Dr. Michelle Rassool

26/02/2025

Gorgeous Styles was our house guest overnight while his mum was out. Isn't he just the sweetest! We love having visitors to our ark, and with two cats, two dogs, and our three foster kittens it sure was fun!

We always use baby gates and shut doors to create safe play areas for each animal, especially Herriot who needs some comfortable space to relax as a golden oldies.

We creat vertical escape places for the cats so they are able move away from excited puppy teeth! Window hammocks and cat tres are helpful for this!

We make sure existing dogs have super strong mat skills so we can ask them to remain in place even when another dog is moving around. It's much easier for us to welcome a new friend comfortably when our other dogs have clear understandings of our expectations.

Whether you're having another pet visit for an evening, or you might be adding one to your gang permanently, it's important to ensure you have a strong introduction plan before they come home.

18/02/2025

Information in the vet industry is constantly changing, and I'm always striving to keep up with it. There’s still a heap of old recommendations that are hanging around, so here are some common vet recommendations that you won’t find me sticking to!

⛔ Your puppy needs to be desexed at 6 months

An individualised desexing plan is much more relevant than blanket recommendations. While there are some pros to desexing at a younger age (less invasive procedure, reductions of some types of cancers), waiting for growth + maturity can be beneficial. I always tailor the plan based on the breed/size, temperament, owners needs, and the role of the dog. Owners who delay desexing need to be prepared for the extra responsibility of owning an entire dog, the increased costs and demands future surgery, and the importance of strict management.

🚫 Desexing will help treat behaviour issues

Desexing is never a recommendation I make for treating behaviour challenges, but in cases where we are planning on desexing anyway, it’s a choice I consider carefully. There is no strong evidence that desexing will improve most behaviour issues, and I often feel that the challenges around the procedure itself (handling, anaesthesia, pain, confinement and reduced exercise) can actually cause spikes in worry! While there are absolutely some dogs with mental health challenges that should not be bred, rushing to desex is often not helpful.

👎 Surgery is the only way of controlling reproduction

Gone are the days where permanent surgical procedures are the only way of adjusting hormones. It’s why you’ll find me often considering a desexing implant to ‘try before you buy’ in cases where we are curious whether desexing will be beneficial in supporting a dog’s physical and mental health. There are several health conditions that can be improved by reducing reproductive hormones, and this can be a good way to provide treatment without surgery. As with anything dog related, having a nuanced and thorough discussion with your vet about you and your dog’s needs, is the best way to ensure your dog is treated as an individual!

16/02/2025

Golly, Mish and Mash are our current foster cuties (who are also on holidays with us)! They are gaining weight like champions and will soon be up for adoption. Like any of our kittens, they have been thoroughly socialised with cats and dogs, love playing with Nara, and are just gorgeous.

Adoption will be through so keep an eye out!

11/02/2025

Having some of the most bulletproof recall on planet earth with this gal makes adventures easier! We took a jog through Pine groves, past horses, kangaroos, rabbits barking dogs and the occasional cyclist.

I made a conscious effort to expose puppy Nara to livestock and wildlife before 16 weeks, even though in Melbourne we may not see them often. Raising a puppy deserves plenty of forethought for any possible experience you might need in your dogs future, even if they're not currently relevant.

With all this activity, I'm going to need a holiday from my holiday!

06/02/2025

Rare night out with celebrating the gorgeous wedding! Dog people are awesome people and I'm stoked to know some of the best ❤️❤️❤️

02/02/2025

Todays A-Z of Anxiety was a massive event! I am so thankful for an amazing crowd of dedicated dog owners and professionals who attended to learn about the ins and outs of anxiety!

Not only was there a heap of information, real cases and examples, but lots of fanastic questions from lots of different attendees.

Lunch was catered by the amazing , and awesome show bags for every client from the fantastic and , who both are products that I so wholeheartedly trust and use.

Events like this are only possible due to my amazing colleagues who I share my space with, as well as the dedicated dog trainers, owners and vet professionals who are keen to continue extending their knowledge!

If you missed out, make sure you add yourself to the events wait list of keep up to date with new seminars dropping this year! Link in bio!

31/12/2024

We had a ripper of a day ringing in the New Year with our dear mates Cheza and Penny (and their humans Scott and Lisa). I am so lucky to work with some of my genuine best friends between my gorgeous team at , and my business besties .

It makes such a difference to have so many amazing people supporting me in what I do, and I'm thankful to you all.

A special shout out to my lovely dog trainer mates, who make up a huge percentage of my referrals. I so appreciate you all, without you my work falls flat.

Another shout out to my amazing clients and their dogs! I tend to meet people in times of dire need, and each and every one of you is dedicated to your dogs in a way that I treasure. You make my work fulfilling and meaningful.

Let's see what 2025 has to bring!

25/12/2024

Got to spend Christmas morning with my best little mates at home, which is the dream. Hope you enjoyed a special time whether that's with friends, family, or fur buddies!

22/12/2024

Gorgeous cool morning for a quick outing before the last day of work for us before a little Christmas break!

Lots of vet teams will be working extra hard this Christmas period so get your medications sorted, keep human treats safe and away from your pets, and check the opening hours of your local clinic and location of your closest emergency clinic ahead of time!

Shout out to all my amazing emergency colleagues who are keeping pets safe over the holidays while many of us enjoy time off!

18/12/2024

Me and this little office cube are officially CLOSED for Christmas! It's been a massive few weeks leading up to today, squeezing in a heap of urgent consultations, emails and phone calls. Now I am so looking forward to taking a little break before regrouping in the New Year.

If you need me, you'll find me getting into the Christmas spirit with my legends at , and I'll be picking up a few extra days at the clinic over January.

Whatever your summer brings, I hope you get to spend plenty of time with your four legged friends!

14/12/2024

It's been another fantastic year for behaviour! I've travelled the country meeting so many wonderful new people and dogs. I've been able to help over 100 new dogs this year, and spent over 400 hours with dogs of all shapes and sizes!

It's nobody's surprise that the most popular dogs on my list were working breeds! Special mention to my gorgeous Korean Jindo patient, Miso who I think is my rarest breed dog on the list ❤️❤️

I am so thrilled to have been able to provide such a wide service to so many people, to help hundreds of dog and owner teams to achieve their goals, and improve my skills constantly through ongoing education and hands on experience.

Next year is going to hold some amazing stuff, including more travel for education events, seminars, learning and friendships! Bring it on!

03/12/2024

I had the best time at The Canine Campus! Educating switched on dog people is the best.

🩺Campus sweetheart Dr Michelle untangled some myths from facts about Anxiety for us with all things neuroscience and medicine.

🧠It was some big braining for us that day!
Being that Dr Michelle is quite a skilled trainer, wielding a clicker and treat bag and deftly as her stethoscope and scalpel, she is savvy to showing us where these two worlds intersect, and empowered us to know where we as pet parents, professional trainers or vet practitioners can work together to make the most impact for the dogs and people we care for.
And no one, fields questions like Dr Michelle!

01/11/2024

Gosh this dog is good looking! We are having a blast exploring the bush, beach and beers while away.

31/10/2024

We are taking a few days off to relax and recharge before a final hurrah towards December! Appointments are just about fully booked, so keep an eye out for new year appointments if you've been looking to start your dogs mental health treatment journey.

Nara loves the sea, and we love it the most when it's cold windy Melbourne weather, so the beach is deserted!

22/10/2024

Ok it's official, Hinkle (aka Dunkin') is staying with us. He's got on so well with Roman and Nara (everyone gets on with Herriot so it's not a challenge) that we can't help add another cat to our family!

I love fostering for as I get to meet so many gorgeous cats that otherwise wouldn't get a second chance.

Hinkle was returned from adoption from a pound as a kitten due to severe allergies affecting his head and ears to the point he was bald and bleeding. My legendary team at were able to treat him and get him feeling his best!

While his condition is good, it does require a bit of tweaking day to day, so it seems a natural fit for him to stay.

Welcome Hinkle ✨✨✨

18/10/2024

When it's wet outside sometimes you just need a little towel to dry off!
Despite the weather, we've trekked out for a couple of walks today. Hopefully we will have some brighter skies for the weekend!

Happy Friday folks 🐶🐶

15/10/2024

The shop is restocked and ready to go for this Sunday's A-Z of anxiety! With just one ticket remaining this event is a MUST for anyone working with, caring for, or training a dog with anxiety.

If you're stuck thinking that anxiety is fear or timidity, then you're going to find yourself limited in what you can achieve in solving behaviour challenges. Understanding how anxiety effects memory, learning and emotions at a neurological level can boost your treatment plans out of sight!

If your based in QLD, A-Z of Anxiety is making its way to the Sunny Coast thanks for . Very limited tickets remaining!

10/10/2024

It can feel like a lot of work to exercise and care for dogs separately, but it's so important to me that they get one on one time apart.

Particularly because my dogs needs are so different, I train and exercise them each day separately. We also enjoy a few walks all together, just exploring and playing!

Often folks come to me with challenges that require separation between dogs as part of the treatment plan. The can feel extremely overwhelming, especially if the dogs have never practiced being apart before.

If you are an owner of multiple dogs, I'd
recommend seeing if you can weave some special individual time with each dog. You're likely to have some ripper moments, just like this one in the early morning light this morning!