Nicola attended the second part of her clinical animal behaviour course in the middle of August.

This time, we looked in detail at problems pertaining to anxieties and phobias, for example noise phobia, fear of strangers, or generalised anxiety. We also covered compulsive behaviours such as over-grooming and shadow chasing.

We explored how to effectively carry out a programme of desensitising a patient to a previously frightening stimulus and counter-conditioning them to view it in a more positive light, as well as working out the origins of a pet’s anxiety or phobia so that an appropriate treatment plan can be devised. We also looked at clinical conditions, such as pain, which can lead to anxiety and other behaviour disorders, and learned more about the possible uses, where necessary, of various anxiolytic and sedative medications in the treatment of behavioural conditions.

It was particularly useful to work through multiple case studies of real patients and put this new knowledge into practice, and the opportunity to once again enjoy the beautiful scenery by Loch Long was an added bonus! Nicola looks forward to the fina

l taught modules of her behaviour course at the beginning of December.