Pain discomfort and problem behaviours in dogs - 13 February 2026
- Maria Spencer-Raymond
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
I was lucky enough to attend a talk by Professor Daniel Mills at the University of Lincoln. A veterinarian and Biologist and the UK’s first specialist in veterinary Behavioural medicine. He is the leading international authority on animal behaviour problems, from global multicentric trials to individual consultations with caregivers at the university alongside his team.
The research programme Pets can do gives caregivers the opportunity to get involved in vital research (without them, it simple would not be possible). The research is dogs, but does include cats, reptiles, and horses. By signing up to the research programme, you can choose to take your pet along to the trial, leave them or stay depending on the programme. If you live too far away, you can still take part by answering questionnaires and sending in videos of your pet.
Did you know that about 80% of common behavioural problems are associated with discomfort and pain. Below is one example of a dog referred to the team for showing signs of anxiety and fear. And demonstrates the importance of a check over by a vet before beginning a behaviour modification programme.
3.5-year-old male neutered 21 kg crossbred dog was referred for evaluation of its anxiety. Fear/anxiety was shown in relation to noise, the approach of the owner, the presence of the owner carrying objects, when entering the back door, and towards certain shadows. Following the initial consultation, it was noted that a lower canine was impinging on his hard palate, and it was recommended that this be extracted. In addition, it was noted that the dog appeared to have hip dysplasia and an angular deformity of both forelimbs. The dog was therefore started on a course of meloxicam once a day after the tooth had been extracted and the mouth lesion had healed. After about 4 weeks, the dog’s anxiety in the contexts that had been identified previously was re-evaluated using the scale described in McPeake and Mills [64]. The dog’s fear response to the approach of the owner and shadows had disappeared, and the response to the other stimuli was reduced to a varying extent. Quantified results are shown below (Figure 1).
Intensity of fear/anxiety in five contexts for a patient scored before and after receiving analgesia. Frequency score: never = 0, rarely = 1, frequently = 2, every time = 3; intensity score: 1 = small amount − 5 = extensive amount.
The link above will send you to the full research paper, it makes for an interesting read.
Most caregivers know when their pet is not well, especially if we see physical signs such as being sick, diarrhoea, limping, scratching their ears the list is not exhaustive. But we must advocate for our pets if something is unusual, a sudden reluctance to walk, sitting on one hip, stiff leg and overcompensating causing an unusual gait, growling for no apparent reason any behaviour that is out of character. Even if the dog’s gait is typical for that breed of dog, if you’re worried get it checkout by your vet.
We do not want to be like a certain tweed wearing dog trainer on the TV, and think the dog is just being stubborn or a diva we must look deeper into the cause of the dog’s behaviour. A health check is important, and if you are not happy with your vet go to another or find a vet behaviourist.
I was so grateful to my friend who asked me if I would like to attend this talk, having completed a degree level qualification in canine behaviour I found it a valuable experience. As a dog walker and canine behaviour coach I want to be able to give pet guardians the best advice I can.
Written by Maria (ISCP.Adv.Canine.Practitioner)
Comments