by Kate LaSala | Oct 4, 2021 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Resource Guarding, Separation Anxiety
Let me first start this post with my standard disclaimer: I AM NOT A VET. But as a trainer who specializes in fear, aggression, reactivity and separation anxiety, I have a lot of clients who benefit greatly from anti-anxiety medication to help them live...
by Kate LaSala | Aug 30, 2021 | Dog Training, Dog Training Regulation, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Rescue Dogs, Separation Anxiety
Remote training isn’t new in dog training. In fact, decades ago, separation anxiety trainers would drop camcorders off at their clients’ homes so they could record their training. Thankfully we don’t need to do that anymore thanks to...
by Kate LaSala | Aug 9, 2021 | Dog Training, Dog Training Regulation, Rescue Dogs, Separation Anxiety
One of the most common myths I encounter, from clients, other “trainers” and even some vets, is that separation anxiety is not treatable or that dogs can’t recover from it. This is completely untrue. Myself and other qualified, certified...
by Kate LaSala | Jul 19, 2021 | Dog Training, Dog Training Regulation, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Separation Anxiety
TV trainers have done a lot of damage over the last couple of decades, and one of those things is pushing the idea that a “calm” dog is the ideal state we want to achieve for our dogs all the time. I like calm dogs when they’re seniors and...
by Kate LaSala | Jun 7, 2021 | Dog Training, Dog Training Regulation, Rescue Dogs, Separation Anxiety
When I have my initial consult with separation anxiety clients, most, if not all of them, have some misguided understanding or belief about separation anxiety. And with all the widely found information online and given from friends, it’s easy to see why...
by Kate LaSala | May 31, 2021 | Dog Training, Dog Training Regulation, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Rescue Dogs, Resource Guarding
Behavior suppression is NOT the same as behavior modification. What do I mean? Well, here’s a good analogy I use with clients. If you break your arm and are crying, I might be able to slap you around enough to get you to stop crying. Just stopping the...
by Kate LaSala | May 24, 2021 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Rescue Dogs
As someone who specializes in fear and aggression cases, I get a lot of people trying to communicate their dog’s issue and use very colorful language. Over time I’ve learned to temper their interpretations and try to get them to focus on...
by Kate LaSala | May 10, 2021 | Dog Training, Separation Anxiety
When I have my initial consult with separation anxiety clients, without fail, people ask some variation of “how severe is my dog?” or “is the worst case you’ve seen?” By this point in the consult, we’ve already discussed how...
by Kate LaSala | Feb 15, 2021 | Dog Training
Training often involves tackling the given problem from various approaches – training, management, exercise and enrichment – but the number one thing I always discuss with clients is management. Management prevents the problem from continuing to...
by Kate LaSala | Feb 8, 2021 | Dog Training, Separation Anxiety
Is your Velcro dog at risk for separation anxiety? It sure would seem logical to think that, wouldn’t it? It would make complete sense to assume that if you can’t walk from one room to another without your dog following you, that she must...
