Animal Behavior & Healing

03/15/2026

Joe Learns to Live Large!
Joe began life at a research facility in Los Angeles- where he was used for human diabetes trials for the first 18 months of his life- crated and on a high fat diet. While basic needs were met- he was derived of crucial developmental stages- including socialization, connection with humans and exposure to normal daily environmental stimulation or learning of any kind.
Joe eventually moved to Portland Maine with the wonderful couple who adopted him following the trials at the laboratory in LA. In spite of their attentive care, and efforts to help him navigate daily life without fear, they sought support from Joe's vet to help Joe live his best life.
We went to work supporting Joe on his journey to wellness- and today, Joe is living large, without hiding or running away when he experiences something new. Joe continues to learn new skills every day- fun with agility games and so much more!
His family writes " Since working with Gina, we’ve seen tremendous improvement in Joe! He stays calm and present during walks, even on a long lead or off-leash, which is something we never thought possible. Before working with Gina, no treat or amount of reassurance could compete with whatever scent his hound nose picked up on, but that has completely changed since incorporating the confidence building exercises that she recommended. Joe now looks to us for guidance, trusts us more deeply, and overall seems like a happier, more confident dog. -
We’re so grateful to Gina for helping us understand and support Joe in a way that feels compassionate and effective and cannot recommend her highly enough!'

— Valeriya, Wes, and Joe

What a joy to support Joe and his family.
He's the sweetest fella. Hey, Joe!!

09/10/2025

Captain learns the ropes!
This handsome guy began life as a rambunctious puppy with his original family, who sadly confined him to a crate for the first two years of his life because they had no time for him in their busy life, while the other family dogs tormented him.

He was adopted by his new family who engaged with Animal Behavior and Healing to help him overcome the social and environmental deprivation he suffered so early in life. he's doing so well! His owners write today:

" I would say Cappy is a solid 7 ( out of 10) with lots of improvement since we started but still room for growth. All his reactions have decreased in intensity and length and it is easier to disengage him. He also seems to recover very quickly too and will go back to doing what he was doing beforehand. "

I love this guy... he's making so much progress... Go Captain!

06/11/2022

Goku started his journey to recovery when he was adopted by a wonderful couple, following months of street life and near starvation. His new owners decided to start a new life in Maine with Goku and Jack last year! With so many obstacles to over come, Goku has regained his faith in the goodness of people, and has evolved into a fun and playful pup since our time together began almost 6 months ago!
His owners write:
Goku is doing great!! This past month was really busy & social for us. He handled everything like a champion! We are really so proud & thrilled with the progress that he has made so far. He & Omar have been playing fetch a lot recently, which is really sweet & heartwarming. He comes up to Omar for love & affection, even rolls over & shows him his belly sometimes!
He’s made such a big transformation, he’s really almost a different dog. I’d say he’s at a 7 compared to where he was initially. I want to rate higher, but I know that he is not at his peak and that we are going to continue to make progress together. I really can’t thank you enough for your guidance, patience, kind words & encouragement. We came to you feeling completely desperate & hopeless and have now been able to achieve a calm, peaceful environment in our home with a comfortable, and -dare I say – confident dog.

06/11/2022

Winnie has come a long way since we began our work late last year... her owners report she is vastly improved! A final visit confirmed that Winnie has become a more confident, relaxed girl in her new home, and is socializing well! Good work Winnie!
Her owners write:

Working with Gina helped us to better understand and communicate with our anxious dog, Winnie. She knew exactly what Winnie needed and immediately provided us with tools of support. Winnie’s growth would not be where it is today without Gina. We are immensely grateful!

08/15/2021

A wonderful testimonial from Rama's owners this week. It was such a pleasure helping this sweet pup and his family find their best life together!

"My wife and I reached out to Gina for behavioral coaching for our three year old Jack Russell/Fox terrier mix, Rama, as he began to show traits of anxiety, likely stemming from changes to our day to day lifestyle as a result of working from home during the pandemic. We worked with Gina virtually and throughout our three months together she truly got to know Rama and all of his quirks, almost to the point of knowing how he would react in specific situations before they happened. Gina developed a step by step approach to help re develop Rama’s independence and reduce his anxiety levels and worked with us the entire way to implement these changes in both our and Rama’s day to day life. She helped bring more structure and balance into Rama’s life which has led him to be much happier and relaxed, especially around strangers or guests. Gina’s understanding of canine psychology is only rivaled by her kindness. We are so happy we were able to work with Gina to not only help retrain our pup but to also help teach us how to make his life the best it could be! "

08/05/2021

Following her transport from Puerto Rico, and multiple medical issues to remediate, Mabel and her new older brother Murdock are making progress with all the behavioral outcomes we established for the family! Good work Murdy and Mabel!!!

07/05/2021

Perhaps one day if enough of us rise up, silent fireworks will be the norm!

Lots of dogs are afraid of fireworks and other loud noises. Here are a few ways to help your dog get through the 4th of July.

11/28/2020

Revenge .....

10/02/2020

Super excited to collaborate once again with Erica Sloan at Martha Stewart Living on this article discussing how to help your dog overcome separation anxiety, and pandemic related behavioral issues as families return to work and school. Visit the resources page at animalbehaviorhealing.com for a complete report on preparing for your return to work, and preventing the development of separation anxiety!

Make the time you're not around easier for your anxious dog with these tips.

06/24/2020

Animal Behavior & Healing is a certified practitioner with the IAABC, and as such, does not support the use of shock or electronic training devices of any kind. We practice ethical, and scientifically supported behavior change using the well established principles of positive reinforcement in establishing a bond of trust between humans and animals.

The use of shock in training and behavior is not considered a best practice by the IAABC or the Joint Standards of Practice, and is strongly discouraged. Our goal is to eliminate the use of shock devices from training and behavior work, and to do so by modeling, educating, and providing members with...