Talking Cats and Dogs with a Veterinary Behaviorist - with Dr. Hagar Hauser
I talked with veterinary behaviorist Dr. Hagar Hauser about some of the common cat-dog behavioral problems that she sees come into the clinic.
We took a deeper dive into what stress looks like in cats and dogs, the advantage in understanding behavioral cues, and how management goes beyond just physically separating your pets.
If you'd like to listen to the episode, press play below
From Fostered Bottle Babies to Adoption: Introducing Bean and Bamba
Dr. Hauser fostered her dog Ronnie during her time in vet school, and she has worked with him through his fear, aggression, and high anxiety. It was her experiences with Ronnie that led her down the path of becoming a veterinary behaviorist. Ronnie has also helped Dr. Hauser foster multiple litters of kittens over the years, and the latest litter has brought two new permanent family members - Bean and Bamba! Dr. Hauser explained her initial household setup and management for the new kittens, who were very young and needed a lot of hands-on care. Bean and Bamba (along with their other littermates) were separated from Ronnie at the beginning.
They didn't even see Ronnie for the first week or so. Usually the first week is just decompression. I just sit and exist and let them come up to me.
The kittens had their own area with multiple bowls of food and water, cat toys, and litter boxes. When it was time to introduce them to Ronnie, all interactions were carefully managed with both Dr. Hauser and her husband watching over them - one focused on the kittens, the other on Ronnie.
The importance of knowing and establishing baseline cues and behavior
What are our animals baseline behaviors outside of being around this other animal? Cause if you don't know that, then it's hard to know what behaviors you want to be looking for to indicate something needs to change. That they're uncomfortable, that they're unable to respond to cues or that things are potentially gonna go in a not so great direction.
Through the process of fostering,adopting, and training Ronnie, Dr. Hauser learned to understand his body language and established solid foundation baseline behaviors - something that continues to prove useful with the new additions to the family. All of Ronnie’s training has helped Dr. Hauser continuously observe how the setups with the new kittens are going.
I make sure Ronnie is very responsive to me. If I say his name, if I ask him for a cue - if I notice he stops responding to me, he also gets a break. Cause I know he started to get a little too over threshold ...but over time the kittens got more comfortable.
She pointed out some key reasons why knowing and understanding how your pet behaves at baseline is so important.
creating communication and trust between you and your pet
recognizing shifts in behavior when in different locations or with different animals
knowing likely threshold limits and possible triggers
being able to examine setups and management critically to see if it might need adjusting or changing entirely
catching early signs of ongoing anxiety or distress that might require medication
understanding species specific behavior
consistency in cues from introduction through to coexistence
understanding baseline behavior, training and established cues to redirect any unwanted behavior
making any necessary separation a positive experience for everyone
spotting signs of anxiety or deeper behavioral problems early
aiding in creating more responsive setups and management plans