate or confinement
training techniques or with booby traps, such as electronic
mats, area avoidance devices (citronella or shock), motion
detectors, or aversive tastes. Dogs that are destructive in an
attempt to escape confinement need to be trained to relax
comfortably in the area or alternative housing should be
considered. The confinement area must be inescapable, or the
dog will learn from its success.

Although digging problems can usually be suppressed in the
owner’s presence, unless the cause is identified and dealt
with, the digging will continue in the owner’s absence.
Stimuli that “entice” the dog to escape must be
avoided.Desensitization and counterconditioning may help the
dog adapt to the stimuli, and castration may reduce the male
urge to roam. Providing exercise and play, and then leaving
the dog with stimulating play toys, may help direct the dog to
a more acceptable behavior. Remote punishment (turning on a
sprinkler, pulling on an extended leash), or booby traps
(placing chicken wire, rocks, or water in the area where the
pet digs) might teach the pet to avoid the digging site but
does not deter the pet from digging at new sites. In many
cases, the best solution is to allow the dog outdoors only
with owner supervision, confine the dog to a pen where it
cannot dig, or to provide an acceptable digging area.
Dogs that are destructive when escaping or hiding from a
fearful stimulus and those that are destructive when
exhibiting a territorial response to a person or other animal
on the property need to be trained to exhibit an appropriate
relaxed response in the presence of the stimulus
(counterconditioning, response substitution). However, until
the dog can be retrained, avoiding the stimuli when the owner
is not present to supervise and control the dog's response is
likely to be necessary.

Dogs that exhibit compulsive licking and chewing may require a
combination of behavior counseling and drug therapy, possibly
with clomipramine or a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor.
Diagnosis and treatment of the destructiveness associated with
separation anxiety is discussed elsewhere.

If problems occur only when the owner is unable to supervise
the pet, diagnosis and treatment can be difficult, because the
stimuli that lead to the destructive behavior must be
identified. A videotape can be an excellent means of
monitoring the dog and determining when and why the dog is
destructive when the owners are out. In addition, observation
of the pet’s response to stimuli when the owners are at home,
and identifying the targets of destructiveness, are all
important clues in making the diagnosis.
Cats with pica may be extremely destructive to the owner's
household and possessions. Providing alternative oral
stimulation in the form of dog chew toys or bulky, dry, or
chewy foods might satisfy the desires of some cats. Booby
traps and taste deterrents may also be helpful. Some of pica
cases may be compulsive disorders so that therapy with
clomipramine, paroxetine, or fluoxetine at 0.5 mg/kg daily may
need to be considered.

Destructive scratching by a cat might be prevented by keeping
the cat away from problem areas, trimming the nails regularly,
and providing a proper scratching post. Should the cat
continue to scratch in an inappropriate area, the post could
be moved to that area, and/or the scratched furniture can be
covered with a less appealing material (plastic, loosely
draped material). Remote punishment (eg, water rifle) and
environmental punishment (sticky tape, motion detectors) can
be used to deter further scratching of an area. Some owners
may want to consider plastic nail coverings, which can be
glued over the claws monthly.

Another option is the use of Feliway. Although success is
variable, it has been reported that Feliway placed once a day
on each scratch mark will reduce scratching that has been
induced by a stressful event (Pageat, personal communication).
For owners of destructive cats, who cannot train them to use a
scratching post, declawing (onychectomy) is another
alternative. Declawing might lead to fewer cats that need to
be rehomed or destroyed.4,5 In Germany (where declawing is not
allowed), of 1,177 cats, scratching was the second most common
owner behavioral complaint, second only to states of anxiety
(15.2% of cats).6 In 125 cats where attempts at therapy were
made, partial success was achieved in 60% of the cats; but
complete resolution of the problem was possible in only 10%.6
In a study of US veterinarians, it has been estimated that in
about 1 of every 20 office visits, owners of both kittens and
adult cats indicate problems with destructive behavior.7
In numerous studies to date, declawing has been shown to cause
no increase in behavior problems.4,8-11 In a study of over 850
cats, declawed cats were no more likely to bite than clawed
cats were and no more likely to soil.8-11 In a study of 276
cat owners, declawing successfully met or surpassed the
owner’s expectations in all cases.4 There was 96% owner
satisfaction at the time of the study (up from 81% prior to
surgery), and more than 70% of cat owners indicated that there
was an improvement in the cat-owner relationship.4 In a study
of veterinarians in Ontario, it was estimated that more than
50% of owners of declawed cats would not have owned or kept
their cats had they not been declawed.5 Tenectomy is another
option. However, owner satisfaction with tenectomy was only
70% (n=20) compared with 89% to 96% satisfaction with
declawing.12

Summary
Destructiveness may arise for a variety of reasons in dogs and
cats. Treatment must be based first on determining why the pet
is destructive, and then on developing an appropriate program
to prevent damage and resolve the underlying cause. Puppy and
kitten destructiveness usually arises out of normal behaviors,
such as play, exploration, and food seeking, that either need
to be prevented or redirected to appropriate outlets. Although
destructiveness in adult dogs and cats may be caused by many
of the same reasons as those described in puppies and kittens,
additional problems, such as separation anxiety, pica,
compulsive disorders, and destructiveness related to fear,
anxiety, and territorial and escape behavior may arise.

Key Principles
Most of the destructiveness exhibited by puppies and kittens
is normal behaviors that need to be channeled into outlets
that are acceptable to the pet owner.

Adult dogs and cats may be destructive for many of the same
reasons that puppies and kittens are, but new problems may
also emerge and problems that persist into adulthood may be
much more difficult to treat.

Treatment of a destructive behavior is not likely to be
effective unless the underlying cause can first be diagnosed.
Surgical intervention for excessive scratching in cats, and
drug intervention for pica may be a consideration.