Nobody wants their pet to suffer and trying to figure out how to resolve your pup’s separation anxiety can feel overwhelming and frustrating. For a dog that is suffering from separation anxiety, it is like they are having a panic attack every time their family leaves them.
I’ve been working with clients for many years helping them to learn how to teach their dogs to feel more relaxed when home alone. Today I am happy to announce that I’m launching my separation anxiety course, and if you grab a copy right now, it’s discounted by 10% using the code: LAUNCH.
With instructional videos, a comprehensive discussion with a veterinarian, and client examples, you will gain a more comprehensive understanding of separation anxiety and the route to resolution.
I created this resource so that you don’t have to continue wondering what is going with your best friend. The course was developed by qualified professionals with appropriate credentials, certifications, experience, and education to help you and your dog overcome the struggles associated with separation anxiety.
Through the use of positive reinforcement, with a desensitization protocol, families can begin to lessen the anxiety and fear that their dog is experiencing.
You can enroll in the Separation Anxiety course with a special 10% launch discount by entering code: LAUNCH.
Do you have a dog that likes to jump up on family members or strangers? In today’s Animal Behavior and Dog Training Tidbit video, “How Do You Keep Your Dog From Jumping?” I discuss some tips on how you can keep your dog from jumping up by teaching your pup “what to do” and instead of shouting “no” at him.
If you prefer to read about “How To Keep Your Dog From Jumping?,” below is a lightly edited transcript from the video.
Hi, I’m Terrie Hayward from Positive Animal Wellness thanks for joining us again.
Today I’m going to talk about a question that comes up quite frequently and the question is “How do I keep my dog from jumping up?”
I would submit that the first thing that we want to do is reframe that question. Instead of asking what we want to do to stop or prohibit a type of behavior, we want to think about what do we want the dog to do instead.
Specifically, instead of keeping my dog from doing “something,” we want to teach them what to do instead and then make that behavior really reinforcing. Let’s say we have a dog who’s jumping up. What type of behaviors could we ask them to do instead? We might ask them to settle. We might ask them to lie down. We might ask them to sit or we might just go ahead and reinforce four paws on the floor.
After teaching or capturing the desired behavior we need to reinforce it! In doing so we’re reinforcing an incompatible or an alternative behavior instead of jumping up. That means we’re making the new or different behavior much more worthwhile for the dog.
The final piece, is that we want to use management while we’re teaching and reinforcing an alternative or incompatible behavior to jumping up. We want to set the dog up for success. That means we might use baby gates, for example if we have a dog that’s jumping up on the couch. Or we might use baby gates so that the dog can’t access a particular room.
If we have a dog who’s jumping for greetings, again, we’ll use management and we might have the dog on a leash or within a gated area so that they can’t get to the person and practice that unwanted behavior of jumping.
We’ll use management while we’re working on reinforcing and teaching incompatible alternatives that we can reinforce and that we want to see continue to into the future. Thanks for joining us!
Do you have a pup that gets stressed when going to the dog groomer? In today’s Animal Behavior and Dog Training Tidbit video, “How Do You Get Your Dog to Like the Groomer” I discuss some tips to help your dog feel more comfortable and less anxious when it’s time to visit the groomer.
If you prefer to read about “How Do You Get Your Dog to Like the Groomer,” below is a lightly edited transcript from the video.
Hi! My name is Terrie Hayward from Positive Animal Wellness.
Thanks for joining us. Today I’m going to talk about a question that comes up often and it is, “How can I get my dog to like the groomer?”
I think this is a really important question because so many of our dogs need to go to the groomer for bathing, nails, or if you have a dog that needs a special kind of haircut. A dog that’s as my sister, who’s a professional groomer, would say, “not a wash and wear dog.”
Your dog may need to make frequent visits to the groomer and we want that to be a stress-free or low-stress experience for both the dog and for you as the caregiver.
So, I think that this is such an important piece that I co-wrote a book called “Grooming Without Stress” with Jay Andors and Anne Francis. This book might help you along with some tips.
However, just to get started I thought we’d talk about the key components. Additionally, I also did the Fear Free course for groomers and we’ll have that link in the description.
The very first piece is what, as my co-author colleague Jay says, you want to do what “we call a meet and treat.” Basically, we want to help the dog to create a positive association with not only the groomer themselves but the whole experience. From entering the shop, with the location, with the sights and the smells, and with the individual who’s going to be working with you and your dog.
That “meet and treat” means that you might, in your first visit or two, not even do any grooming. It might be just you and your dog going to the shop and pairing that experience with something that the dog finds really great–some kind of high-value treats.
We do the “meet and treat” and the next step is also using the same kind of technique, which is that we would use desensitization. This means moving at a pace that the dog feels comfortable, and counter-conditioning which is again pairing with something that the dog finds reinforcing.
We do this to help create a positive association and a comfortable relaxed scenario of going to the groomer’s shop. If we move faster it may feel like we’re getting ahead however this not only impacts that particular visit but it can impact all visits to come in the future. Because it can exponentially become more fear-inducing, more anxiety-provoking, and more stressful for the dog as well as for you.
What you want to do is begin with that “meet and treat” and move slowly making sure that your dog has a really great association with the groomer and the shop and the whole process.
That way, for years to come your dog will feel comfortable and relaxed when they need to go and have some grooming done.
