Note: A "trainer" teaches obedience; a veterinary behaviorist diagnoses medical causes of behavior and prescribes medicine. They are not interchangeable.
The animal does not speak our language, but it screams its symptoms through its actions. The job of the veterinary scientist—and the informed pet owner—is to learn how to listen.
Sudden aggression in a friendly dog often points to chronic pain (like dental issues or arthritis).
Perhaps the biggest shift in the last decade is the movement. Historically, we restrained animals to treat them. "They’ll get over it," was the old mantra. But veterinary science now acknowledges what behaviorists have always known: Fear causes physiological harm.
