Ty The Dog Guy On The Daily

Today I want to talk about drugs. Not in the Nancy Reagan, 1970s, “Just say no!” way, but in relation to dogs. It seems that every year, more and more dogs are getting on drugs to hopefully modify their behavior. These are drugs similar to the ones that humans take for depression and anxiety to deal from everything from aggression to hyperactivity to excessive barking. There are generally two groups that push for drugs. The first is veterinarians, whose mindset I can understand even if I don’t agree with it. I love vets and I think we all need them. But they don’t generally have expertise in dealing with behavior. Even veterinarian behaviorists tend not to be up to snuff on how to affect change in dogs’ behavior. Why is this? Because veterinarians look at the body. They want to know how they can neuter a dog, heal its wounds, or treat an allergy. When it comes to behavior, their training persists. So when a veterinarian is confronted with an aggressive dog, then, they often suggest giving a pill to make