Fear and Anxiety in Dogs: Understanding, Prevention and Treatment

Written by an experienced, registered clinical animal behaviourist, Fear and Anxiety in Dogs looks at understanding, preventing and ultimately treating common behavioural issues found in pet dogs. With the help of real-life case studies and illustrated step-by-step training guides, it explains why problems may develop and what you can do to formulate your own behaviour modification plan.

Covering a range of fear-related issues, such as fear of noises, reactivity towards other dogs and people, separation anxiety and trips to the vets, this fully illustrated book is suitable for concerned dog owners, anyone working with dogs in a professional capacity or for those with a genuine interest in canine behaviour.

What to Expect from the Book

Life for the fearful dog is often miserable and distressing and owners are usually at their wits end, feeling frustrated, upset and confused. But with the right sort of help and advice, things can improve. In fact, the good news is that dogs don’t have to spend their lives feeling frightened and anxious. We can influence their behaviour by guiding them and managing the triggers that prompt their fear, help them access coping strategies and, through positive reinforcement, we can teach them alternative behaviours that feel good and are incompatible with fear and anxiety. How to accomplish all that and formulate an integrated and holistic treatment plan is all covered and I have interspersed it with full colour illustrations, feature boxes, short stories about real-life cases and step-by-step guides so it’s possible to dip in and out without feeling committed to reading it all in one go.

Here’s some of the problematic behaviours that I tackle in the book:
• Reactivity and Fear aggression
• Fear of noises
• Separation anxiety disorders
• Fear of people/strangers
• Fear of other dogs
• Fear of the veterinarian and the veterinary clinic
• Generalised Anxiety Disorder

Caroline Clark is a registered clinical animal behaviourist and full member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors. She has been working with dogs for over forty years, starting out her career as a veterinary nurse. After working in education, she trained professionally at Southampton University under some of the world's leading animal behaviourists. Caroline is a regular contributor to veterinary journals and a frequent speaker at animal behaviour conferences. She also appeared as the behaviour expert in the UK's Channel 4 TV series, Embarrassing Pets.