Beyond Behaviour

18/06/2024

26/03/2024

Work Integrated Learning - Week 4

05/03/2024

Applied Research Methodology Week 1
Matthews & Ross (2010)

04/03/2024

Applied Research Methodology
Bless et al (2013)

04/03/2024

Applied Research Methodology Week 1
Babbie (2021)

01/03/2024

Applied Research Methodology Week 1

19/11/2021

Spoil your pets this Christmas! (You were going to do it anyway, now you know where to get the spoils!)

19/11/2021

My favourite quotes 💜

09/11/2021

When you were growing up, how much time, if any, was dedicated to learning how to resolve conflict? Did your school have it in the syllabus? Did your folks help you through disagreements with friends/siblings?

Conflict is often seen in a negative light, which is a detrimental viewpoint to our mental health. It’s not conflict that causes problems, it’s our responses to the conflict.

The reality is that most conflicts can be resolved, with the right tools. We just need to make a concerted effort to learn them for ourselves, and teach them to the next generation.

These are a few notes from DeVito, 2019. Another super resource is Heather Schumaker’s ‘It’s ok not to share”.

29/10/2021

Super chuffed with these veggie nugget rockets I made for dinner! 🚀 I've been feeling guilty about the lack of effort going into meals these days. It's really deflating when I put effort into a meal and then my fussy eaters don't eat 😩 But there's something about making food look like something else that makes them forget all their fusses! Thanks for the idea! 🙏

(This is not a promo post, just a happy mom one! 💜)

29/10/2021

🐕🐈💡ASK THE BEHAVIOURIST💡🐈🐕

**Monday 10am-12pm**

Is your puppy digging your daisies? Is your kitty clawing your couch? We’re here to help! Jessica Prinsloo, a COAPE International Behaviourist from Beyond Behaviour will provide you with some solutions for your feisty felines and crazy canines.

Start posting your questions below and Jess will be with us on Monday between 10am and 12pm to give you the answers!

28/10/2021

This might sound like a strange question, but hear me out.

I went through a pretty bad emotional patch a few months ago. Whenever I received a mail that started with “I hope you’re well”, I instantly felt triggered.

Because I wasn’t well.

Depending on my emotional state at the time, I oscillated between wanting to send a petulant response like: “Well SORRY to get YOUR hopes up!” to “I’m on my 6th panic attack of the day, so compared to yesterday, I guess that’s better…” to “I don’t care what YOU hope! You’re so selfish!”

I know, I know… those are the extreme and totally unwarranted responses to a simple platitude.

But it did get me thinking about the choice of language that we use on a daily basis.

So, what preferences do you have, if any? Or perhaps you would prefer that emails got straight to the point? “Hey Steve, are you finished with that report yet?” Or does it depend on the context?

Share your ideas below! 💖💜💙🧡💛

28/10/2021

Are your cats friendly or feisty?
Info in comments 🐈

Visit our website for more behaviour info and resources.

27/10/2021

I love this SO much! Absolutely genius.

Source - Www.Twitter.Com/mamahailz 💜

27/10/2021

Unlearning what we think we already know is hard.

20/10/2021

New blog post about why we should try not to rescue our kiddies from unpleasant feelings.

One of the most important lessons we can teach our children is that ALL feelings are ok, acceptable, and encouraged. This is not to say that all behaviour is acceptable, but we’ll get to that a...

18/10/2021

Listen to your kids. Listen to your friend. Listen to your partner. Listen to a stranger. Listen to yourself. You might hear something great.

15/10/2021

Guest Blog by Jessica Prinsloo Moving house is an incredibly stressful event. There’s a lot of planning and packing that must take place, and it requires a significant level of physical and emotion…

25/09/2021

When I started studying behaviour, part of my plan was to learn how to rehab dogs with a history of aggression. They all need a chance, right? I can fix it with science, right?

Oh how wrong I was.

I got Martini as a 10 week old puppy. I socialised her, I trained her, I did everything in my capacity to bring out the best in her. Ultimately, it was not enough. Genetics are, quite frankly, a bitch. She showed me the true meaning of neuroplasticity, in terms of both its incredible potential, as well as its limitations. She taught me more than I ever learnt from books (ok, maybe not more than Panksepp, but she sure brought his work to life!). She gave me the opportunity to learn empathy for my clients on a level that I wholeheartedly appreciate, and simultaneously hope very few behaviourists have to personally experience.

This was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make, made easier only by the compassion of the incredible professionals I have the privilege of knowing and working with (you all know who you are!). The word “gratitude” does not suffice, but it’s the closest I have right now.

Martini did the best she could for as long as she could. Intense micro-management, behaviour modification, and my long suffering husband’s endless patience, gave her seven years. It was hard work, but the good significantly outweighed the bad. Until the risks became too high. And the irony is, I’m 100% certain that my boys will experience greater injuries in their lives than she would ever inflict. But risk assessment is not just about “severity of wounds”. The constant management, supervision, stress, and anxiety is a huge part of assessing everyone’s welfare.

We took our final walk together yesterday. She calmly stayed by my side and had no reaction to any of the cows, sheep, strange dogs, people, cars, horses or birds that drove her bonkers before all the work we’ve done together. And then the hopeful thoughts began to creep in; “she’s made so much progress, maybe she can make more, maybe she can stay...” But after watching her fight her way through the cocktail of gabapentin and acepromazine, it was clearer than crystal that her spirit could not be tamed.

It’s hard to know when to say goodbye (I don’t even think that I even have yet, it’s still a bit surreal..), but more than anything I was glad I got to be her person for those seven years, and that I could be with her until the very end.

17/09/2021

15/09/2021

New term, here we go! 📖📚📑👩‍💻💡

21/08/2021

Talking conscious parenting on tomorrow’s show. We’ve got a four-strong panel of experts for you! Jessica Prinsloo from and the and Clare Emms of

12/08/2021

Boundaries or Barriers? What’s the difference?

There are many that become popular over time in various disciplines. In my domain there is and (to name a few). One such concept is “setting boundaries”. So, what are and why are they important?

Boundaries can be seen as a set of respectful structures, routines, or limitations that we put in place in order to protect what we value.

In the workplace, a boundary may be not taking any work calls after 5pm or checking emails twice a day to avoid distractions.

In parenting, it may be bath time at 7pm or a limit on screen time.

In personal relationships, it may be deciding to disengage from conversations that disparage others (e.g. gossip), or reserving weekends for immediate family only.

Each boundary represents a personal value and is designed with the intent to facilitate growth, empathy, and respectful connection (with oneself and others).

If you feel that you’ve put boundaries in place, but for some reason, you feel more *disconnected* than before, it could mean that you’re heading into “barrier” territory.

Barriers facilitate disconnection, dishonesty, disrespect, and incongruence.

We put up barriers when we are afraid, when we are challenged, when we are resisting change and/or growth. Humans are designed to remain in the (neural)path of least resistance; it’s more energy efficient on a biological level, and it feels safer on an emotional level! So when those uncomfortable feelings arise, barriers feel like the perfect protective tool.

And there is absolutely nothing wrong with fear; fear is fundamental to survival.

When we allow ourselves to step back and be curious about that fear—to evaluate whether or not that fear is benefitting our lives—it can be the difference between staying stuck in a delusive cycle, and moving towards living a life authentic to your true desires.

08/08/2021

Empathy 🥰

PSA: give abundant currency to the distributor