There are many who, if they passed us on that day, would have thought, because this dog did not bark or lunge at the person or car he saw at a distance…that he was FINE. He may have looked like he was enjoying being on leash in the community. What do you think? Actually, while he may look fine, this is a fearful dog with anxiety. The story of his dog behavior is below. [Read more…] about While He May Look Fine, This Is A Fearful Dog With Anxiety
Fearful Dogs
Is Your Dog FINE?
Is your dog fine? When clients tell me their dog was FINE at the groomer, FINE at the vet, FINE when accompanying them to a busy park, FINE when children are running and screaming…my question to them is, “What does FINE look like in that context?” [Read more…] about Is Your Dog FINE?
Why is predictability important to the welfare of our pets?
Why is predictability important to the welfare of our pets? Predictability can go a long way toward helping an animal feel safe, which ultimately leads to that animal experiencing less stress, more quality of life and a desire to want to participate. [Read more…] about Why is predictability important to the welfare of our pets?
Greeting A Sensitive Dog
Maisy, a very sweet Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, tends to do submissive behaviors when greeting people and dogs. She is a sensitive dog and tends to approach with a wiggly but lowered body posture and tail; and will roll over and expose her belly when she gets to the person or dog. In this blog post, I’ll talk about sensitive dogs (also referred to as soft dogs), and how I helped Maisy have confidence in coming to me.
If We Can’t Manage It, We Can’t Change It
“If we can’t manage it, we can’t change it.” ~ Michael Shikashio, CDBC with Aggressive Dog. This is a conversation I have with all of my behavior case dog training clients…for these very reasons. Aggressive dog behavior is like any other behavior that is strengthened by reinforcement. If it works to get a consequence of value to the animal, it will continue and even strengthen over time. [Read more…] about If We Can’t Manage It, We Can’t Change It
Dog Separation Anxiety: One Family’s Story
Talk about a reason to smile! Dog separation anxiety is a real panic attack. Just ask dear MayDay. His worst episode was tearing through window screening and getting onto the roof. As you can imagine, this was not only terrifying for him, it was stressful for his people too as they love him so very much. We’ve worked together for about 3 months now and they’ve made such great progress. (Progress with SA is definitely not always linear.) I made this video to share their story – watch past the initial assessment. Below is Megan’s story written by her. She wanted to do that in hopes that it could help other families too. [Read more…] about Dog Separation Anxiety: One Family’s Story