Can Medication Be Used Instead of Behavior Modification?
Behavioral medication alone isn’t usually effective for resolving a behavior problem. For the dog, medication serves to make a situation tolerable but not necessarily acceptable. Behavior modification can then be used to make the situation acceptable. For instance, if a dog is afraid of thunder storms, medication can ease the dog’s fear enough that he can tolerate the storm and undergo the counterconditioning necessary to treat his fear. But it’s the counterconditioning that helps him overcome his fear. In addition, many dogs can develop behavior habits because of a problem that requires medication. The medication can help the core problem, but behavior modification is still necessary to treat the accompanying behavior habits.
