Healthy Mind Canine - Separation Anxiety Training

15/11/2025

Something I’ve noticed over the years is how much pressure we put on dogs to be emotionally tidy.

To stay calm when they’re frightened.
To stay quiet when they’re overwhelmed.
To put up with things that feel uncomfortable.
To be endlessly predictable and never show the edges of their emotions.

And the more I’ve worked with dogs, the more I’ve realised how unfair – and unnatural – that expectation is.

Dogs feel.
They communicate.
They react.
They try to cope in the only ways they know how.

And when those signals get labelled as stubbornness, naughtiness, or a training problem, it chips away at their safety and their trust.

This is why I work the way I do.
Because I’ve seen what happens when dogs are silenced, corrected, or pushed to make their behaviour more convenient for us.
I’ve seen the shut-down, the bracing, the tension behind the eyes.
I’ve seen dogs work so hard to hold themselves together because they don’t feel allowed to show how they really feel.

My approach isn’t about creating a perfectly behaved dog.
It’s about creating a dog who feels safe enough to be themselves.
A dog who doesn’t have to hide their emotions to keep the peace.
A dog who knows their guardian listens, protects, and truly sees them.

This is what matters to me:
not obedience
not performance
not perfection

but emotional safety, communication, and connection.

That’s the heart of Wild K9s.
And it’s the reason I’ll always choose understanding over control.

05/11/2025

17/10/2025

ABILITY TO COPE MORE IMPORTANT THAN OBEDIENCE.

🟡In today’s fast-paced world, there’s often too much emphasis on ensuring dogs are obedient, while their ability to cope with an increasingly chaotic environment is overlooked. While being well trained is important, it should be secondary to helping our dogs develop resilience and emotional stability. The modern world presents dogs with constant noise, busy streets, and frequent changes to their environment, which can lead to anxiety or stress if they aren’t prepared to cope with these challenges.

🔴Research supports the idea that emotionally balanced dogs are more adaptable and capable of learning. A 2019 study from the University of Helsinki found that training that focuses on a dog’s emotional state, rather than just their behaviour, leads to a stronger overall ability to handle stress and unfamiliar situations. Dogs that are trained solely for obedience without addressing their mental resilience can often struggle in unpredictable environments, which increases the risk of behavioural issues.

🟢When dogs are allowed to learn to cope first, their ability to navigate a busy world with confidence vastly improves. And more confident dogs respond better to training cues, not out of fear or command alone, but because they trust us and understand how to manage their environment. Building that foundation makes all other training a natural extension, rather than the primary focus.

🟣If we want our dogs to be truly well-adjusted, we must prioritise their emotional well-being and coping abilities. By shifting the focus, we are ensuring that dogs not only follow commands but also feel calm and capable in an ever-busier world.

16/10/2025

Let's ask not how we can change them but how we can help them.

14/10/2025

25/08/2025

A fantastic listen!

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4q5RrT2Q56GYp8IwIJIsP2?si=2y8GGeM5QvahVSmm4A3F3g

Rewriting the Rules: Raising Dogs with Heart, Science and Soul · Episode

20/08/2025

"For decades, the dog training industry has sold us the same story: a “good dog” is an obedient dog. Sit, stay, heel, come. But here’s the hard truth—obedience is arbitrary, superficial, and unnatural. It has very little to do with what dogs actually need to thrive and everything to do with human convenience and control."

Dog separation anxiety & more by a certified dog trainer. We dive deeper beyond surface level behavior & training to help you understand your dog.

05/08/2025

Zena is just starting her home-alone training program and we’re honored to be a part of her progress!

29/07/2025

Dogs see the world so differently than we do! It’s absolutely mind blowing and we are only beginning to understand how they might see our world. They see/smell things that we can’t even perceive. This is why we tell clients to let their dog SNIFF on their walks instead of hurrying them along!