Anxious Dogs – Causes, Management, Training

Anxiety is a multifaceted problem in dog training: There are dogs with separation anxiety, fear of gunshots and noises, fear of certain surfaces, fear of other dogs, fear of men, or fear of too much attention. Some dogs seem to be afraid of almost everything, while others behave normally in everyday life but panic when confronted with their fear trigger and flee for miles – even across roads.

• Why is my dog afraid?
• How does anxiety actually develop in a dog's body and brain?
• How should owners deal with it: Ignore or support, confront or avoid?
• Why do some training and therapy approaches work so well for some dogs and not at all for others?

Robert Mehl takes participants on a journey into the dog's brain. We search for the source of fear deep within the brain, shed light on the system of neurotransmitters that spread fear throughout the brain as messengers, and explore their relationship with the owner. This reveals how one can intentionally and inadvertently step on the gas and the fear brake.

The difference between normal anxiety and various anxiety disorders will also be discussed, and we will talk about (behavioral) therapy and the effect of psychopharmaceuticals.

Who is this webinar for?
This webinar is aimed at dog trainers and dog owners who are interested in the neurobiological causes and contexts of anxiety development. The focus is on imparting theoretical knowledge, which will be illustrated with examples. Specific cases of participants cannot be discussed. The webinar does not include practical behavioral therapeutic work and does not replace behavioral therapy or training with a specialist veterinarian/dog trainer or training institute successful in treating mental disorders in dogs.

Our Speaker
Robert Mehl is a qualified psychologist and criminologist (M.A.) with additional therapeutic training as a "Systemic Consultant and Family Therapist" (DGSF) and for the "Professional Use of Dogs in Therapy" (dogument). Since 2016, he has been working freelance as a speaker and systemic consultant and coach. He is currently also undergoing further training as a psychological psychotherapist (specializing in behavioral therapy). He is the author of the book "Die Psyche des Hundes" (The Dog's Psyche) (KOSMOS-Verlag).
Further information: http://www.seminare-robertmehl.de/

Photo credit: Anna Auerbach/ Kosmos