Mood Matters - MHERA: An innovative assessment approach to animal emotionality in the treatment of behaviour problems

In author Karin Pienaar's new book Mood Matters, she introduces animal trainers, behaviorists and anyone working or living with animals to the ground-breaking MHERA concept, which was designed to evaluate the role that an animal's emotional and mood states play in his overall behaviour.

Most people who spend time with animals, be it as companions or otherwise, would say that animals have emotions and experience different moods, much like humans - and they are not wrong. How an animal feels will affect how he perceives and reacts to everything in his environment. It is therefor imperative for modern behaviour therapy to consider assessing emotionality as the first step in the treatment and prevention of behavioural challenges.

Developed based on the latest scientific research, this practical concept can be used to identify and address shortcomings affecting the emotional and behavioural wellbeing of animals, making this book a must-read for professionals and pet owners alike, as a reliable approach to use in behavioural therapy, training or management.

Praise for Mood Matters

There is no longer any doubt that all mammals have rich emotional lives and that it is the very presence of emotions that helps to make us, in so many ways, the most successful class ever found on earth. It is to Karin Pienaar's enormous credit that her understanding of this subject opens the door for the applied practical methodology of the MHERA approach in cats and dogs.

Professor Peter Neville, Co-founder of COAPE UK and author of Do Pets Need Shrinks?

This insightful and ground-breaking book is a must for the dedicated pet guardian, behaviour consultant or trainer with an interest in understanding, preventing and successfully resolving unwanted behaviour in the animals in their care. Not only do we get the historical perspective on how the scientific community gradually realized the importance of moods and emotional states in determining animal behaviour, as well as the methodology described in detail, but the multiple and varied case studies shed light on how this approach can successfully tackle a range of diverse behavioural challenges in different animal species. The MHERA approach is built on multidisciplinary scientific research, it's humane and effective - a vital piece of the behaviour puzzle!

Karolina Westlund. PhD. Professor (Associate) at Stockholm University, Sweden

Karin Pienaar lives with her human family and a menagerie of cats and dogs. She manages COAPE International and lectures extensively on MHERA and the importance of managing animal emotionality successfully to ensure behavioural health in animals.