Book excerpt: Problem behaviours are often the result of how an animal thinks and feels, genetics, and environmental influences. Steering away from just description diagnoses and focusing instead on emotional and cognitive causes, this book provides a practical approach to diagnosing, treating, and managing behaviour pathologies in dogs and cats. Beginning by addressing cases in the first opinion practice, this book then considers physical disorders that may lead to or exacerbate abnormal behavior. From there, the focus shifts to mental and emotional health, from an assessment of normal behavior and giving juveniles an optimal start in life, to diagnosing mental and emotional disorders, addressing emotions such as anxiety and frustration, and how to manage these issues - by modifying behavior, managing the animal's environment, training, and, when necessary, the use of medications. The second half of the book then addresses owner concerns, including management problems, aggression, affective disorder, elimination disorder, abnormal and repetitive behaviours and ageing-related problems.