Hi, I’m Maria, and that’s Soneca, my “doghter,” in the photo below. I’m a Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer and Complex Anxiety specialist, and I work with guardians who feel like they’ve tried everything and are still stuck.

Fluent Fido exists to close the gap between what your dog is communicating and what you’re able to read. Most anxiety and reactive behavior isn’t one clean, obvious problem — it’s a tangle of learned patterns, environment, history, and often physical stress or discomfort underneath. My approach starts with investigating the whole picture, not just the behavior you can see, and then building a plan that’s actually tailored to your dog — no fear, intimidation, or punishment required.

I work with two kinds of cases: Separation Anxiety, for dogs who panic when left alone, and Complex Anxiety — the layered, harder-to-pin-down behavior challenges that haven’t budged with generic training advice. If that’s where you are, this is exactly the kind of case I take on.

This whole-picture approach is backed by ongoing, cross-disciplinary study. I’m a Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer (CSAT) through Malena DeMartini, a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC) through the IAABC, and a Certified Fear Free Professional. I continue to deepen this through ongoing education in canine behavior, welfare, emotions, pain, and stress physiology — including Research Bites with Dr. Kristina Spaulding — and I hold a diploma in Canine Osteopathy from the London College of Canine Osteopathy, which lets me factor physical wellbeing into behavior work in a way many trainers can’t.

Although I am based in Europe, I work remotely with dog guardians around the world. I provide consultations in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian, making professional behaviour support accessible to clients in their preferred language.

My mission is simple: to help you become fluent in your dog. If you’re at your wit’s end and feel ready to give up, I want to show you a different path — one where you understand why your dog does what they do, and have practical, force-free strategies that create lasting change in both behavior and your relationship with them.