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• Cat: Travel Related Problems

  Cats are highly attached to territory, and movement away from that secure base is not something that is undertaken lightly! Travelling in cars, planes and other forms of human transport can be a very stressful experience for all concerned, not least because the cat is no longer in control of its own experience.

• Cat: Unwanted Vocalisation

  Most owner complaints about feline vocalisation are either to do with the intensity and persistence of the vocalisation, or the fact that it occurs at night, when family members or neighbours are trying to sleep.

• Cat: Urine Marking

  When cats deposit small squirts of urine on vertical surfaces, it is known as urine spraying. This is a scent marking behaviour rather than an act of elimination.

• Coprophagia in Dogs (Faeces Eating)

  While many cases of coprophagia appear to be purely behavioural, there are numerous medical problems that can cause or contribute to coprophagia.

• Destructive Behaviour - Digging in Dogs

  Digging behaviour in dogs can have many motivations. The first step in treating inappropriate digging behaviour is to determine the reason for the digging.

• Dog: Aggression - Sibling Rivalry

  Dogs are social animals whose evolutionary history makes them willing and able to live in groups. Group living enables a range of co-operative activities to take place efficiently as long as everyone knows what is expected of them.

• Dog: Aggression Toward Family Members - Sometimes Referred to as Dominance or Status Related Aggression

  The terms dominance or status related aggression are confusing and outdated, although they are still widely used in the popular media. It is useful to spend a bit of time trying to understand why these terms are now generally rejected by those with a deeper understanding of dog behaviour.

• Dog: Compulsive Disorders

  When an animal repeatedly tries to do something, we might say that it has a compulsion to do the behaviour. Compulsive behaviours are often derived from normal behaviour patterns but appear to be abnormal because they are excessive, exceedingly intense, or performed out of context.

• Dog: Controlling Excitement at Visitors and Passers By

  Many dogs will react to the sight or sound of passers by but for some owners this behaviour can get out of hand and it can be very embarrassing to have a dog that goes wild whenever someone comes to the door or even walks past the house.

• Dog: Encouraging Good Manners and Obedience

  For any social group to function properly, rules and boundaries need to be established and maintained. This does not involve the use of force but rather the consistent application of boundaries which leads to the formation of realistic expectations.