Description
Naomi Andrews will discuss Behavioural and Training Strategies for Noise Phobias in Dogs. As we all know this is a common time of year for dogs to be presented for noise phobias. Dogs start to develop their hearing from 3 weeks of age so from this time on they are learning about their environment. With far greater auditory capabilities than their human counterparts it can be hard for owners to understand how their dogs could possibly be so sensitive to what they consider quite minor noise; conversely some owners may not even realise that their dog is stressed, much less that there is something they can do about it.Dogs can show an array of behaviour when they are stressed; this may depend on their breed, their temperament, their earlier experiences and their environment, including their owners’ own behaviour. We will discuss the subtle behaviour associated with fear responses that may go un-noticed against the more obvious signs of upset such as destruction or inappropriate toileting. Dogs can become phobic of a range of noises. The most common noises that comes to mind are typically fireworks, thunder and gunshots but in reality dogs can become afraid of all sorts of noises for all sorts of reasons which will be discussed. Over the course of the webinar we will also be addressing a common myth about phobias and presenting modern thinking on the matter. We will then be delving into the popular and systematic approaches currently being used to modify the emotional and behavioural responses of noise phobic dogs. This ranges from short term management of the environment and how owners should respond to fearful and/or unwanted behaviour up to the nuances of more long term modification programmes. Naomi is a qualified pet behaviour counsellor for around 6 years now. She always had a passion for animals and it has been her life’s ambition to work with them and help them and their owners. She has bachelor of science degree in Psychology, an NOCN level 3 in Canine Training and Behaviour and a Post Graduate diploma in Companion Animal Behaviour Counselling. She is self employed and running Basket Case Pet Behaviour for the last five years which she currently re-branding to "We Teach Pets". She owned a rescued Belgian Shepherd called Max and have lived and worked with all manner of pets and problems over the years.