Pet Behavior Help
I’m veterinarian Dr. Jeff Nichol. After years of caring for dogs and cats with illnesses and injuries I shifted to my greatest passion: improving their lives by guiding better behavior. My residency training is driven by research into the causes of these problems along with healthy, straight-forward treatment strategies for everybody’s wellbeing.
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Meeting Dogs: Hand up? Hand Down? Hand Bite?
We love dogs and so do our kids. When encountering a canine beauty with a gently wagging tail you want to make friends and rub his fuzzy little head. Are…
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Rambunctious, mouthy, wild puppy
Yell? Spray? Teach? Yelling and jerking a leash hurt the heart. Some puppy parents are advised to hit a mouthing/nipping puppy on the nose. But punishment may trigger fear and defensive behavior.
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Calm the Heebie Jeebies
We love our pets like little people in furry suits – that’s the way I feel about mine. But if we’re going to get the calm behavior we want we…
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Yowling, meowing, pacing cat
Do you have a talkative kitty? One who has more to say than ever before? There may be good reason for all that yakking/complaining/crying.
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Cranky Cats
Cats can be cranky, pesky, and a bit snarky with other pets. Scolding and water spraying doesn’t teach them better behavior. Instead of reacting badly, kitties can have fun with…
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Listen to the Animals
Horses and dogs communicate with us – even if we don’t notice. They can love what we do and repay us with joy or they can react badly. Smart dogs…
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Spank him? Send Him Packing?
We love our pets like little people in furry suits but if they bite, chew, bark, or relieve themselves indoors they need to stop that @#%& right now, don’t they?…
Early in my career my veterinary clinic had a feed store as a next-door neighbor. Being a backyard poultry farmer, I visited often for chicks (baby chickens, that is) and lay pellets. I lived the life of North valley chic. The only thing missing was the chic.
Gas Abuse; Paw Pain Frustrations come with every job. I’ve been lucky. The problems I have faced that have risked baldness, you know – tearing out my hair – have…
We were just wrapping up a routine day of limping, itching, and diarrhea (ah, my patients, not me) when Jamie arrived. She’d been frolicking in the pasture with the neighbor…
Upcoming Events
Zoom Group Conference for Cat Parents – October 10, 2024
For less complex pet behavior problems a Zoom Group Conference may provide enough help to get you and your pet started. 60 minutes shared with 4 people/families max. During our…
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Zoom Group Conference for Dog Parents – November 7, 2024
For less complex pet behavior problems a Zoom Group Conference may provide enough help to get you and your pet started. 60 minutes shared with 4 people/families max. During our…
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Zoom Group Conference for Cat Parents – November 21, 2024
For less complex pet behavior problems a Zoom Group Conference may provide enough help to get you and your pet started. 60 minutes shared with 4 people/families max. During our…
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Improved dog and cat behavior starts here!
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Resources
Albuquerque Journal Articles
The following questions and answers have appeared in my weekly column in the Albuquerque Journal since July, 1996. Each week a new one is added. You'll find information on the physical and behavioral maladies of dogs and cats and a few other species too. I invite you to use the search feature to find the specific answer that you and your pet need.
Videos
Bringing out the best in a cat or dog is a hands-on task. Seeing it in a video is often better than reading it. My goal with these videos is to make behavior management easier to understand and implement.
Blog
Reading can be the fastest and easiest way of gathering the details you need to get control of a pet behavior problem. Like all of the information in my website these recommendations are research-based. It may most helpful to use the search function to quickly find what you need.
Podcasts
You’ll find a growing trove of podcasts on the management and prevention of pet behavior problems and other concerns. Some will involve interviews with other experts in veterinary medicine. I want you to have all the information you need to take great care of your dog or cat.
About Dr. Nichol
Caring for pets is what I’ve wanted to do since I was 8 years old. Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan I started undergraduate classes at Michigan State University as a Pre-Veterinary major just 3 days after high school graduation. What a thrill! I was on my way to reaching my dream.
Your Questions, Answered: Quick Resources
Biting, fighting, destructiveness, fear, urine and fecal soiling, and so much else have been scientifically researched and understood. My post graduate behavior residency training has provided me a wealth of information that I am happy to share. I have created a blog, podcasts, instructional videos, and articles with answers to 2000+ pet owner questions to help with the most frustrating and vexing dog and cat conundrums.
Recently posted articles
Recently posted videos, podcasts, blogs & Albuquerque Journal Pet Care articles. You'll find information on the physical and behavioral maladies of dogs and cats and a few other species too. I invite you to use the search feature to find the specific answer that you and your pet need.
Third in a series Lying semiconscious in the hot summer sun had driven big, fuzzy, and black-haired Sadie’s temperature into heat stroke territory. Her seizuring ratcheted it to 105. I…
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We love dogs and so do our kids. When encountering a canine beauty with a gently wagging tail you want to make friends and rub his fuzzy little head. Are…
Read More
Second in a series – There were no cell phones or GPS in the early ‘80s. I had no idea where Susan and Greg Trujillo lived but not to worry.
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Yell? Spray? Teach? Yelling and jerking a leash hurt the heart. Some puppy parents are advised to hit a mouthing/nipping puppy on the nose. But punishment may trigger fear and defensive behavior.
Read More