The psychology of managing the owner

Introduction

A person will often adopt a domestic animal as a response to a psychological need, such as the desire for a companion, but more often than not a future owner will focus on acquiring an animal that best meets their own needs without always considering the animal’s requirements. In an ideal world an owner might seek advice from a veterinarian on the best method of raising a pet and how to optimize the animal-human relationship before adopting an animal, but this rarely happens. This failure to consider the compatibility between the owner’s lifestyle, the reasons for acquiring the animal, and the animal’s needs can all impact on whether or not the type of management adopted is appropriate, putting both the animal’s well-being and the success of the relationship at risk.

one of the aspects where the owner’s conduct is often insufficient to meet an animal’s basic requirements is feeding. Most domestic animals rely almost exclusively on their owners for their dietary needs to be met, yet clinicians often note that many clients seem unaware that the dietary requirements of animals can differ widely, and that even the differences between canine and feline nutrition are not appreciated. An owner who is misinformed, careless or ignorant will tend to treat their animal in an unplanned and simplistic manner, offering and imposing anthropomorphic behavior in various situations including feeding. The animal thus becomes the victim of the owner’s inappropriate behavior, with consequences that can sometimes be critical and/or pathological, as when it becomes overweight or obese.

Key Points

• Good sense, logical reasoning and sound instructions from a professional are not always enough to change an owner’s behavior patterns towards their pet. Only a minority of owners will follow treatment instructions properly, and compliance becomes worse with the passage of time.

• The owner-clinician relationship is both an integral and a critical aspect for dietary instructions to be successful; the clinician does not need to be a psychologist, but it is essential to understand communication management and the mechanisms that govern human relations.

• Knowing some of the main “social rules” that help persuade people to do something can make it easier for the clinician to convince an owner that instructions should be implemented.