ABOUT K9Aromatherapy
Welcome to K9Aromatherapy! A product developed for dogs and the people who love them. My name is Vivian Zottola, MSc and I am an Anthrozoologist ( person who studies human and animal relations including welfare, ethics, law, behavior). I specialize in Canine Behavior and Training and use force free and humane methods. More information about my biography and experiences can be found here at bostonk9concierge.com/education.html. My hobby and another equally satisfying passion is engineering essential oil blends safe for dogs and people. The combination of my personal interests and professional training over the years has led me to discover and work with using essential oils in part, when necessary during my behavior modification training. I've learned blending techniques and created specific combinations of essential oils to help reduce stress. These are tools I use when other methods fail especially for fearful animals who rely on their nose to understand the world around them. Helping dogs to understand the world and improve their emotional feelings takes time and is a process. That said, while aromatherapy does affect an individual most often the effect is temporary.
Smell and use of the scenting helps dogs to communicate, socialize, navigate and perceive the world they live in. Essential oils aid to quickly and effectively change the emotional state of mind (modality) for many dogs and people alike. As an analogy think about when you come home from a hard day at work feeling tired and grumpy. Upon opening the door to your home you're greeted by the aromatic, warm smells of a scratch made cooked meal... Ahhhh you go from emotions of "h-angry" to happy... There is evidence supporting the use of essential oils to help change modality (emotional state) in individuals. Again this is an analogy and most of the science has been done on mice and humans but we all know mammals and our nervous system are wired similarly. change their emotional feelings about things (people, places and things) they perceive as threatening through force free behavior modification training
Based on my own and client data tracking over the years we have seen measurable behavior changes (based on on observation) when combining essential oil blends with Behavior Modification Training. Most notably the ability to interrupt focused attention when food or other methods don't work, a reduction in hyper vigilance (mild nervousness ) which results in dogs to focus and learn. The use of the natural aromatherapy blends bring the dogs emotions down a notch so to speak. And getting the dog to a relaxed state of mind help with the training, learning and memory retention. (More on using the nose for Learning and Memory here) A once nervous individual becomes more conducive and open to learning since fear isn't blocking the process. That said, we always need to consider moving the individual away from the thing that triggers their stress. Interrupting the dogs focus is one step, but functionally moving the dog away to give them distance is as important.
Behavior Training is an art as much as a science and Aromatherapy often does help but it is not a magic bullet. It is only a ancillary piece of the puzzle when it comes to behavior training our dogs. When using Essential Oils with your pets or incorporating behavior modification consider first meeting with your veterinarian or Veterinary Behaviorist to determine if short term medication combined with behavior training is necessary before purchasing pheromone or essential oil based products.
Smell and use of the scenting helps dogs to communicate, socialize, navigate and perceive the world they live in. Essential oils aid to quickly and effectively change the emotional state of mind (modality) for many dogs and people alike. As an analogy think about when you come home from a hard day at work feeling tired and grumpy. Upon opening the door to your home you're greeted by the aromatic, warm smells of a scratch made cooked meal... Ahhhh you go from emotions of "h-angry" to happy... There is evidence supporting the use of essential oils to help change modality (emotional state) in individuals. Again this is an analogy and most of the science has been done on mice and humans but we all know mammals and our nervous system are wired similarly. change their emotional feelings about things (people, places and things) they perceive as threatening through force free behavior modification training
Based on my own and client data tracking over the years we have seen measurable behavior changes (based on on observation) when combining essential oil blends with Behavior Modification Training. Most notably the ability to interrupt focused attention when food or other methods don't work, a reduction in hyper vigilance (mild nervousness ) which results in dogs to focus and learn. The use of the natural aromatherapy blends bring the dogs emotions down a notch so to speak. And getting the dog to a relaxed state of mind help with the training, learning and memory retention. (More on using the nose for Learning and Memory here) A once nervous individual becomes more conducive and open to learning since fear isn't blocking the process. That said, we always need to consider moving the individual away from the thing that triggers their stress. Interrupting the dogs focus is one step, but functionally moving the dog away to give them distance is as important.
Behavior Training is an art as much as a science and Aromatherapy often does help but it is not a magic bullet. It is only a ancillary piece of the puzzle when it comes to behavior training our dogs. When using Essential Oils with your pets or incorporating behavior modification consider first meeting with your veterinarian or Veterinary Behaviorist to determine if short term medication combined with behavior training is necessary before purchasing pheromone or essential oil based products.
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Business & Professional Education:
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Understanding the underlying science that supports the art of training and aromatherapy is paramount to me so that I may ensure good health and safety. I am presently enrolled in three certification programs, one for application of aromatherapy with people and the second safety and application for small animals and the third is a certification protocol internship for dogs with separation anxiety. The Aromatherapy courses are approved by Association of International Aromatherapists and the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy. The Certification Programs include the Small Animal Aromatherapy Practitioner Certification Course and Dr. Bach Essential Flowers Pet Practitioner Course designed by Ashi Therapy and the amazing Aromahead Institute School. Each require approximately 300+ study hours and 20 case studies which is manageable in between working schedule.
