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Don?t bark at me, I?m a psychologist





 Don’t bark at   50 not to be taken seriously,’ says Pauline Appleby,
 me, I’m a of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors.
 psychologist The organisation was founded in 1989 and its
 Unruly pets are causing owners to ask for membership has been growing rapidly. ‘Now-
5 help on the couch, says Jonathan Green adays, if you take your animal to a vet and he
 nn and John Murphy55 refers you to a pet psychologist, people think it is
 face their counsellor perfectly normal.’
 with increasing Ms Magnus’ work is more diverse than just
 annoyance as they recount working with dogs. Cats are the second most
10 their problems. Taking preferred pet in Britain, but she has also dealt
 sidelong glances at each60 with frustrated rabbits. Then there was the
 other, the couple’s bitterness hamster which was determined to escape from its
 spills out. ‘He takes cage. ‘The answer was more exercise on a wheel
 out his frustrations on me,’ and putting food on a stick so it had to work to
15 complains Ann. ‘He is eat,’ she explains. Likewise, the African grey
 making me ill - driving65 parrot which pulled all its feathers out. He was
 me up the wall, in fact,’ bored and simply needed more toys and to be let
 John sighs, turning towards the source of his out of his cage more often.
 trouble. The essence of dog psychology, though, is
20 For it is Ben, a one-year-old poodle, who is on understanding the pack instinct. Problems arise
 the psychologist’s couch today - not his owners70 when dogs challenge their human owners for “top
 who are nearly at their wits’ end with frustration. dog status”. ‘They are pack animals and it is easy
 He sits on his haunches, giving us all a noncha- to give them the wrong message about who is
 lant gaze between yawns during the proceedings. boss,’ Ms Magnus says. ‘In the wild, dominant
25 We are in a Suffolk veterinary consulting room as dogs lead the pack, eat first and sleep where they
 Emma Magnus, a pet behaviour counsellor, nods75 want. Therefore owners must never let their dogs
 while hearing of the distress Ben is causing his walk through doors first and must never give
 owners. them titbits of food from the table. Nor should
 Ann reads out a list of grievances. Last week they let their pets sleep on the furniture. Even in
30 Ben nipped the gardener on the bottom. Only this games of tug-of-war, never let the dog win. It
 morning he chased Leo the cat down the garden80 shows that he or she is stronger than you.’
 before rushing into the house, snatching all the tea Ms Magnus’ diagnosis of Ben the poodle is
 bags and hiding them upstairs. The other week he that he is an attention seeker. He pinches things
 ate the family’s supper off the stove. He regularly like the TV remote control to gain maximum
35 takes the TV remote control, causing uproar as attention. A strict and dynamic programme is in
 the family try to watch television.85 order, she says. She recommends he must work to
 But Ben is not only a compulsive thief. ‘He is get his food as he would in the wild. His supper is
 also sexually frustrated,’ says Ann. This led to his to be scattered outside on the lawn. Besides, Ben
 recent castration, but all to no avail. His rebellion is to be ignored when he pesters the family for
40 continued unchecked. ‘I have had dogs all my life attention. At the end of the session the Murphys
 but never one like this,’ says Ann.90 are delighted. Ben, though, is lost. The couple
 The Murphys are here to see how they can ignore him pawing them for attention on the way
 remedy Ben’s antisocial behaviour. They are out.
 among a growing number of pet owners seeking ‘If we can lead a normal life it will be
45 pet behaviour counsellors to mend the dys- wonderful,’ says Ann. For Ben, not realising what
 functional behaviour of their animals.95 lies ahead, life will never be the same again.
 Last year 1,321 animals were referred to pet 
 behaviour counsellors. ‘Ten years ago, people The Times
 would have thought it was odd and wacky, and