Laura Vissaritis

How can you raise a pet to trust and respect you, without challenging your guidance, pushing your boundaries and occasionally being badly behaved? HIF Pet Care blogger, Laura V told us, "Well, if I must be honest, you can’t. All relationships at some point are faced with interpersonal challenges. Successful relationships however, face these with Consistency, Patience and Respect, or as I like to call it CPR. As a behaviourist, I try to get people to understand that naughtiness is a symptom of underlying issues, which is generally frustration and anxiety. Once we identify the cause of the unwanted quirks, we can help our beloved pets to overcome them." With this in mind, we caught up with Laura to hear how we can implement her CPR approach successfully, to get less naughty and more nice out of our best mates.

Does your dog struggle with food aggression? According to animal behaviourist expert, Laura V  "Domestic dogs who display aggression around food are not necessarily dominant or bullying of other dogs, they may simply find that fighting for a resource is essential for survival. And sometimes, it is. Whilst it may be normal though, it doesn’t mean it isn’t potentially dangerous." In order to prevent or change aggressive food behaviour in dogs, it's important to know exactly what is causing it. In her latest article for HIF, Laura V shares her top tips on how to recognise and deal with food aggression. 

If you could describe your ideal-self, how would it sound? Would you be fitter? Healthier? Wealthier? According to our resident Animal Behaviourist & Psychotherapist, Laura V, "Being your best comes from within. It comes from a sense of self-worth, a positive attitude and an outlook on life that is filled with compassion and resilience. When I think of those around me who are always willing to be their best, despite life’s inevitable drawbacks, I think of my dogs. Dogs have extraordinary resilience and motivation. They are always looking for opportunities to make the most of their lives and seem to bring along a positive outlook wherever they go." So, this got us to thinking about how our dogs can show us the way to self-improvement, simply just by being themselves. Amongst all the life-lessons our dogs can teach us, Laura V has come up with 5 simple ways your dog can lead you on a path towards being your absolute best.