Hab Pets - PTY LTD

03/09/2026

I cover all areas north of the mountain in Pretoria + Pretoria North.

26/05/2026

Not to be missed, for all pet parents, and animal professionals

UPCOMING MHERA INTRODUCTION LIVE WEBINAR.

Most approaches to behaviour focus on what the animal is doing. MHERA™ starts from a different place: what the animal is experiencing.

It’s a practical, science-based framework developed by Karin Pienaar to understand and improve emotional wellbeing, not just modify behaviour. It is built on the principle that all behaviour is driven by underlying emotional processes and provides a structured way to link what we observe to what the animal is actually going through.

The framework brings together four connected components:
Mood State (including cognitive bias)
Hedonic Budgets
Emotional Assessment
Reinforcement Analysis

Together, these allow both moment-to-moment experience and longer-term patterns to be understood in a coherent, measurable way.

MHERA™ was developed as an integrated framework to bring together two models of emotionality that have historically been treated as incompatible: the Discrete Emotion system (such as FEAR, SEEKING, CARE, PLAY), and the Dimensional model of emotionality (valence and arousal), into a single coherent system that allows emotional processes to be understood in terms of both functional systems and measurable intensity.

MHERA and the Do No Harm Dog Training approach complement each other beautifully - putting emphasis on the need to support emotional wellbeing in animals. This 2-hour live webinar will also touch briefly on the soon-to-be released Do No Harm Dog Training course, provided by the wonderful Linda Michaels MA.

📅 19 June 2026. Bookings close on the 18th of June.
⏰ 16:00 (GMT+2)
💻 Live online

Registration fee: R200 (~$11 USD / ~£9 GBP)

If this is relevant to your work or interests, you’re welcome to join. Register here for all the details: https://forms.gle/TrvC8ePgWYCkVoWE8

08/04/2026

Discipline can be a tricky subject. Everyone has their own experiences of being disciplined — for some, it was negative and traumatic, and for others, it’s what they know and rely on.

So what is discipline? According to the Oxford Dictionary, it’s “the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behaviour, often using punishment to correct disobedience.”

Traditionally, punishment has often been used to try to correct unwanted behaviours in dogs. But modern behavioural science gives us a clearer picture of what punishment really does. Research shows that it can:

* Increase aggression
* Damage the relationship between dog and guardian
* Cause fear and anxiety
* Lead to physical or emotional harm
* Make it harder for dogs to learn new behaviours

The better approach? Teach your dog what you want them to do, rather than punishing them for what they’re doing wrong.

A simple way to do this is to make a list of behaviours you want to change and decide what you want your dog to do instead. For example:

* Don’t want your dog to jump on people? Teach them to sit when greeting instead.
* Don’t want them to toilet inside? Teach them to go outside.
* Don’t want them to chew your shoes? Provide appropriate chew items.

It’s often far easier to teach an alternative behaviour than to try to stop an unwanted one. Clear guidance helps your dog succeed and strengthens your bond.

We encourage you to create your own list for your dog. It will improve your relationship, reduce frustration, and help your dog thrive emotionally, physically, and mentally.

If you need extra support, you can find a qualified professional through the Find a Behaviourist section on the COAPE website:
https://www.coape.org/find-a-behaviourist

Early guidance can make a huge difference in building a positive, happy relationship with your dog.

23/10/2025