Behaviour & wellbeing
Behaviour & Anxiety
Anxiety, fear and problem behaviour: ruling out medical causes and getting the right help.
7 topics · 41 guides from PetsLikeMine
Who can help near you
- Your vet1 kind
- Specialists1 kind
- Therapists1 kind
Listed by distance from you. Nobody pays to be listed.
Separation Anxiety
6 guides from PetsLikeMine
The departure plan: gradual absence training that actually worksA dog learns to cope with being alone the same way a person gets over a fear of deep water: in tiny, manageable steps where they are never actually overwhelmed. Not by…11 min read · on PetsLikeMine Puppies and prevention: building alone-time tolerance from the startNo puppy is born knowing how to be relaxed on its own. It is a skill, like toilet training or walking nicely on a lead, and like any skill it has to be learned, gently…13 min read · on PetsLikeMine The camera test: what your dog actually does when you leaveA separation problem is, almost by definition, a problem you never see. The behaviour shows up when you are out, the one window in which you cannot know what your dog is…11 min read · on PetsLikeMine
Noise Phobia
6 guides from PetsLikeMine
Your firework night plan: the safe den, the routine, the do’s and don’tsThe bangs may be only days away, and if your pet falls apart every firework season, there is still plenty you can do before the next display. Start with the scale of it…11 min read · on PetsLikeMine Event medication that works: Sileo, trazodone, imepitoin and why ACP is the wrong choiceMost dogs who dread fireworks night have, at some point, sent their owner home with a small white tablet "to knock him out for the evening." It is one of the most…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine The hidden pain link: when noise fear is a sign of undiagnosed painSome dogs who are frightened of fireworks, thunder or sudden bangs are not "just" noise-phobic. They are in pain, and nobody has spotted it yet. It surprises almost…12 min read · on PetsLikeMine
Fear & Anxiety
4 guides from PetsLikeMine
Desensitisation and counter-conditioning: the two techniques behind every fear planA dog that comes apart at fireworks, a cat that flattens itself at the sight of the carrier, a dog that explodes at other dogs on the lead: three very different…14 min read · on PetsLikeMine Fear of the vet and the groomer: cooperative care and Fear Free handlingThe carrier comes out and the cat is gone under the bed. The lead goes on for a trip to the groomer and the dog plants all four feet at the door. By the time you reach…11 min read · on PetsLikeMine The fearful pet: helping an anxious dog or cat feel safeSome pets meet the world braced for the worst. There's the dog that flinches at the doorbell, paces when the light fades, and will not settle until everyone is home…13 min read · on PetsLikeMine
All 4 guides on this topic
Lead Reactivity
4 guides from PetsLikeMine
Frustrated greeters vs fearful reactors: telling them apart changes everythingTwo dogs are barking, lunging and straining at the end of the lead at the sight of another dog across the road. To you, to a passer-by, even to a fair few trainers, they…13 min read · on PetsLikeMine Lead reactivity: why your dog lunges and barks, and what it is notA dog appears across the road, the lead goes taut, and your dog rears up barking and lunging while you stand there red-faced and apologising. It is one of the most…11 min read · on PetsLikeMine The reactive-dog walking plan: distance, engagement and the U-turnA dog that lunges, barks or growls at other dogs on the lead puts you into a particular routine: scanning the path ahead, that dropped-stomach moment when another dog…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine
All 4 guides on this topic
Aggression
5 guides from PetsLikeMine
Understanding aggression: it is communication, not characterWhen a dog growls, snaps or bites, the first thing most owners reach for isn't a training question at all. It's a question about who their dog is. Is he a bad dog? Did I…11 min read · on PetsLikeMine After a bite: safety, the law, muzzle training and getting qualified helpA dog who has bitten someone puts an owner into a difficult few days, and there are really only two things worth saying at the outset. Looking for proper guidance…13 min read · on PetsLikeMine Children and dogs: prevention and the safety rules that matter mostChild safety around dogs is usually written about with shock statistics and frightening photographs, and that approach helps nobody. It just frightens the families who…13 min read · on PetsLikeMine
Feline House Soiling
5 guides from PetsLikeMine
Cat peeing outside the tray: the first thing to rule out is illnessA previously clean cat starts weeing on the carpet, the bath mat, the bed, or just beside the tray, and most owners read it the same way: a quiet, sinking frustration…11 min read · on PetsLikeMine The litter-tray audit: number, type, litter and location cats actually wantBefore we touch a single litter tray, one thing has to come first, because getting it wrong is the most common mistake owners make: rule out illness. A cat that suddenly…12 min read · on PetsLikeMine Spraying vs squatting: marking is a different problem with a different fixWhen a cat starts putting urine where it should not, almost everyone reaches for the same explanation: the litter tray. They scoop more often, buy a new box, switch the…13 min read · on PetsLikeMine
Compulsive Behaviour
4 guides from PetsLikeMine
Boredom, under-stimulation and the role of enrichmentA dog that shreds the post the moment your back is turned, or a cat that has taken up a 3am sprint up the curtains, tends to get called "naughty." It is almost always…11 min read · on PetsLikeMine Compulsive behaviour: tail-chasing, flank-sucking, light-chasing and moreAlmost every dog chases its tail now and then, and almost every cat spends a good chunk of the day grooming. So the question owners actually bring to us isn't "is my pet…11 min read · on PetsLikeMine Feline overgrooming: psychogenic alopecia, or something itchier?Most owners never actually catch their cat in the act. That is the strange thing about overgrooming. One day the fur on her belly looks thin, or there is a neat bald…11 min read · on PetsLikeMine
All 4 guides on this topic
More guides
7 from PetsLikeMine
When is it an emergency? Safety, bites and keeping everyone safeMost behaviour problems are not emergencies. They are slow, frustrating, fixable things you have time to work through with help. A small handful, though, are genuinely…11 min read · on PetsLikeMine Calming aids, pheromones and supplements: what the evidence really saysWalk down the calming aisle of any pet shop and you would be forgiven for thinking the anxiety problem was solved. Plug-in diffusers, calming collars, milk-protein…11 min read · on PetsLikeMine Finding real help: vet, behaviourist or trainer, and how to tell them apartIn the UK, "dog trainer" and "behaviourist" are not protected titles. That surprises almost every owner I tell it to. Unlike "vet" or "doctor", anyone at all can print…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine
All 7 guides here
- How animals actually learn: reward, punishment, and why aversive methods backfire 10 min
- Is it behaviour or is it medical? Why the first step is a vet check 11 min
- Reading your pet: body language and the early warning signs 11 min
- Why your pet does this: fear, frustration and the emotions behind behaviour 10 min
Find care near you
Your behaviour & anxiety care team
These are the practitioners this condition can call for, from your everyday vet to specialists and therapists. Enter your postcode to see who's near you at each step.
- Your vet (primary care)
Clinical animal behaviourist
Accredited trainer
Understand the condition
Clinical background on vetcanon, the ConciergeVet reference library. Vetcanon is published by Concierge Vet LTD, which also operates PetCare Atlas.
With PetsLikeMine
Read the whole journey on PetsLikeMine
Every behaviour & anxiety guide, in order, sits in its own space on PetsLikeMine, written by owners and vets who have been through it. We show the first few here and link to the rest.
Read every behaviour & anxiety guide