Canines Behaving Badly

22/03/2025

I got to see handsome Hugo again yesterday, his owner has worked so hard and made such an improvement in Hugo that this session was about proofing the behaviour with an aim to fade out food rewards. He has also been chemically castrated almost six months ago which is now starting to lose potency so we discussed having the treatment again or not. We also took some videos to check his posture and gait as at some points his movement wasn’t fluid. Well done team Hugo 🐾💙🐾

21/03/2025

Eden Animal Rescue

15/03/2025

Look at these three beauties, Sid, Nancy and Nova, their daughter. Nova is owned by a family member so yesterday I was working with Sid and Nancy. We first worked on lead walking as these two, sometimes three, are difficult to walk, they are a strong breed. Then we were working on their excitement/over arousal around folk in the street and on occasions Sid is reactive to other dogs. Both pups did great, well done. 🐾💕💙💕🐾

12/03/2025

Here come the girls!! Left to right, Elsa, newbie Mabel, Maggie and Willow. I already know Elsa, Maggie and Willow, but beautiful newbie Mabel has joined the gang and I was helping integrate her into the gang. She’s just 17 weeks old and she’s a wonderful little girl, who, as a rescue from Cyprus, she has already been through an awful lot, but she’s adapted really well and landed on her paws with a serial rescuer 😂😂. I can’t wait to see how she progresses. 🐾💕💕💕💕🐾

05/03/2025

This is gorgeous Pip having a blast during our session. Pip was born into a gundog litter and well …… she a working breed spaniel!!! Pip struggles to disconnect from the environment to focus on her owner because of her breed and breeding. Now, we do need to appreciate that her instincts tell her to sniff and search, which we do want to allow her to do, but not by dragging us there. The principle I was using is the Premack principle which is where we both get what we want (ask me about it). We also taught Pip the value of coming back to us, and by doing so doesn’t mean the fun is over, quite the opposite. Well done Pip 🐾💕🐾

05/03/2025

This gorgeous young girl is Myla the Dorkie. She is a very scared little lady when people come to the house. She is a little less scared when out and about, so that’s where we started. She began by barking at me and she was saying ‘go away I’m scared’, but by slowly getting closer when she could cope I was soon taking her lead to gain some trust. Here’s the thing…. In the house she was so scared of me that if I had forced myself on her, she may have escalated because she felt like she had no choice and no one wants that, so it’s better to find an environment where she can cope. 🐾💕🐾

01/03/2025

This stunner is four month old Nellie. She going to be a big girl so her owners are understandably keen to ensure she doesn’t jump up at strangers or dash over to other dogs or people. In one of the pictures you can see her sitting calmly while a family pass. We also did loose lead walking as she will be a big and strong dog as she grows. Lastly you can see her having a rest at the end of the session, training session should be short and sweet. 🐾❤️🐾

01/03/2025

This is gorgeous Ailsa. She does not like being touched, even by her nearest and dearest. Ailsa’s case involves counter conditioning and we have got her vet involved to help her with this. 🐾❤️🐾

27/02/2025

I saw my little pals Taz (lighter) and Neo (darker) yesterday. We did a lot of work on walking them both at the same time and a lot of ‘leave it’, there’s a lot of rubbish on the streets of Penrith!!! They are coming up to adolescence and it is a difficult time, they find confidence but additionally they are more susceptible to negative experiences shaping their behaviour. So we taught them they can’t run up to other dogs and strangers without checking in with us first. The last photo is them asleep 💤 at my feet after our session. 💕💕

26/02/2025

Look at these handsome boys. George (yellow collar) and Jasper (orange collar). George is now a juvenile and has started resource guarding food and his owner. With George this is a sudden change so a vet check up is necessary and he is now on a pain trial. Did you know almost 80% of behavioural cases require medical intervention of some kind. Mills et al (2020).

25/02/2025

This gorgeous fella is Ralph. Ralph like to bark ALOT!! We taught him he doesn’t need to worry about people walking past the house, they mean him no harm. Also guests coming to the house also don’t want to hurt him. I look forward to seeing Ralph next week to follow up.

24/02/2025

23/02/2025

This gorgeous gal is Winnie. She is frightened of other dogs and strangers in her home. We started getting her used to me so that her owners can help her around strangers. Since I was there on Friday and the weather was foul, we opted not to leave the house but work on her fears within the house. That entailed working on the hoover (more free housework for me 😂), dogs on the tv and her reaction to people knocking on the door. She did brilliantly and I’m looking forward to seeing her again soon. 🐾💕🐾

21/02/2025

Look at that face 😍. This is young Scout and he is displaying separation issues to just one member of the family. We taught him good stuff happens when Dad leaves the room, in fact he now wants dad to leave the room!! We also taught him a good settle so he can relax when being left. For good measure we did a bit of loose lead walking because, well …… he’s a spaniel!! Well done handsome. 🐾💙🐾

20/02/2025

The weather was rubbish yesterday, so I only got one picture of Charlie (R). We were continuing his reactivity training. We got a neighbour and their dog, Ruby, to meet us. The more dogs we can carefully introduce Charlie to, the higher the likelihood that he can generalise that emotional response. He did great, after initially reacting, we quickly were walking side by side. Well done Charlie. 🐾💙🐾

19/02/2025

I got to see Ruby and Daisy earlier this week for the second time. The work was clear again, Daisy did so well around other dogs. At first we saw no other dogs, so I dashed home and got chief stooge dog Murphy. We then saw a few other dogs so we could proof Daisy’s new behaviour. She showed her teeth to Murphy at one point, so we knew we were too close. In my opinion, the showing of teeth is not a bad behaviour, it’s communication, she’s saying ‘I don’t feel comfortable’ and that’s to be welcomed and respected not punished. Well done team Daisy. 🐾❤️❤️🐾

17/02/2025

At the weekend I saw gorgeous Sonny for the second time. Having just moved house it’s a good time to change behaviour, a bit like a reset. Sonny is now sharing his home with two beautiful cats 🐈‍⬛, so we are desensitising and counter conditioning his current reaction to cats. We worked first and foremost with safety in mind, for both species. We introduced the smell and sounds of each other and then behind baby gates they were able to see each other. Working with more than one animal and more than one species it’s imperative that all the animals are comfortable and safe. Well done Sonny, Theo and Maisie. 🐾💙❤️💙🐾

17/02/2025

Where did the weekend go?! I got to see handsome Hugo on Friday. His owner has worked really hard on his dog/dog reactivity and loose lead walking, the evidence was obvious. So, we were able to move on to another issue. Hugo does not like getting into the car, so we started counter conditioning this. The key is to take it slowly and reward his bravery at every step, this provides a dopamine boost so that we can change his emotional response to the car. Well done team Hugo, I love to see the hard work paying off. 🐾💙🐾