The Dog Lady

29/06/2025

Congratulations to Gryffindor and Betty on passing their PAT renewals this week. Well done beautiful dogs! 👏👏👏

29/06/2025

I love this so much! Many dogs I work with have a history of pain. We really can’t start helping our dogs behaviourally until the pain is addressed…

Imagine living in discomfort every day without the ability to tell anyone. That’s the reality many dogs face. They may not cry out, limp, or yelp, but that doesn’t mean they’re not hurting. Because of how stoic dogs can be, the only clue we often get is a change in behaviour and that’s where so many people go wrong.

Behavioural issues like aggression, reactivity, withdrawal, or anxiety are assumed to be purely emotional or psychological. But what if it's pain?

This is your wake-up call.

A pain trial involves a veterinary professional prescribing pain relief for a set period to assess whether there is a behavioural or physical improvement. It's a diagnostic tool, not a final answer. If your dog has had a behavioural issue for a long time, the pain trial should last at least 6 to 8 weeks to give enough time to observe any meaningful changes

Critically, it’s often used when there are no overt signs of lameness or injury, but the dog’s BEHAVIOUR suggests possible pain, think sudden reluctance to be touched, changes in posture, agitation, growling, or even withdrawal. Dogs don’t dramatize. They cope.

Let’s be brutally honest. If you don’t do a pain trial and the dog is, in fact, in pain, you risk:

- Prolonged suffering: Dogs endure silently. Pain can cause constant distress that no behaviourist or training technique will resolve.

- Worsening behaviour: Pain-induced behaviours can become ingrained and more extreme, including biting or phobia-like shutdowns.

- Misdiagnosis: Your dog may be labelled “anxious,” “aggressive,” or “stubborn” when in reality, they’re simply hurting.

- Unnecessary euthanasia: Tragically, some dogs are put down because their behaviour was misattributed to temperament or training failure, when the true cause was untreated pain.

The most common objections: “I don’t want to medicate my dog unnecessarily” or “I can't see any pain”

Here’s the reality: A properly managed pain trial is safe. A short-term use of analgesics is extremely unlikely to cause harm. The risk of side effects is minimal compared to the risk of ongoing undetected pain.

The danger of a pain trial? Almost none.

25/06/2025

What’s your dog’s favourite sleeping position? Feel free to share photos 🤳📷

24/06/2025

Welcome to Aussie Shepherd puppy Zed! Zed lives with my business guru, Banika and her family. Photo taken on his first day of puppy training. I must say he looks pretty happy with himself...🐾🥰

23/06/2025

🐾 It was a black & tan kind of day at The Haven yesterday! We had adorable Doberman X puppy Nova and the charming Cocker Spaniel Norman in for a visit. 💛🖤

We focused on building confidence, creating strong recall foundations, and improving lead work. 🐕✨

We also shared some fun, easy enrichment ideas you can try at home — think muffin tins, cardboard boxes, snuffle mats, scatter feeds, and food smears! Great ways to channel your dog’s natural behaviours in a healthy, rewarding way. 🧠💡🐾

22/06/2025

This is a great opportunity to try a fun new game with your dog and it is FREE!

Discover a powerful concept for BOOSTING your dog's body awareness, coordination and CONFIDENCE. So that he can learn new skills faster and feel empowered in challenging situations.

22/06/2025

Smiles all round for Ginny and Frankie this weekend at their private training sessions. Dogs learn best when we take the pressure off our dogs and off ourselves. Training should be fun for everyone 🐾🐶

22/06/2025

Last session of our Whistle and Woof recall course this weekend. We have all had loads of fun and learning together over the past 5 sessions. Congratulations Nova, Lucy and Lilly👏 You are all fabulous! 🐾

22/06/2025

Some of the cute puppies in our classes today 🐾🐶