Dr Teresa Tyler-Canine Behaviourist

23/06/2025

06/06/2025

🐾 Still hearing "you need to be the pack leader"?
It’s 2025 people! Let’s leave that myth where it belongs — in the past.

The whole ‘alpha dog’ idea was based on flawed research on captive wolves decades ago. Your dog isn’t trying to take over your house, they’re trying to feel safe, understood, and connected.

Training based on dominance or ‘being the boss’ nearly always causes more harm than good. It damages relationships, suppresses behaviour (which doesn’t solve anything), and can increase fear or anxiety.

✨ A good trainer will help you work with your dog, not against them. Look for science-based, welfare-focused approaches that prioritise trust and communication over control.

If someone’s telling you to act like a wolf, ask if they’ve read any science since 1980.

25/05/2025

Is Your Dog's Behaviour Trying to Tell You Something?

Behaviour is communication. Whether it's barking, chewing, hiding, or jumping—all behaviour has a cause. As a qualified dog behaviourist, I help you uncover the why behind your dog's actions and guide you toward realistic, kind, and science-based solutions.

Struggling with anxiety, aggression, or reactivity?
Need help understanding what’s really going on behind the behaviour?

Let’s work together to build confidence, trust, and a calmer household—for both ends of the lead.

Message me to book a behaviour consultation
Online and in-person support available

04/05/2025

3 simple things you can do to make your dog’s walks better…

1. Slow down. Where are you going in such a hurry? You’re out for some ‘together’ time with your pal…not trying to squeeze the most distance out of the time you have.
2. Use a long lead. Minimum 2m, longer if you safely can.
3. Let them sniff and/or watch the world go by as they need to. Don’t rush them.

Three simple changes which can help reduce pulling, help relax anxious dogs, slow down frantic dogs and build confidence in puppies. And (bonus!), it’s also much more pleasant for the human end of the lead.

Try it today!

29/04/2025

Is your dog's behaviour causing stress at home?

Professional support can make all the difference. As a qualified Dog Behaviour Practitioner, I offer tailored advice and practical solutions to help you and your dog build a stronger, more positive relationship.

Whether you are facing challenges with reactivity, anxiety, aggression, or general behaviour concerns, I provide evidence-based guidance designed around your dog's individual needs.

Take the first step toward lasting change. Book your initial consultation today and start your journey to a calmer, happier life with your dog.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, please get in touch.

18/04/2025

🐾 Behavioural consultations now available – taking referrals 🐾

If you're a vet, dog trainer, groomer, or pet professional working with a dog who's struggling — I can help.

Some cases go beyond training. Anxiety, reactivity, aggression, or sudden changes in behaviour often need a deeper look.

✨ I offer evidence-based, welfare-first behavioural support for dogs and their humans.
🗓️ Consult slots now open – remote or in-person (where possible).
🤝 I’m happy to chat through cases or provide a referral pathway for your clients.

💌 Message me to connect.

Let’s work together to get dogs (and their people) the help they need.

06/04/2025

🌟 Bertie – Your New Best Friend? 🐾

Bertie is a beautiful 6-month-old Greek Hound type pup who’s ready to find his forever home! ❤️

This boy is full of life—affectionate, playful, and always up for an adventure. He adores people, is fantastic with other dogs, and even lives peacefully with cats. 🐶🐱

Bertie is bright, curious, and quick to learn—he’ll thrive in a home that enjoys training, outdoor fun, and the company of a clever young dog who wants to be your teammate in life.

🎯 We’re looking for:
✔️ An active home with time for training and enrichment
✔️ A family who will cherish his affectionate nature
✔️ Ideally with other dog(s), or lots of social opportunities

He’s going to make someone very, very happy.

If you think you might be the right match for Bertie—or know someone who is—please get in touch or share this post. Let’s find this special boy the loving home he deserves! 💛

📍Send me a message!

03/04/2025

I love working with nervous dogs, but I see many people trying to gain a scared dog's trust by offering them food by hand. It's important to remember that food alone won't fix fear, especially when it's in your hand!

When we meet a nervous or fearful dog, our instinct is often to reach for a tasty treat. And while food can be a brilliant tool in behaviour work, 'how' we use it matters just as much as what’s in our hand.

Here’s the truth: food is only reinforcing if the dog feels safe enough to enjoy it. If they’re too scared, anxious, or overwhelmed, offering food can backfire—fast.

🔸 “Poisoning the reward” means the food becomes part of the fear.
If we consistently offer food while a dog is in a fearful state, or worse, lure them into situations they’re not ready for, we risk teaching them that treats predict stress. Not comfort. Not safety. Just pressure.

🔸 Avoid luring a scared dog closer.
It might look like progress when they creep forward for a snack, but if their body language says “I’m not ready,” we’re prioritising our timeline over their needs. That doesn’t build trust—it erodes it.

🔸 Safety first, snacks later
Instead of using food to 'get' the dog to do something, try using it to mark safe, calm moments. Let the dog choose distance. Reinforce choices that show confidence. And always give them the option to say “no thanks.”

The goal isn’t just to be the one with the chicken. It’s to be the one the dog feels safe enough to eat near, approach voluntarily, and trust on their own terms.

Be patient. Be predictable. Be their safe space.

03/04/2025

🐾 Why I Say No to Choke Chains and Shock Collars 🐾
Because kindness isn’t optional in dog training.

When it comes to training our dogs, the tools we choose matter. Choke chains, prong collars, and shock (e-collars) may promise quick fixes, but at what cost?

Let’s be clear: these devices are designed to cause discomfort, fear, or pain. Their entire purpose is to suppress behaviour, not teach new skills. And that distinction is critical. We wouldn't expect children to learn better by being punished, so why do we still see this approach used with animals who rely entirely on us for safety and guidance?

🔸 Behaviour change through fear isn't learning, it’s being shutdown.
Dogs may stop a behaviour temporarily, but they’re not learning what to do instead. Worse, this type of training can lead to increased anxiety, fear-based aggression, and damaged trust between dog and handler.

🔸 Modern science says: kindness works better.
Decades of behavioural science, including veterinary and psychological research, supports the use of positive reinforcement. Not only is it more effective long-term, it also strengthens the bond between you and your dog.

🔸 Ethical trainers don’t use pain to teach.
If someone tells you a dog needs a shock collar, ask why they haven’t taught the dog a new behaviour instead. There is always a kind, force-free way.

We want dogs who are confident, connected, and cooperative, not confused or frightened into silence. So let’s leave choke chains and e-collars in the past, where they belong.

✨ Choose kind. Train better. Build trust. ✨

22/03/2025

Adolescence has arrived in this house! Six months old, and Bertie is changing by the day — sometimes hour to hour. One minute he’s leggy and sweet, melting into me for a cuddle on the sofa. The next, he’s flinging himself headlong into life like a teenager who’s overdone the Red Bull and found the front door unlocked.

He cocked his leg to p*e the other day for the first time. It was awkward and unsure, more of a sideways lean than a proper lift. But still, it felt like a big deal. A rite of passage. He’s not just marking territory; he’s beginning to carve out his place in the world. There’s a new kind of confidence about him, and with it, a steady trickle of challenge!

He’s started pushing back. Not in any dramatic way, more like subtle, everyday defiance. That slow turn of the head when I call him, the pause before deciding whether coming back is worth it. It’s less about being ‘naughty’ and more about him figuring out his autonomy. “Do I have to?” “Can I do it my way?” “What if I don’t?”

And then there’s the over-arousal. He goes from 0 to 100 in a blink. A passing dog, a gust of wind, a rogue crisp packet, it’s all so much. Sometimes he barrels into things, all noise and movement, tail high, energy spilling everywhere. Other times, just as quickly, he backtracks, visibly unsure, tail tucked, scanning the environment, and me, for answers. It’s like he’s caught between two selves: the big man explorer and the nervous kid.

What’s been most striking is how often he still looks to me; not for control, but for backup. I can almost hear the subtext: “You’ve got me, right?” It’s not about needing to be told what to do, but needing to feel supported while he works it out. That small moment of eye contact before he dives into something chaotic, or the quiet lean against my leg after a big reaction says so much.

From a behaviour perspective, this stage is where a lot of learning happens; not neat and tidy learning, but messy, layered, deeply emotional stuff. He’s not trying to ‘test boundaries’ in the way people often assume. He’s mapping the world. Testing himself. Seeing what holds steady, especially when he doesn’t.

And that’s where I come in. My job isn’t to clamp down or try to skip ahead to the ‘well-behaved’ adult dog. It’s to walk with him through the unpredictability. To let him stretch and stumble, knowing I’ll be there when he swings back, not with judgement, but with quiet steadiness.

There’s something incredibly touching about this phase. Frustrating and annoying? Yes. Exhausting? Often. But underneath all the noise and growing pains, I can see glimpses of the dog he’s becoming. He’s finding his shape. And every time he returns to me, after the zoomies, the barking, the bouncing off the sofas, he brings a bit more of that future self with him.

So I breathe a bit deeper, remind myself to be patient and keep showing up. I laugh more than I sigh (most days). And I remind myself: this stage isn’t forever, but it is important. It’s where trust is deepened, not just taught. Where we learn to read each other in the chaos, not just the calm.

If you have an adolescent dog, remember it's not forever!

19/03/2025

16/03/2025

It was warm today! Bo decided to cool off after our session!