Healthy Mind Canine - Separation Anxiety Blog

For decades, the dog training industry has sold us the same story: a “good dog” is an obedient dog. Sit, stay, heel, come. But here’s the hard truth—obedience is arbitrary, superficial, and unnatural. It has very little to do with what dogs actually need to thrive and everything to do with human convenience and control.  And it’s not just outdated—it’s harmful. When we become obsessed with molding dogs into perfect little soldiers, we strip away their dogness. We ignore their natural instincts, silence their communication, and call it “success.” Quite frankly, it’s disturbing how fixated humans have become on manipulating dogs to fit an arbitrary mold of what society says a “good dog” should be. A dog who is seen but not heard. A dog who immediately complies to our requests without question. A dog who is not allowed to be a dog nearly as much as they should be.  Barking, pulling, jumping, digging, chasing critters, even counter surfing—these aren’t “bad” behaviors. They’re nat...

I promised everyone a deeper dive into meeting our dogs needs in my last blog series about nurturing a secure attachment with your dog . Having a fantastic relationship with your dog is also one of their very important needs, so if you haven't read the Secure Attachment Series , I encourage you to do so! If you're still following along, your dog thanks you for being curious!   When you think about how to prevent dog behavior problems what comes to mind?... When asked this question, most pet owners will say that the secret sauce is dog training or obedience training. However, training is unlikely to prevent big feelings if we are not also meeting our dogs needs. If we are not considering their side of things. If we are not providing them with species appropriate outlets and care. If we are not giving them those outlets, they're likely going to find their own outlets, and you probably won't like the outlets they choose. This is when behavior "problems" can ari...

  I hope you found value in my last blog about how to nurture a secure attachment from the dog's POV. If you haven't read it yet, I encourage you to click this link before you dive into this post so you can understand what I mean by this and why it's so incredibly important. How you feel about your dog is important. It sets the tone for everything and can make or break your dog guardianship experience. Here are some actionable tips to help you nurture a secure attachment with your dog! 1. Shift your mindset about your dog's behavior. Shifting your mindset can completely change the game in your relationship with your dog. We need to recognize that dog's are an entirely different species than us and are often struggling to fit into our human-centric world. They have different social norms, wants, needs, life experiences, and genetic drives. They communicate solely through their behavior. Their behavior is all they have.  Consider that jumping, barking, growling, pulli...

What do we mean by "secure attachment" anyway? "Secure attachment refers to a bond where individuals feel safe, supported, and connected, enabling them to express emotions freely, seek comfort from their partner, and confidently explore their environment knowing they have a reliable base to return to." - Misha Jan (Carleton University) So why does this matter so much in our relationships with our dogs? "Dogs have been shown to develop attachment bonds with humans. This relationship allows them to interact securely with their environment in the presence of the owner and show less distress in response to threatening events...  Owner attitudes have been connected to dog behavior and stress, insecure human–dog relationships may be related to poor stress coping in dogs, thereby compromising welfare and contributing to relinquishment... Additionally, owners who are predisposed to view their interactions with their dog as negative may be more likely to fall victim to ...