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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Sandhill Cranes of New Mexico
These splendid birds arrive every fall in our beautiful state. Many folks drive to Bosque del Apache to get a glimpse but we can enjoy these almost prehistoric creatures up…
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Learning Dog Tricks – the Light Dawns
Mick and I have practiced his new trick, “Night, night.” He’s watching me intently because he’s ready. Even though he gets it, mostly, I help him do it right. He…
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Tag team at Kindergarten
Puppy kindergarten teaches healthy play during the sensitive period of socialization. Mick and his BFF (Welsh corgi) wrestle with wild abandon. A fun loving pug considers joining the fun and…
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The Springs Less Traveled
The South rim of the Grand Canyon is a wonderful 70° in early November. It’s a really dry place. We dropped 1180 feet as we hiked 3.5 miles to this…
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Circus dog? Robot dog? AI dog?
Mike is demonstrating Rally skills with “Bree”, his Pomeranian. At Sandia Dog Obedience Club in Albuquerque, Mike and Rene are instructors in the dog sport called Rally. It’s like obedience…
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A Happy Dog Works
My Border collie “Mick” loves to work for me because he always earns interactions and sometimes food. Dogs aren’t in the mindset of pleasing a master; they look to us…
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Biting – Can You Ever Trust Again?
Folks like you and I are tethered to our pets by an emotional commitment to their well-being. If they have a problem with any body part, including their brains, we want them to get well fast. The Internet offers prodigious quantities of quack remedies, especially for behavior disorders. Think twice about quick and dirty corrections.
Challenge Your Knowledge of Canine Behavior
Multiple choice: Dogs adopted as adults, who are aggressive toward the man in the home: (a) Were previously mistreated by a male (b) Are jealous, wanting the woman all to themselves (c) Are frightened by the macho, but gentle dude who guzzles battery acid instead of coffee in the morning (d) Are trying to be dominant (e) Have an Oedipus complex.
Poking my head into the reception room, my gaze fell on a nicely groomed Old English Sheepdog – my next patient. As I invited her and her person into the exam room I noticed a slight left head tilt.
My general veterinary practice was busy. That might sound like a good problem but despite meticulous preparation I was seldom caught up. There seemed to be more going on with every pet I saw than what it came in for.
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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.
Question: We have a beautiful, long-haired black cat hanging around our backyard. My husband feeds the birds but the kitty is hunting and killing them. We set out food for…
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These splendid birds arrive every fall in our beautiful state. Many folks drive to Bosque del Apache to get a glimpse but we can enjoy these almost prehistoric creatures up…
Read More
Question: We adopted “Peaches” from Animal Humane 9 weeks ago. She is a 5 year old Australian cattle dog mix. She has escaped 4 times, like playing, but won’t come…
Read More
Mick and I have practiced his new trick, “Night, night.” He’s watching me intently because he’s ready. Even though he gets it, mostly, I help him do it right. He…
Read More