For a Happier and More Confident Dog

Has your dog developed behaviors that negatively affect your daily life? Perhaps you feel that your dog is not doing well, but you’re unsure why? It could be due to fear, insecurity, excessive energy, reactivity, or difficulty relaxing. Whether the issue is big or small, general or specific to certain situations, there are no “problem dogs” in my world. Instead, I see dogs and their families facing challenges. A behavior assessment can be crucial in creating a harmonious life for both you and your dog.

When a dog exhibits problematic behaviors, it often requires multiple adjustments to their living situation to resolve the issue. Every dog is unique, which is why we conduct a thorough holistic evaluation of both the dog’s living conditions and the relationship with you as the owner. At our practice, we work with a holistic perspective, focusing not just on the symptoms but also on identifying the underlying causes. You, as the dog’s owner, are an essential part of the solution.

Behavioral issues in dogs can be both frustrating and stressful for owners. Barking, chewing, leash pulling, aggression, fear, or separation anxiety are just a few behaviors that can disrupt daily life. It’s important to remember that dogs don’t behave poorly just to be disobedient – often, behavioral issues stem from stress, insecurity, or a lack of understanding of what is expected of them. By understanding the root causes of problematic behaviors and using positive training, you can help your dog become more balanced and harmonious.

What is a Problem Behavior?
A problem behavior is one that becomes disruptive or unwanted by the owner or others. It can range from excessive barking, chewing on furniture, leash pulling, chasing bikes, to fear of loud noises or aggressive behavior toward other dogs or people. These behaviors can arise for various reasons, and it’s important to identify what is behind them to address the issue effectively.

Problem behaviors are not always the same as “bad behavior” – they are often natural canine behaviors that have become exaggerated or misdirected due to stress, frustration, or lack of training and stimulation.

Common Causes of Problem Behaviors There are several factors that can lead dogs to develop problem behaviors:

1. Lack of Mental and Physical Stimulation – Dogs need both physical activity and mental challenges to stay healthy. Dogs that don’t get enough exercise or mental stimulation can easily become bored and frustrated, leading to destructive behaviors such as excessive barking, chewing, or hyperactivity. A restless dog may find its own ways to entertain itself, often resulting in unwanted behaviors.

2. Fear and Insecurity – Fear and insecurity can cause issues such as aggression, reactivity, or avoidance of certain situations. A dog that is afraid of strangers, loud noises, or other dogs may react strongly and unpredictably. These reactions are often the dog’s way of creating distance from what scares them.

3. Poor Socialization – Socialization is crucial for helping dogs feel secure in different environments and situations. Dogs that were not properly socialized as puppies may struggle with interactions with other dogs, new people, or unfamiliar places, leading to issues such as barking, fear, or reactive behavior.

4. Separation Anxiety – Dogs suffering from separation anxiety have difficulty being alone and may exhibit destructive behavior such as chewing on furniture, constant barking, or attempts to escape. These dogs experience intense stress when left alone, which can be difficult for both the dog and the owner to manage.

5. Unclear Communication and Inconsistent Training – A dog that doesn’t understand what’s expected of them can easily develop unwanted behaviors. If the signals are unclear or the owner is inconsistent in training, the dog may become confused and behave in ways that the owner perceives as "bad." Clear and consistent communication is crucial to helping the dog understand what behavior is correct.
   
   

Understanding the Cause Behind the Behavior When a dog shows signs of fear or aggression, there is often an underlying cause, such as stress, pain, or other factors affecting the dog’s well-being. By identifying and eliminating these causes, combined with proper training, we can help the dog feel better and function optimally in daily life.

My Methodology – LIMA (Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive)
I use the LIMA method, which aims to make the least impact on the dog’s life and avoid negative consequences. We always start by ensuring that the dog’s basic needs are met, followed by analyzing the environment and living conditions. Once a solid foundation is established, we focus on changing the behavior, which often occurs naturally when the dog is in a better environment.

The Importance of a Holistic Approach A holistic view of the dog’s well-being is crucial for achieving long-term results. If we only treat the symptoms, we risk worsening the problem or redirecting the behavior to other undesirable expressions. Therefore, we work closely with veterinarians and other professionals to ensure that your dog receives the best possible care and training with modern, gentle methods.

What’s Included in a Behavior Assessment, Consultation, and Training?
A behavior assessment, consultation, and training begin with a thorough review of your dog’s behavioral issues. By applying the LIMA method, we identify the causes of the problems and create a tailored training plan. The plan includes specific exercises and actions to help you manage and improve your dog’s behavior. Follow-up meetings and practical training are included to ensure that you feel confident in continuing the work with your dog independently.

Professional Behavior Assessment and Training for a Harmonious Relationship with Your Dog

When you book a behavior assessment, consultation, or training with me, you receive professional help in understanding and addressing your dog’s behavioral issues in a comprehensive and sustainable way. I offer structured, individualized guidance aimed at improving the well-being of both you and your dog, focusing on long-term changes. Whether the issue involves aggression, fear, separation anxiety, or other challenges, we work together to find solutions tailored to your dog’s needs and temperament.

During our sessions, I use positive, reward-based training methods that foster ethical and gentle management of your dog’s issues. By creating a secure environment and giving your dog active choices, we help them manage stress and insecurity in a safe and controlled way. The focus is always on creating a harmonious relationship between you and your dog, where both of you feel secure and equipped to succeed.

Included in the price are more than just the meetings. You will also receive:

• Written tips and advice to support you in your daily life.
• Recommendations for continued training and management of your dog’s behaviors.
• A written summary of our meeting, so you have clear strategies and tools to follow when continuing training on your own.
  
  

The goal is for you, as a dog owner, to feel confident, secure, and equipped to manage your dog’s behavior in a constructive way. By working with positive and rewarding methods, you can build a stronger bond with your dog and create a more harmonious and balanced life together.

When you book a Behavior Assessment, Consultation & Training, three guides will be emailed to you

 These guides are designed to provide you with guidance and support throughout the entire training process.

Behavior Assessment, Consultation, and Training
This guide is a comprehensive resource providing both theoretical guidance and practical tools to help you understand and address your dog’s behavior on a deeper level. The focus is on analyzing the underlying causes of your dog’s specific behavioral issues, such as stress, insecurity, or other factors affecting its daily life. By understanding why your dog behaves the way it does, you can better assist in changing its behavior.

The content is based on reward-based training and the latest research on canine behavior and training. You will receive practical tips and advice that promote positive change and help you create a safer and more harmonious relationship between you and your dog. This guide serves as a personal handbook that you can refer to between training sessions, providing a clear structure to follow and instilling a sense of security and guidance throughout the entire training process.

With the help of this guide, you can easily follow up on the advice and training strategies we have discussed during our meetings. It also serves as a reference material to continue developing your dog’s behavior over time, providing the support you need to achieve long-term success.

Recommendations and Training Advice
This guide includes personalized recommendations and training advice specifically designed for your dog and its unique needs. Here, you will find detailed actions and exercises to help you continue training and managing your dog independently, regardless of the specific behavior challenges you are working on.

The guide is based on the information and insights gathered during our meetings and provides you with a clear plan to follow, ensuring that you and your dog make steady progress. By incorporating practical step-by-step exercises and guidelines, you receive the tools necessary to strengthen your relationship and improve your dog’s behavior.

To make it easy for you to work independently, each exercise and piece of training advice is clearly structured. You will gain an understanding of what needs to be done and why, helping you feel confident and secure in the process. In this way, you will always have the tools you need to make progress and build a stronger and more harmonious relationship with your dog.

Exercise Guide
This guide includes all the exercises we go through during our sessions and serves as a practical tool to ensure that you and your dog can continue making progress even between our meetings. Each exercise is designed with clear instructions and step-by-step directions to help you understand how to perform them correctly. By practicing these exercises regularly, you create the best conditions for reinforcing the positive behaviors we are working on and achieving long-term changes in your dog's behavior.

The guide is designed to be user-friendly and serves as support in your daily training routine. You can easily refer back to the exercises and remind yourself of the details when practicing on your own. Each exercise is based on reward-based methods and tailored to your dog's needs, enabling you to gradually work towards the goals we’ve established during our sessions.

With this exercise guide, you receive a complete toolbox to foster a safe and harmonious relationship with your dog, allowing you to continue building on the progress you have made together. It helps you maintain consistency in your training and ensures that you feel confident in your role as a trainer.

How Does a Problem Assessment, Consultation, and Training Work?

Our collaboration begins with a problem assessment, which usually takes place online, and aims to understand your dog's behavior. It is often not necessary to meet your dog in person, as the primary goal is to gather information about your dog’s history, well-being, life situation, and previous experiences. This comprehensive view helps us understand the problem in-depth. At a later stage, however, we may meet in person to work practically with exercises and assess your dog in the specific environment.

By examining the dog's environment, previous experiences, and the situations in which the behavior occurs, we gain a clear picture of your dog’s behavioral patterns. This information forms the basis for the measures and exercises that will help your dog change its feelings and reactions in these situations. Based on the information collected, I create the initial actions and exercises to support your dog’s recovery and reduce its stress. The measures are tailored to provide your dog with security and help it find balance in everyday life, always focusing on supporting your dog’s development in the best way possible.

As a dog owner, it is also important that you gain a deeper understanding of why your dog reacts the way it does. By understanding how stress and previous experiences affect your dog's behavior, you can help your dog progress in a safe and effective manner. I will show you how to use this knowledge in everyday life and how to implement the agreed-upon measures and exercises to create a calmer and more balanced environment for your dog.

We then follow up with training and check-ins, both online and, if needed, in person, so that you can confidently continue the training on your own with support and guidance. At a later stage, we can also meet in person to continue working with the practical aspects of the training. The goal is to create long-term strategies that help your dog feel safer and more balanced.

Changing a dog's behavior is a process that takes time, but with the right support and patience, we can create lasting and positive changes for your dog together.

What’s Included When You Book Problem Assessment, Consultation & Training?

When you book Problem Assessment, Consultation & Training, you gain access to valuable tools and materials that will support both you and your dog throughout the training process. My goal is for you to feel secure and equipped to handle your dog’s behavior effectively. By using positive and reward-based methods, you will strengthen your relationship with your dog and create a more harmonious and balanced everyday life together.

The e-book "Problem Behavior Training - With Your Dog's Well-being in Focus" is included at no extra cost. This e-book provides you with insights on how to work with your dog gently and effectively to change unwanted behaviors. You will also receive a written summary with recommendations and training advice tailored to your dog’s specific needs, designed to support your dog’s development and create a more balanced and harmonious everyday life. Additionally, a training booklet will be sent to you, containing practical step-by-step exercises to support the training. This booklet is an essential tool for you to easily carry out the recommended exercises.

All materials are conveniently sent to you via email, providing access to all necessary information exactly when you need it, so you can control the training process whenever and wherever suits you best.

First Meeting - Problem Assessment - Online

In the first meeting, we focus on carefully understanding and identifying your dog's behavioral issues and the factors behind these behaviors. By identifying and analyzing the causes of your dog's reactions, we can develop an effective strategy that combines training and adjustments to help your dog feel better and safer. All the information we gather during the meeting will be used to tailor a training plan to your dog's specific needs. The goal is to gain a thorough understanding of your dog’s behavior and identify any underlying causes, such as previous experiences or specific triggers that cause stress or insecurity. During the meeting, we will determine which actions and exercises are most appropriate to begin with. These first steps are important to lay a stable foundation for the continued training and to give your dog the opportunity for recovery and balance. After the meeting, you will receive a written summary of our discussion, as well as a detailed training plan with actions and exercises sent to you via email. This plan will be an essential tool in your dog’s journey toward security.

Second Meeting - Check-in 1 - Online

At the first check-in, we carefully review how the actions and exercises introduced in the first meeting have worked for your dog. We assess your dog’s stress level, physical and mental well-being, and how well it has responded to the training so far. We also focus on identifying any adjustments that may need to be made to better support your dog’s development and recovery. During this check-in, we discuss progress and any challenges, and we analyze changes in your dog’s emotional state, whether stress has decreased, and how its general sense of security has developed. We also review the veterinarian’s assessment of your dog’s health, which is an important factor for advancing in the training. The purpose of the check-in is to ensure that the training is progressing in the right direction and that your dog’s recovery continues positively. Depending on how your dog has responded to the training, we can either advance or adjust previous actions and exercises to better meet your dog’s needs. After the meeting, you will receive a written summary as well as an updated training plan with actions and potentially adjusted exercises sent to you via email.

Third Meeting - Practical Training (In-person or Online)

During our third meeting, we thoroughly review the planned exercises. We repeat previous exercises and adjust them as needed to ensure they are suited to your dog's current development and specific needs. This may involve adjusting the level of difficulty or making small changes to improve your dog’s response to the training. I will explain each exercise in detail and show you step-by-step how to perform them with your dog. The goal is for you to feel completely confident in carrying out the exercises so you can continue the training independently and support your dog’s ongoing development. We will also go over how to monitor the training and assess your dog’s progress to ensure long-term positive changes. By providing you with the tools and guidance for the training, we ensure that both you and your dog feel secure and have a clear plan moving forward. After the meeting, you will receive a written summary with recommendations and ongoing training advice and exercises.

Fourth Meeting - Check-in 2 - Online

At the second check-in, we carefully go through how the actions and exercises from the previous training session have affected your dog and how it has responded to the training so far. We focus on identifying if adjustments are needed to further optimize your dog’s development and recovery. We discuss the progress made and any challenges you have encountered during the training. We analyze changes in your dog’s emotional state, whether stress levels have decreased, and how security has developed. The goal of the check-in is to ensure that the training is moving forward in the right way and that your dog continues to make positive progress in its recovery. If needed, we will adapt previous actions and exercises to tailor the training further and provide your dog with the best conditions for optimal development. After the meeting, you will receive a written summary and an updated training plan with any new actions and exercises sent to you via email.

Fifth Meeting - Practical Training (In-person or Online)

The fifth meeting focuses on following up on your dog’s progress and practical training. We review the training plan together, and I guide you step-by-step through the exercises. The goal is for you to feel confident in continuing the training independently. We discuss what has worked well and identify any obstacles during the training. At the same time, we review your dog's behavioral development and make necessary adjustments to the training plan to suit both of you. If needed, we may adjust the reward strategies or adapt the exercises' level of difficulty. The goal of continued follow-up and practical training is to help you feel confident in continuing to train at home, and to provide support and guidance to improve your dog’s behavior. By making adjustments to the plan, we can ensure that your dog’s behavior is developing in the right direction and that you reach a harmonious interaction.

Sixth Meeting - Check-in 3 - Online

At the third check-in, we review how the previous actions and exercises have affected your dog and how it has responded to the training. We assess if any adjustments need to be made to further optimize your dog’s development and recovery. We discuss the progress made as well as any challenges you have faced during the training. We evaluate your dog’s emotional state, whether stress levels have decreased, and how security has developed. The goal of this check-in is to ensure that the training is continuing in the right direction and that your dog is making positive progress. If necessary, we adjust previous actions and exercises to better suit your dog’s development. We also evaluate if you need to book additional training sessions and check-ins to feel fully confident in the continued training of your dog. After the meeting, you will receive a written summary and an updated training plan via email.

Final Meeting - Evaluation - Online

In our final meeting, we carefully evaluate your dog’s progress and review the actions and exercises that have been conducted during our time together. We discuss how well your dog has responded to the training, the progress made, and whether any further adjustments might be needed to optimize your dog’s ongoing development and recovery. The purpose of this meeting is to ensure that you feel confident in the strategies, actions, and exercises we have worked on so that you can continue the training independently. We aim to create long-term and sustainable improvements in your dog’s behavior so that your dog has a safe and harmonious everyday life. After the meeting, you will receive a written summary sent to you via email, summarizing all important points from the meeting and any recommendations. The goal is for you to feel completely confident with the continued process and for your dog to continue developing in a positive direction.

To Optimize the Training, It’s Good to Be Prepared:

• Bring tasty treats in various options to adapt rewards according to your dog’s motivation.
• A blanket to create a safe and relaxing spot for your dog during training.
• A chew or tug toy that your dog can engage with during any breaks.
  
  

If you have any questions or feel that you need more information about how I can help you and your dog, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Whether you’re facing specific behavioral issues, need advice on training, or want to book a problem behavior assessment, I am here to provide support and guidance.

Together, we can work out a solution that suits you and your dog, with the goal of creating a secure and harmonious interaction in your everyday life.

Kind Regards,

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or would like to schedule a session for behavior assessment, consultation, and training.

Michael Rudkrantz - Dog Coach/Canine Behavior Specialist (Canine Psychologist)