About veterinary behavior
Behavior veterinarians are specially trained veterinarians dedicated to treating behavior problems and improving the wellbeing of animals.
Veterinary behavioral medicine is a field of veterinary medicine dedicated to preventing and treating behavior problems in domestic animals. Its goal is to improve the safety and quality of life of pets, their owners, and the general public. Behavioral medicine is evidence-based, which means that the diagnosis and treatment of behavior problems are founded in science’s current understanding of learning, genetics, physiology, and neurology.
Common conditions treated
Anxiety Disorders: Excessive worry out of proportion to the actual impact of the feared situation. Anxious dogs often show increased monitoring of their environments, difficulty paying attention, out of context reactions, barking, whining, and lunging.
Fears and Phobias: Excessive, irrational fear of something animate, inanimate, or situational. This can be due to noise such as thunder and fireworks, or fears due to car rids, veterinary visits, unfamiliar people or environments, other dogs, grooming, among other things.
Separation Anxiety: This is more than the disappointment when you leave without your dog, separation anxiety is the result of real stress. Behaviors such as destruction, vocalization, urination/defecation, excessive salivation, pacing, and trying to escape if confined are seen every time you leave and may even be seen prior to leaving.
Aggression and Reactivity: There are many different categories or types of canine aggression. Aggressive dog behavior can include, aggression to strangers, aggression to family members, guarding resources (such as food, treats or toys), aggression to other dogs in the household, and aggression to unknown dogs.
Compulsive Disorders: The repetitive, irresistible urge to perform one or more behaviors over and over, to the extent that it interferes with the dog’s normal life. Compulsions seen from dogs include spinning, pacing, tail chasing, fly snapping, barking, shadow or light chasing, excessive licking, and toy fixation.
Attention Seeking: Attention seeking can be quite normal, such as your dog vocalizing, jumping, pawing, or grabbing your clothing to get your attention. However, excessive attention-seeking can be indicative of deeper problems.
About Dr. Cassie Engmann
"Dogs have always been an integral part of my life and who I am. I feel like dogs are just part of my DNA!"
There was no other decision professionally for me other than becoming a veterinarian and I realized that dream in 2002 when I graduated from Iowa State University with my Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine. I then elected to further my education by doing a year of intense surgical and clinical practice at a large emergency and referral practice in western Massachusetts.
During that year I found I was professionally challenged and rewarded by many areas of veterinary medicine so I spent the next 5 years working as an Emergency Clinician at a Referral/Specialty hospital in a suburb of Boston. In 2007, I relocated to Minnesota to pursue the long term connections with both client and patient that general practice allows.
Throughout my life and career I have had a special interest in animal behavior, specifically canine behavior and the relationship between a dog and their person. In the late 1990’s reading Karen Pryor’s “Don’t Shoot the Dog” forever changed how I trained and related to my own dogs. I realized just how important force-free methods were to the mental wellbeing of my dogs and that philosophy transferred to how I handled my veterinary patients as well. Minimizing stress and trying to make the veterinary experience as low stress and fear free as possible has always been very important to me. Just because we can physically manipulate our pets to force them to comply, does not mean we should.
I have experience treating many different canine behavioral disorders. I was the sole practitioner running the Behavioral Medicine Service at VCA Animal Wellness Center, seeing my own hospital’s behavior cases, as well as behavior cases referred from nearby practices and behavioral trainers, until my departure in 2020 to pursue behavior consulting full time through Engmann Veterinary Behavior Consulting, PLLC.
I feel very strongly about using only non-aversive, force-free, science-based methods when working with you and your pet. I am certified in Sophia Yin’s Low-Stress Handling as well as a Fear Free Certified Professional. I have attended several courses with an intensive focus on Veterinary Behavior with Dr. Karen Overall and Dr. Kirsti Seksel at the North American Veterinary Institute. I am committed to continued learning and growth, both personally and professionally.
What dogs bring to our lives is truly special, and there is nothing I feel more passionate about than repairing and preserving the bond between an individual and their dog.
