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Hi, I'm Else, specialist in dog behaviour and welfare.

Dr. Else Verbeek, Animal Behaviour Scientist

Dr. Else Verbeek is a highly skilled and compassionate dog behaviorist who is dedicated to helping dogs overcome fear and anxiety. With a strong foundation in evidence-based practices, she utilizes her scientific expertise to create effective strategies for addressing behavioral issues in dogs.With over 15 years of experience in the field, Else has honed her skills in understanding and modifying canine behavior. Her background as a scientist specializing in behavior, emotions, and stress physiology allows her to bring a unique perspective to her work with dogs. Else's approach is grounded in the latest research, ensuring that her interventions are based on solid scientific evidence. She recognizes that every dog is an individual with unique needs, and she tailors her methods to suit each dog's specific circumstances. In addition to her work with individual dogs, Else is also passionate about education and knowledge-sharing. She regularly teaches problem behavior courses to dog professionals, empowering them with the tools and knowledge to better understand and address canine behavioral issues. Else is equally dedicated to helping dog owners navigate their pets' problem behaviors. Through her compassionate and patient guidance, she assists owners in understanding the underlying causes of their dogs' issues and provides practical strategies to improve their pets' behavior and quality of life. With her extensive experience, scientific background, and commitment to evidence-based practices, Else stands out as a respected and trusted authority in the field of dog behavior. Her unwavering dedication to improving the lives of dogs and their owners has made her a sought-after expert in the industry. Do you want to understand your dog's behaviour, solve unwanted behaviours and improve your relationship with your dog? Sign up to my newsletter now!

Posts
Featured Post

Uitnodiging: leer alles over geluidsangst bij honden in de gratis masterclass

Hey Reader, Het is inmiddels bijna september. En ik hoor nu al van mensen dat het geknal aan het toenemen is. Ongeveer de helft van alle honden is bang voor vuurwerk of andere harde geluiden, zoals onweer, pistoolschoten of verkeer. Een klein deel van deze honden heeft zelfs een fobie. Dat betekent dat de angst zo heftig is dat het welzijn van deze honden sterk verminderd is. Het is dan ook belangrijk om vroeg in te grijpen bij geluidsangst, voordat de angst zo erg is dat de hond niet meer...

20 days ago • 1 min read

Hi Reader, Woensdag om 12:00 doe ik iets wat ik normaal eigenlijk alleen in mijn eigen werk doe: een paper openslaan en er doorheen lezen zoals een onderzoeker dat doet. Want dat ben ik uiteindelijk 😀. Maar deze keer neem ik je live mee. We pakken dé Nederlandse studie over vuurwerkangst erbij, van van Herwijnen uit 2024 (En ja, in onderzoekstermen is dat heel recent) met ruim 3.000 honden. Dit wordt geen uitgebreid college, met ingewikkelde slides of gecompliceerde data. Gewoon jij en ik,...

about 1 month ago • 1 min read

Hoi Reader, Bijna elke gedragsdeskundige en hondentrainer krijgt ze op een gegeven moment: de honden die in paniek raken van vuurwerk, onweer, verkeer of gewoon een dichtslaande deur. Je werkt met desensitisatie en counterconditionering, je doet alles zorgvuldig, en toch wil het bij sommige honden niet lukken. Meestal ligt dat niet aan de training zelf. Er zit vaak een stap tussen die makkelijk over het hoofd wordt gezien. Daarom heb ik een gratis gids geschreven: Waarom geluidstraining...

about 1 month ago • 1 min read

Hi Reader, When we work with a sound-fearful dog, keeping them calm feels like the obvious goal. Soft sounds in the background, a relaxed dog, nothing that stirs them up. It looks kind and welfare-friendly, and it's everywhere. I've even seen videos of dogs almost massaged to sleep while firework sounds play quietly behind them. The dog is settled, clearly not distressed, and the whole thing looks lovely. But is this actually helping the dog? Not really. Because a dog who is that relaxed,...

3 months ago • 1 min read

Hi Reader, The million-dollar question is how to guide noise phobic (and noise sensitive) dogs towards more confidence around sounds. In a study by Herwijnen et al. (2024) a questionnaire was sent to 3,009 dog owners (and 622 cat owners!) asking about their experiences with fireworks. Here are the key findings from the Study: ✅ Early-life noise exposure reduces the risk of developing noise sensitivity. ✅ Dogs with suboptimal early socialization are more prone to fear loud noises. ✅ Noise...

3 months ago • 1 min read

Hi Reader, Noise phobias can really suck the life out of any good dog trainer. That's exactly why I'm hosting a free masterclass about noise phobias. In this master class, we will discuss what's happening behind the behaviour: what is going on in the brain of a dog that is shaking with fear after a thunderclap, and why it is not the noise itself that's really the problem? I will be giving the master classes on five different dates and all of them are LIVE. The first one is on June 16, and the...

3 months ago • 1 min read

Hi Reader, Dogs can tell the time. They can't read a clock, and yet they keep a surprisingly accurate sense of how long things last. When researchers test dogs on timing tasks, judging whether a sound was short or long, they perform about as well as a lot of other species. So interval timing, the ability to estimate seconds to minutes, is just a normal part of how a dog navigates the world. This matters more than it sounds (pun intended), because timing is really a survival tool. It lets a...

3 months ago • 3 min read

Hi Reader, You’ve perhaps already seen on social media that we’ve got a lovely little sheltie pup (if not, check out my instagram page - link below)! We’re really enjoying spending time together and he is incredibly cute and incredibly fast. It also amazes me to see how much pee and poo comes out of such a tiny little thing, but that's a story for another day. What I wanted to discuss is that this breed is quite sensitive to sounds and noise phobias are a real risk. I'm running a prevention...

4 months ago • 1 min read

Hi Reader, Counterconditioning is one of the most frequently recommended techniques in dog behaviour modification, and most of us use it (or some version of it) almost daily. So when a systematic review on counterconditioning in dogs came out in 2024, I was very cursious. Some of the findings were quite uncomfortable, in a useful way. The authors (Shnookal, Tepper, Howell and Bennett) looked at every available study testing counterconditioning in companion dogs. They found 14 studies in...

4 months ago • 2 min read

Hi Reader, Counterconditioning is een van de meest aanbevolen technieken om ongewenst gedrag te veranderen. Je gebruikt het vast dagelijks. En toch is er verrassend weinig onderzoek naar gedaan. In 2024 publiceerden Shnookal et al. een systematische review van alle beschikbare studies die counterconditioning bij gezelschapshonden hebben getest. Ze vonden in totaal 14 studies (12 peer-reviewed papers en 2 proefschriften), wat eigenlijk best wel weinig is voor een techniek die we constant...

4 months ago • 2 min read