Soulshine Animal Behavior Training and Education

01/07/2023

Making mealtime fun, challenging and interactive is a great way to satisfy your dog’s innate instincts and curiosities. Every meal is an opportunity for enrichment, and food puzzles are a great way to slow down your dog’s eating and provide mental stimulation. You can easily make the following puzzles with household items!

Hide and Seek games with food! Nutritional enrichment by trying different foods/treats. (If approved by your Veterinarian)

01/05/2023

I am writing this on Monday, January 2nd, the year two thousand and twenty three. An arbitrary date, of course, depending on the whims of history and culture. Yet, I love the ritual of dipping into the river of time, and the gift it gives us to reflect and look ahead. You all know, no […]

01/03/2023

Continuing our series today for your dog’s best life… We’d like to introduce Environmental Enrichment.

Dogs are a very social species, and many of them are extroverts — they thrive on interaction with others. Social lives also give dogs both the mental and physical stimulation they need to thrive, and can take many forms. For example, a young, active dog may benefit from dog-on-dog play at local dog parks or a hike in nature.

✅ HERE'S A TIP:
Using the environment as a reinforcement for your dog can be so empowering and rewarding for them,
ACTION item to try:

🗣️ Ask for a "SIT" outside and then say "YES" and let them go sniff or engage with the environment.

This can strengthen your training by allowing our environment to do the work. Dogs are environmentally driven and most dogs LOVE to use their environment.

12/30/2022

WHO DOESN’T LOVE TO DIG? 🦮

Sometimes behaviors that we find "Naissance /inappropriate behaviors" like digging, can be solved by enriching their environment and giving them an enrichment digging hole. This will reduce the likelihood of continued unwanted digging around the flowers and home.

See .snuffle (Snuffle Mat) for digging fixes...this will be scent enrichment. Or, give your animal an appropriate digging spot that can be super enriching and fun for them. A little dirt doesn’t hurt anyone :)

12/26/2022

Happy New Year!!!

With every new year, we have the opportunity to form new habits. This also goes for our relationships with our pets. Over the next few weeks, we will be posting about different ways to promote good mental health for you dog(s).

Having an enrichment program with various exercises for you anxious or high energy dog can make or break how they act in their home environment. We'd like to introduce you to:

🦮 8 WAYS TO PROMOTE GOOD MENTAL HEALTH FOR YOU DOG:
Auditory
Cognitive
Environmental
Food-based
Human interaction
Olfactory (smell)
Social
Visual

These are all great ways to enrich your dog's mental state resulting in calm, less anxiety and fulfillment. Tiring them out, satisfying natural breed tendencies and stress or anxiety.

This winter is the perfect time to get started with new activities for you and your dog.

Interested in learning more? Contact us at Blue Ridge Veterinary Behavioral Services today. Let's talk.

12/09/2022

Hello! I'm April Kormanec, RVT, KPA-CTP. Dr. Pflaum and I work together offering high-quality medicine, behavior assessment, evaluation and training for pets who display extreme fear, anxiety, and stress around other animals or people. We also help guide, instruct and educate the humans who care for them.

I received my Low Stress Handling Certification in 2015 and have been practicing Dr. Sophia Yins stress-free handling techniques for more than 7 years. As a Registered Veterinary Technician, I previously worked in emergency veterinary where I applied my approach for low-stress handling to hospital patients and trained other animal nurses and staff on how to use these favorable techniques to minimize the stress felt by patients in the veterinary hospital setting.

I am extraordinarily passionate about the work of Sophia Yin and have respected her teachings for low-stress handling for many years.

Although the majority of my behavior training is applied to dogs, I am also very skilled at working with house cats, feral cats, and horses who've experienced trauma early on in their development and are now engrossed with fear and anxiety.

Are you experiencing difficulty dealing with a pet who is full of anxiety and fear leaving you puzzled for how to manage their behavior? Dr. Kevin Pflaum and I are helping Asheville's pet parents cope and learn more about how to minimize and resolve difficult behaviors.

Contact us at Blue Ridge Veterinary Behavior Services for an initial consult to get started on the journey to fear-free and stress-free companion living.
LINK IN BIO 🐈💙🦮

12/05/2022

Repost from
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✨What does Fear Free Elite Certified for your anxious pet mean?✨

Short answer? - it means to take the "pet" out of the word "petrified." Then see what you’re left with. A happier, more relaxed animal companion.

Many times we adopt our beloved pets not knowing where they've been or what they've experienced, and a lot of times our pets come to us with fear and trauma -- but that doesn't mean they have to remain that way their whole lives.

That's what Blue Ridge Veterinary Behavior Services can offer you.

🦮🐈 What is fear free?

Fear Free was founded by “America’s Veterinarian,” Dr. Marty Becker, and developed by hundreds of experts in behavior, medicine, and handling, Fear Free has become one of the single most transformative initiatives in the history of companion animal practice.

Their programs provide veterinary professionals, pet professionals, animal welfare communities, and pet owners with the knowledge and tools to look after both a pet’s physical and emotional well-being.

⚕️Dr. Kevin Pflaum, a Fear Free Elite Professional, and ⚕️April Kormanec, an RVT, Sophia Yin’s Low-Stress Handling Certified Trainer, and a member of the Society of Veterinary Behavior Technicians can help you minimize the fear your pet is experiencing.

Do you have a pet with loads of anxiety and fear of other animals or people? Let BRVBS help you understand what may be driving these emotions and find solutions to relieving this for your dog or cat.

Book your consult today! Link in bio☝️

11/22/2022

https://instagram.com/soulshinebehavior?r=nametag

06/28/2022

Looking for a good way to give back to our local shelter and also teach your dogs something new and exciting. This 6 week course teaches you how to help your dog learn and several great foundation behaviors!!!

Sign up below!! We have multiple classes to choose from starting in July . Check it out!!

This 6 week course will teach you how to bridge the communication gap and teach your dog basic manners using reward-based training methods!

04/30/2022

Hey Friends!!!! Looking for a good way to give back to our local shelter and also teach your dogs something new and exciting.

Join my Canine Manners Training Class on Tuesday nights starting May 10th. We have available spots in our 7:30pm class left!!!

Sign up below!! We have multiple classes to choose from . Check it out!!

This 6 week course will teach you how to bridge the communication gap and teach your dog basic manners using reward-based training methods!

08/12/2021

A number of dogs and cats remain unaccounted for after the truck transporting them crashed on Old Fort Mountain today. Multiple animals were seen entering the wooded area near the crash site moments after the incident occurred. Emergency personnel along with staff from the McDowell County Animal Shelter NC, McDowell County Sheriff’s Office and bystanders provided medical care, water, and shelter until additional staff from ASPCA arrived and secured the animals that remained at the scene. Personnel searched the area for the missing animals. If traveling along I-40 in Old Fort, please report unattended dogs or cats to the McDowell Communications Center at 828-652-4000. Hikers visiting Catawba Falls or Kitsuma Trail are also asked to report unattended animals in hopes they can be reunited with their owners. Old Fort Ride House Kitsbow

06/21/2021

Check out our website!!!!!
Soulshinebehavior.com

“When I look into the eyes of an animal, I do not see an animal. I see a living being. I see a friend. I feel a soul.”

05/22/2021

Hi Everyone!! My name is April, and I am the Owner of Soulshine 🙂
I am an Registered Veterinary Technician that is specializing in Veterinary Behavior. That being said , I have several years of in clinic experience and while working towards my VTS(Behavior) I received a scholarship from the Society of Veterinary Behavior Technicians to attend the Karen Pryor Academy.
I focus on positive behavioral management and modification only. I want to be able to give animals a chance to “Shine” in this world! I have lived in Asheville for 12 years and currently have two wonderful dog boys 🙂

Any questions just ask!!!