Cooper, a hound mix who’s now three years old, was surrendered to the San Francisco SPCA in September 2011. One of Cooper’s guardians needed a heart transplant and was not allowed to have pets in his home after the surgery.
Despite being a very friendly, affectionate dog, Cooper had both medical and behavioral problems that needed to be addressed before he could be placed for adoption. He had a severely luxated patella, which meant that his kneecap would often move out of place. To correct that problem, Cooper had to have surgery at a specialty hospital and then enter a physical rehabilitation program.
While veterinarians worked to help Cooper regain his physical health, the SF SPCA’s behavior team put together a plan to help him overcome his behavioral problems. Cooper suffered from severe separation anxiety and would panic when left alone. When by himself, Cooper would bark and vocalize, in addition to being generally destructive.
Dr. Berger, who led Cooper’s behavioral treatment, recently joined the SF SPCA as director of behavior resources. She is one of only 54 veterinarians in the country who are also board-certified behaviorists. Because she has a background in both medicine and behavior, Dr. Berger can ensure that the behavior problems an animal is exhibiting are not caused by underlying medical issues.
Dr. Berger’s first challenge was keeping Cooper mentally stimulated while recovering from surgery, since he had to be confined to restrict his movements. Cooper was given food-dispensing toys and puzzles, which meant he had to work for his meals and treats. He was also taught training commands that didn’t require significant movement, such as balancing a treat on his nose. He even learned some commands in multiple languages!
As his knee healed, Cooper was sent to foster care to continue his recovery and start working on his separation anxiety. Dr. Berger outlined a treatment plan for Cooper with the goal of reducing his anxiety to a tolerable level when left alone. The plan included independence training, rewarding good behavior, and gradually desensitizing him to departures (people leaving the home).
The first step was to decrease the time Cooper was left alone so he stopped panicking, and then build on that by teaching him to become more independent. The main exercise for this training involved a special blanket used to teach Cooper to stay in a particular place, initially when his foster parents were around. He was instructed to lie on the blanket with a treat, while his foster parents would gradually leave the room. As Cooper became accustomed to this exercise, the intervals of time he was left alone were increased.
His foster parents were also instructed to perform random departure rituals, such as putting on their shoes, even when they weren’t leaving the house. This helped desensitize Cooper to cues that he might be left alone.
The third step was counter conditioning: rewarding Cooper when his guardians left the house and keeping him occupied while alone. To accomplish this, Cooper was given long-lasting treats when his foster parents left, such as bones. When they returned the treats were taken away, so Cooper gradually began to positively associate departures with treats.
The final component was prescription medication. Dr. Berger prescribed an anti-anxiety medication to help with Cooper’s behavior modification. She stresses that medication shouldn’t be used without concurrent behavior modification, but together they can speed up the recovery process. In Cooper’s case the medication had to be closely monitored to avoid drug interactions between pain medications and anti-anxiety medications.
Cooper’s foster parents, who spent countless hours working with him, eventually fell in love and placed an application for adoption. They knew they’d have to continue working with Cooper on his behavior, but they were willing to accept the challenge because they knew how much love and affection Cooper had to give.
Cooper’s new guardians continue to receive assistance from Dr. Berger, which is common for the SF SPCA’s behaviorally challenged animals: our commitment to them doesn’t end with adoption. Dr. Berger and Cooper’s new guardians are happy to report that he is doing extraordinarily well. He has completely recovered from his surgery, and no longer suffers from the anxiety that once controlled his life.
To learn more about the SF SPCA’s Behavior & Training resources visit sfspca.org/behavior.
Krista Maloney writes for the San Francisco SPCA. She is a lifelong animal lover and has worked in the animal welfare field for several years. She is a strong believer that behavior modification and training can significantly improve pet-guardian relationships, as well as save the lives of shelter animals with behavioral issues who are struggling to find a home. You can reach her at kmaloney@sfspca.org
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