Management is the first phase of treatment and the component to which you will apply most of your efforts in the beginning stages of treatment.
Watch our Management Video for more details.
Management is the cornerstone of changing your pet's behavior. Management is controlling the environment to keep your pet’s overall arousal levels low - preventing them from practicing problematic behavior and reaching their threshold. Management is implemented to prevent the rehearsal of behaviors that we are trying to change.
Identify any scenario(s) that may trigger your pet to behave undesirably. The more your pet is able to rehearse a behavior, the more ingrained it becomes and easier it is for them to perform (Remember: “Practice makes perfect”). The goal is to stop all unwanted behavior from this point forward. Management is not a replacement for training, but it is the base on which to build their training at a later time.
Management is ACTIVELY preventing unwanted behaviors. If you are REACTING to your pet doing something undesirable, you are NOT managing it. Your pet will likely be reinforced by something in their environment, and therefore try it again.
We have compiled a set of general management strategies based on various situations which may trigger your pet's fear, stress, and anxiety. Anything specific to your pet that is not detailed herein will have been included in the homework section of your discharge summary.
