Kerrie Anne was joined by Dog Whisperer and Animal Psychologist Nathan Williams Live in the Studio with some tips to stop your dogs barking.
Nathan Williams is one of Australia’s leading experts in treating psychological and behavioural issues in dogs. Through his own mobile practice, Nathan personally treats dogs on a daily basis with a variety of problems ranging from common issues such as barking, chewing furniture and jumping up on people, to larger, more serious issues including aggression, self harm and severe abuse cases.
Nathan’s dog psychology based approach is significantly different to the common obedience training method. It focuses on the state of mind of the dog (the way it is feeling) as most behaviour problems are a result of stress or anxiety. His methodology deals with the root of the problem rather than simply dealing with the symptom.
For example, Nathan targets the fear that causes a dog to bite and works to develop trust, rather than teaching the dog to sit, which is a common obedience training method. Obedience training also takes a long time and most often uses rewards such as food and treats. This is ineffective when treating behavioural problems because it teaches the dog to follow the food, not the owner and therefore the owner will never be a leader in the dog’s eyes.
Nathan overcomes problems in less than three hours with lasting solutions and a significant impact on the dog (and owner’s) lives. He also works with problematic dogs in animal shelters to help them overcome behavioural issues and find new homes. Nathan’s main goal is to educate people to understand dogs.