• Canine Behavior Consulting

• Feline Behavior Consulting

Whether it's your puppy, dog or cat, let Judith's compassion and calmness make a huge difference in the life you share with your pet. More than 700 Customized Behavioral/Educational Consultations make her preeminently qualified to help manage and eliminate the most vexing behavioral problems. And Judith has added a whole new dimension to her work by adding alternative holistic practices with quick and effective results. Remember: don’t give up, just get Peace of Mind.

Our mission is to help you understand your dog's perspective, guide you to quickly correct behavior problems in your human/canine pack and to have fun in the process of training your dog.

Does your dog ...

• bark uncontrollably?

• destroy property as a result of separation anxiety?

• behave aggressively?

• self-mutilate or lick incessantly?

• have a car or other phobia?

• dig?

• herd?

• jump on people?

• tug on lead?

• become fearful in storms?

• urinate/defecate in the house?

These and many more anxiety and aggression problems can be managed or treated successfully with a program of commitment, caring, and compassion.

Judith Levy’s mission is to help you understand your dog's perspective, correct behavior problems and create harmony in your human/canine pack. Judith achieves this with proven behavior modification and, when appropriate, alternative holistic practices, which include Reiki, Bach Flower Essences® and Acupressure.  

How does a Customized Behavioral/Educational Program for dogs and people work?

Judith will visit you and your dog at home where she'll ask questions and observe your human/canine pack. 

Based on your needs, Judith will create a Customized Behavioral/Educational Program of one or two sessions, depending upon the severity of the problem and the number of pets. She guides you in the process of assuming a leadership position and training your dog. The result will be that you and your dog will behave in different ways, leading to fast and rewarding results.

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More than 15 million cats are euthanized in the United States each year. Many reasons cats are relinquished to rescue societies include some of the behaviors that might be driving you crazy right now: failure to use the litter box, spraying, territorial marking or an elimination problem. Aggression towards people or another cat and clawing furniture are other commonly reported behavior problems.

Don't give up on your cat! Cats are not spiteful, so a litter box problem could be linked to a urinary tract infection, an aggression problem or even a new brand of litter, while spraying could be your cat's way of coping with stressful event in your household. Turn to cat and dog behavior consultant Judith Levy M.Ed.

Judith has conducted more than 700 Customized Behavioral/Educational Programs with dogs and now brings that same kind of expertise to cats and their owners. She will come to your home and evaluate your cat's behavioral problem, identify the cause, and help you apply proven behavior modification techniques aimed at correcting the problem.

The Language of Cats

Just by reading your cat's body language, you can learn a lot about how they are feeling.

• twitching ears = listening to every word you're saying
• back rises up to meet your hand = enjoys the contact with you
• back collapses when you pet him = he's on his way somewhere and doesn't want to be bothered
• crouching close to the ground = feeling uneasy
• standing on toes = wants to be picked up
• raised hair and puffed-up tail = fear and aggression
• thrashing tail = intense agitation
• quivering tail = intense adoration

source: American Humane Society

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Leadership: Who has it, you or your dog????

Sixty years ago, dogs lived outside or in the coal room. They often had to fend for themselves for a meal. Today, they may spend the day at a spa having their nails done or eating ice cream called Cold Paws. Our dogs have gone from our guarders, hunters and herders to a warm shoulder to cry on, a partner and a good listener in times of need.

As a result of this shift in how we relate to our pooches, the leadership, which was once an automatic when our dogs were more subservient, has reversed………….our furry friends rule!!!!!! When you ask your dog to get off the couch, does he look at you as if to say, "excuse me, I'm busy here"? Or when you call your dog to you, does he act as if you just said, "run the other way boy"? If so, your dog may be confused and think he is in charge. Such confusion is a sign of inappropriate leadership in your human/canine pack. Behavior problems stemming from leadership issues, can range from mildly annoying (jumping, unruly behavior) to more serious problems such as separation anxiety and aggression.

To help avoid this wrongful and frustrating relationship dilemma, consider the following:

Tips and Tails

• Dogs really do need to know you are in charge. Set limits and teach manners
• Hand feeding and having your dog work for food can help create a healthy relationship.
• When you are reading the newspaper and your dog insists on licking, licking and nudging.
  ………Sorry, it doesn't mean he adores you. It means he is manipulating you for attention on his terms. Please don't give him that attention.
• Disciplining a dog in a positive, reward-based manner is important and something you need not eel guilty about. If you are afraid to discipline your dog or he is growling at you, you may already have an aggression problem and should seek professional guidance as soon as possible.
• Stop that "oh poor baby stuff"! He is a dog, not a child. Do ask him to behave like one.

Butch, a German Shepard Mix was constantly chewing, charging the gate in his yard and began to growl at his caregiver when asked to do something. By implementing a behavior program that included these tips, Butch and his caregiver were able to come to a healthy relationship with proper leadership.

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BAD DOG!? Or innocent mistake on your part?

People call me quite often and say things like, "my dog gets on the furniture, even though he knows it's wrong." Or "I can't get him to stop jumping," and while the dog is jumping the person is chanting "stop, down, bla, off, stop, bla, quit it, in a voice that is escalating with each inviting bark (the persons bark now, not the dogs). My favorite is, "he keeps going to the bathroom in the house even though he knows it makes me mad." As if the dog can rationalize and say "hmmmm, if I poop here, that will tick will them off all right." Dogs don't usually poop in the house to tick you off. They poop in the house for a variety of reasons. When they act "guilty" afterwards it is because when you come in the house and smell that unwelcome odor, you immediately produce energy that says anger, frustration and where is that bad dog! This is what the dog is reacting to. He knows that when he and his poop are in the same room...you are going to act in a not so pleasant manner toward him.

So what I am getting to is that very often, our own behavior, or lack there of, is what is causing our dogs to act badly. In the jumping example, the person who spouts continual corrections is actually paying attention to the jumping, thereby increasing the occurrence of the jumping.

Tips and Tails

• When your dog is displaying a behavior that you dislike, take a look at your own behavior. What did you do immediately before and after the annoying behavior? Are you doing something to actually increase the occurrence of said behavior?
• You can't teach a dog what not to do, you can teach a dog what to do. In some cases, as with jumping, you can simply ask for another behavior (counter command) such a sit.
• Try to give commands only once. When you repeat a command over and over and over, your voice and the command, become white noise.
• If you are having difficulty changing your dog's bothersome behavior, instead of continually reprimanding, seek professional help. This is more productive in the long run and will prevent you from destroying your relationship with your dog.

One simple example that comes to mind is a case where Buddy, a 14-month-old Greyhound was chewing everything from shoes to furniture and books. The problem was he simply did not have enough of his own chews. Once his person purchased a half dozen items for him to chew and offered one in place of a forbidden item, the problem reduced by 90%.

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Click Here to Read:
"Leadership - Who has it,
You or your dog?"
Judith Levy M.Ed

"Bad dog? Or innocent mistake
on your part?"
Judith Levy M.Ed