Drawing on more than four decades caring for people before specialising in canine behaviour, Wiltshire canine behaviourist Jules Ballard discovered that helping anxious dogs often begins with supporting the people who love them.

Wanting owners to have a wide range of options rather than a fixed approach to follow, she wrote Holistic Help for Your Anxious Dog, bringing together psychology, behavioural science and holistic therapies to support both dogs and their owners.

According to research, anxiety affects around 73% of dogs in at least one form, while anxiety disorders affect millions of adults across the UK.

Jules found that when clients came to her for support with their dogs, much of her work was focused on the human end of the lead, and that became the foundation which the book was built on.

"You’d have a chat on the phone with a worried owner and realise they were anxious, as well as the dog," said Jules. 

"Dogs mirror us all the time. They pick up on how we're feeling, so if you can help someone get to a better place themselves, their dog benefits too.

"People would say to me, 'I bought this dog because I wanted to do Canicross’ or ‘I wanted a dog I could take everywhere with me,’ and they found themselves grieving for the dog they thought they were going to have.

"A lot of what I do is working on managing expectations, exploring the options to support them both with their anxiety and help them to accept and see they have the dog they were meant to have. Every dog we have teaches us something."

Alongside her 41-year NHS career, Jules gained first-class honours degrees in Psychology and History, completed a Level 6 Diploma in Applied Canine Behavioural Management, and undertook extensive training in Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), botanical therapies, Traditional Chinese Medicine and reflexology.She has also spent years working within the Clinical Psychology field, supporting people through birth trauma, PTSD and phobias.

Holistic Help for Your Anxious Dog is divided into five sections covering the science of anxiety, botanical and energetic therapies, practical behaviour support techniques, and a dedicated section helping owners manage their own emotional wellbeing and the part Jules feels sets the book apart.

Jules explained: "I want people to look at it and think, I'm going to try that strategy,” and realise just how many options are available.

"You've got an absolute smorgasbord of different things you can try.  Not everything will be for everyone, but there's something in there for every dog and every owner.

“My ultimate aim is for owners to feel less alone, more empowered and more positive about sharing a happy future with their anxious dog.” 

With more dogs than ever showing signs of anxiety, this book aims to give owners practical, compassionate tools to build confidence and improve wellbeing for both ends of the lead.

Holistic Help for Your Anxious Dog is available now from Amazon.