Koven Moodley - Smart Pet Behaviour

08/06/2025

Forced crating, nail clipping, grooming or muzzling can all traumatise your dog. Be proactive and fine a FF R+ professional to assist BEFORE it's needed.

08/06/2025

ABBEY - CANINE DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY

Because dogs are emotional beings, they can suffer from depression and anxiety. There are many signs that a behaviourist will look for to confirm an assessment of depression or anxiety before working with a vet and the guardians to address this emotional state.

Picture on the left - Abbey at the assessment. She was super anxious, very depressed (she showed all the clinical and behaviourial signs) and was not coping with certain sounds, the inverter, her new home, guests and the helper. She used to dig a hole at the end of the garden and sit there all day, not eating, playing or cuddling. She went into shut down mode. Her guardians were besides themselves on how to help her as she seemed to have been wasting away.

Pic on the right - Abbey after 3 months. She is changed dog who is happier, eating, playing, engaging with the world, has more confidence and is less afraid of everything.

From her guardian - "Abbey is a different dog... she is making more progress each day. She is even ok with our domestic now... visitors too. So a happy, stimulated, well adjusted dog, thanks."

In cases like this, meds alone will not be effective. Please seek the advise of a qualified animal behaviourist (not a trainer) with a background in emotionality, animal psychology and pyschopharmacology to assist with an assessment and a plan of action. Understanding your pet's emotionality and impact on behaviour will be critical in cases like this.

Well done Peter...your commitment to Abbey's emotional health has made all the difference 👏

07/06/2025

I had 2 clients today who have been using aversive trainers for MONTHS and not seeing results. They contacted me to ask for alternative views on various behaviourial issues that they were not seeing traction on. But I found them to be so attached to old ways of doing things, along with these old relationships, that I have doubts as to whether they are willing to change their thoughts, behaviours and mindsets long enough to give their dogs a chance to grow into the truly amazing dogs that they can be by using force-free, positive reinforcement methods to modify their behaviours. I think they wanted magical solutions without the commitment and investment required to build new brain patterns and hence new behaviours....oh well, if you know better and choose to not do better for your dogs, then the behaviour fallouts from aversive tools and methods are on you.

06/06/2025

When there are too many of us wanting some warmth on a cold Johannesburg morning but mum says we must be civilized and form a line to take turns in front of the heater...🔥

Umi was the smartest of the lot - she stayed under the duvet with the electric blanket on...

05/06/2025

Rethinking the HOW of sterilization and not the IF...

04/06/2025

Understanding the link between mood and behaviour is essential for effective therapy. A stable mood is vital for ensuring that our animal companions respond positively to support and guidance. By prioritizing emotional well-being, we set the stage for successful behavioural interventions. Learn the importance of monitoring an animal's mood and how it leads to better outcomes for their behaviour with MHERA.

04/06/2025

04/06/2025

Scatter feeding as an alternative activity for doggos who love barking at people walking by on the road...👇🏽

Sniffing activities the parasympathetic nervous system (vagus nerve reset), which brings calming emotions and behaviours.

Look at the wagging tails...❤️

03/06/2025

📸 Emma's Animals - Behaviour & Training

03/06/2025

Brilliant analogy