Wilma G Anderson reviewed Roman’s Holistic Dog Training —

For those of you considering online dog training with Roman and whether or not it would work for your dog?

The answer is Absolutely YES.

I adopted a severely abused 1/2 Maltese/ 1/2 Mini poodle last Spring. She was scared, terrified of most things, but still had a very sweet temperament, despite the rough start to her life.

I chose the premium training package from Roman that included a session with intuitive healer Barbara Buck. Truly, the results started with Trixie just a few hours after her session with Barbara. Then, with Roman’s guidance, I started a different type of care & training to help Trixie get used to a new ‘normal’. She’ll never be hurt again.

Today I can honestly say that Trixie has become the perfect dog for me.

I would encourage each of you to sign up for Roman’s classes and training!

It’s been a true blessing to have found him and implemented his patient advice for Trixie.
 

How To deal With Trauma in Dogs

Some of the dogs we take into our homes don’t just come from neglectful pasts, but have lived with outright abuse. Sometimes this abuse has been due to mistreatment at the hands of a past owner, and sometimes it has happened in the current home despite the owner’s very best intentions. Trauma has a lifelong impact on many dogs.|

Trauma in dogs can have many facets:

Possible causes of trauma in puppyhood:

Early removal from nursing mother, siblings aggression, chronic dehydration, lack of nutrition and food, household accidents, dog bites, vet visits, nail clipping, to name a few… (6 weeks to 16 months)

Possible causes of adult dog trauma:

Human abuse, neglect, dog bites, vet visits, and groomers, especially when restraining and confinement are involved, emotional abuse, and even abuse by poor training techniques.
(18 months – 24 months)
 

Trauma in dogs has been only recently acknowledged so I will repost here information from official sources. (https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/index.shtml)

The mechanics of trauma:

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a well-known disorder that is frequently experienced by veterans, but any survivor of trauma may experience the symptoms. Little is known about why some individuals experience symptoms that can range from mild to debilitating, while others who experienced the same event can emerge unscathed.

At a given incident, extreme fear often results in altered perceptions of the event. Triggers associated with the fearful event do not engage the hippocampus, which is usually responsible for memory, but rather the amygdala, which is responsible for emotions.

Strong flashbacks to the original panic state can be instantaneous, and are not under the dog’s conscious control. Just as you’re unable to control the contraction or dilation of your pupils when you feel strong emotions, a dog experiencing PTSD symptoms  such as this is absolutely unable to stop feeling the way he does in the moment.

Video: Here T-bone who his submissive posture upon approach comes from abusive puppy and adult trauma past.