If you answered a or c, your dog is likely to have a behaviour problem:  If your dog or cat is showing aggression to people or other animals, it is very likely to have a behaviour problem that is due to an underlying emotional issue.  All animals with rational behavioural and emotional responses utilise various signals to each other in an effort to avoid aggression. If they are resorting to aggression, they are either facing a stimulus that is truly threatening to their wellbeing, or problems the animal perceives to be threatening enough to warrant the risk of aggression.   Aggression should always be a last resort in any animal because the outcome is highly unpredictable and can result in physical debilitation. Evolutionarily, aggression is not something an animal will do unless desperate, or unless there is a problem with their emotional processing, which is something a veterinary behaviourist can discuss with you and offer treatment options.  If the person or animal seemed to "deserve it" due to taunting the animal or punishing the animal using techniques that could induce fear, it may be a response by the animal that is seemingly warranted. Such behaviour towards animals should be avoided because the animal can learn to utilise these aggressive responses if they feel unable to escape the person who has been causing the problem. It only takes one dog bite for a dog to be declared a "dangerous dog" by a person who may have been the cause of the problem. Any circumstance that may cause a dog to feel the need to aggress is a welfare concern to the dog at the time of such an incident, as well as due to the risk of the dog being declared "dangerous" or "menacing". It can also create the risk of lawsuits for owners and physical injury to people. Any incident that may lead to aggression should therefore be avoided.

If you answered a: This is often a training and communication issue:  Many dogs, especially puppies, can learn that jumping up will get them attention. Even an owner saying “down” and acknowledging the dog is a form of attention to the dog.  To stop this behaviour, an owner needs to ignore the behaviour by turning their back and not looking at the dog.  Eventually the dog will stop jumping. At that point, you can give an alternative successful behaviour for the dog to do, such as “sit” then give the dog attention for this preferred behaviour.   It is likely the jumping up will get worse before it gets better. This is because the dog becomes frustrated and it tries to use the same method for getting attention at greater and greater intensity. If you consistently give attention when the behaviour stops and ask the dog for a new successful behaviour such as “sit”, the process to stop the jumping up will proceed more rapidly.  As with all training and behaviour, consistency is very important so everyone in the house should be doing the same thing. Otherwise it will be confusing for the dog and learning will be slow and frustrating for all.

If you answered a, c or d, your dog is likely to have a behaviour problem: If a behaviour does not gain the desired outcome, an animal will stop performing the behaviour. Often vocalisations when owners are not present (or even when they are but the animal cannot reach the owner) are calls for attention or to be let inside.  If the owner is not responding, an animal without a behaviour problem will give up and find an alternative behaviour that is stimulating, such as solitary play or object play, or the animal may rest.  If the animal is having waves of heightened vocalisations after periods of rest, this can be an indicator of separation anxiety, which is becoming more and more recognised in pets.  Some dogs will show other signs to try to cope when in a severe state of anxiety. They may become destructive or develop a compulsive disorder. Some dogs vomit or owners will notice their paws wet from salivation. Other dogs may be passive and not do anything but be in a depressed state. If offered food, they may not eat.  Often, separation anxiety can go unrecognised for a long period of time. Video footage of an animal while an owner is away can help to gain more information.

If you answered b, c or d, your cat could have a behaviour problem; but the problem may be due to litter type, tray type, site of litter or frequency of cleaning of litterbox: Inappropriate urination or defaecation from a cat that is litter trained or house trained with the availability to gain outdoor access is abnormal. Inappropriate urination or defaecation from a dog with outside access is also abnormal. The problem may be physical disease such as bladder inflammation, or the problem may be due to stress or a problem with the site or type of litter tray or the type of litter. If the problem is happening occasionally but not all the time, it may be due to activities near the litter tray at particular times of day. It could also be related to the cleanliness of the litter tray, ie. when the litter was last changed. If the urine is on vertical surfaces, it indicates that the urination is made with marking behaviour. In these cases, if the cat is desexed, there is likely something causing the cat to be stressed.

If you answered a or c, this may be a behaviour problem or a training problem: Sometimes a dog will fail to respond to learned cues in situations due to anxiety. But the problem may be in the training. You would need to ask yourself if the behaviour you are asking the dog to do has been reinforced effectively. Has the dog been motivated to perform the behaviour? Were the cues you gave consistent and concise and not confusing?  Remember that dogs do not understand English. Cues need to be concise and consistent and reinforcement of the behaviour you want needs to occur quickly after the behaviour is performed and with reinforcement that is valuable enough to the individual to warrant the effort to perform the task.  Good positive reinforcement training will help in many cases, but if a dog is still failing to respond in particular circumstances, there may be a problem such as fear or anxiety inhibiting the response.