Impeccable Behaviour

05/11/2024

Think of behaviour like a painting and emotions as all of the paints. Any behaviour such as barking, or jumping up, is made of up of a mixture of paints, to create the colours. When trying to understand a behaviour, we need to look really hard to see what colours, or emotions layer the behaviour we see before us. Only then can we truly begin to understand and improve the relationship with our dogs and help them with any issues they may be having.


Colorful dog-paint by numbers
www.impeccablebehaviour.co.uk

13/09/2024

My dog is officially broken … 😂

12/08/2024

Sometimes in life, you don’t know if you’re coming, or you’re going….
Sometimes you’re both.
😂

16/07/2024

12/07/2024

Great evening giving a seminar on dog behaviour at The Village Animal Hospital, for some of their clients. Wine and nibbles and lots of chat about the emotional lives of dogs. Just about everyone managed to stay awake so I will take that as a win
👍😜

20/06/2024

When your cat is lucky enough to have his own bedroom. 🙄😂😻
Which box to choose..? 🤔

08/03/2024

Well last night was eventful! My dog George decided that he didn’t want a badger walking around his garden at midnight and would go and tell him what for, which he did….. I was in bed and woke up to shouting,fur flying and ensuing chaos, which has prompted this post.

Trying to break up a fight between a badger and a dog is much the same as the prospect of breaking up a dog-to-dog fight, there is a risk of injury to the human involved. Obviously prevention is the main aim here but in situations where the unfortunate may arise, then safety is key.

It would be tempting to try and grab a dogs collar to separate them but this is never a good idea as it can trigger redirected aggression onto you. As per the infographic I opted for ‘prying apart’ as I needed to stay as far away from the ‘bitey ends’ of both parties as possible. I slung a lead around George’s rear end and we used a chair to pry the badger off.

Fortunately George has superficial wounds and the badger ran off, so it ended far better than it could have, thank god. The info below from Linda Michael’s may be useful as a guide if a similar situation arises for anyone else.

Penny Ashby
Impeccable Behaviour

03/03/2024

Purely for the purpose of ‘socialisation’ and ‘habituation’ of course 😜
Snuffle mat and relaxation mat for George and well earned beer for me. 👏

25/02/2024

I’m so happy to have been accepted as a new member of the APBC 👩‍🎓☺️

23/02/2024

I am often asked “how do I stop my dog barking”, or “how do I stop my dog growling at other dogs” etc but of course it isn’t as simple as a one sentence answer. There are so many factors which influence your dogs behaviour; such as experience in utero and post-partum, the development/fear periods,adolescence, temperament, positive and negative exposure/experience and pain.

If we try to put a sticking plaster over the problem and stop the dog barking using methods such as shouting, or anti-bark collars, not only is this aversive but it is not taking into consideration any of the factors which may be influencing the issue.

This is why it is so important to have the dog assessed to work out the underlying emotion driving the behaviour and to work with your vet to identify any possible physiological cause.

There is always a reason for behaviour, it serves a purpose, therefore we have to understand what is motivating it, to be able to change it.

Many people are going through a difficult time at the moment but everyone should be able to access the help they need for the dogs they care so much about. I am offering payment plans for all behavioural programmes, to help spread the costs and make it achievable for all. Feel free to contact me to discuss and begin your dogs journey.
Penny 🐕

Www.impeccablebehaviour.co.uk

19/12/2023

If you are in any doubt about whether your dog is of ‘type’, it is better to apply for exemption rather than face difficulties later on. ‘Type’ is so ridiculous and vague which is why it is really important to keep all our gorgeous Bully’s safe.

15/11/2023

My Ben ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹💔

🐾Why the rescue dog can be a better option than a new puppy🐾

It goes without saying the reasons for wanting a puppy, they are adorable and so utterly cute but people also often want pups as they feel they can mould them to the way they want them to be, that this is a failsafe plan to creating the perfect dog. This to a certain extent is true but there are many other factors to take into account.

Genetics. You may or may not get the chance to meet the parents of your pup, sometimes just the mum, or a relative perhaps. This is key to knowing how your pup’s behaviour could be affected. If the pup’s parents have reactivity issues this could be passed to the puppy. Without meeting the parents you may be unknowingly taking on these issues.

Breed tendencies. As dogs have evolved and been domesticated we have bred them with specific traits which may not fit your lifestyle.

Pups have a Critical period of socialisation between 4-12 weeks and the whole first year is a sensitive period. The environment surrounding your pup, routine and exposure will all influence its behaviour. If your pup was to have a bad experience within their critical period, or sensitive period, where he/she was very frightened this could create an immediate and lasting anxiety issue which you were not prepared for and may not know how to resolve without help.

Then of course there is the pooing, peeing, barking, biting, hyper-excitability and lack of sleep...... if you have kids this can be one step too far... or if you were not aware that this is part and parcel of puppy ownership is can be a shock!
Everybody leads different lives, we all have different expectations about what we want from our dogs and how we want them to behave. There is so much to know to be able to raise a puppy to be ‘how you want it to be’ it can be a minefield and if you don’t get it right you may be disappointed and very frustrated.

This is where the rescue dog comes in. Of course one benefit is that you would be contributing to negating that rescue dog becoming a potential statistic, one of the 1000’s of dogs euthanaised each year, but predominantly because you can very consciously try to a select a dog to fit your needs. If you want to run with your dog perhaps the Dachshund is not the dog for you..... but the rescue option allows you to write a list of what you would like, a calm dog, a bouncy dog, lap dog, likes long walks, non- barker, good with children, loves other dogs etc, etc. To realistically try to identify these certain traits I would suggest you look at dogs who have been in foster for a month or so as it takes roughly this amount of time for them to settle and display their personality and individualities. A middle aged dog could already have a sufficiently moulded, mature, formulated character which you know to be suited to you. Any new dog will always need help, training and guidance but with a very careful and informed selection process you may be very nicely surprised by your rescue dog.


The picture is of my little dog who came to me at about the age of 12. He is the happiest, gentlest dog with children and loves everyone. I am blessed.

15/11/2023

If you are thinking about getting a puppy, spare a consideration for rehoming a dog who really needs to feel part of a family. Who may never have experienced kind words, or a gentle hand. Yes they may take time and effort but every dogs deserves that and realistically puppies will take even more.
🐕❤️‍🩹💝

I posted a write up on the benefits of rehoming a little while ago, I will repost ☺️

03/11/2023

And yet another. Tragic is the word to describe what is happening here. We are already starting to see XL bully’s being dumped at vet practices, or tied to trees as people anticipate the legislation in December. When will we learn that this isn’t the answer.

02/11/2023

Sadly so many dogs like Colin are on limited time. If they can’t be homed from rescue centres before the end of December their future looks bleak and many will be euthanised. If you, or anyone can help to home a gorgeous XL Bully then do get in touch. 😢

💕🎈🎈🎈HOMED🎈
Please share for foster or adopt for dear Colin

Based on the specifications, Colin is our only dog in who we are certain will be classified as an XL Bully,

He’s a big softie, who is doing well with his muzzle training,

He will need an owner willing to take on the stigma and rules that will now come with owning an XL Bully,

They will need to be prepared to muzzle him in public and register him on the index for exempt dogs.

If you think this could be you, please get in touch ❤️

We have until the 31st of December before it becomes illegal to rehome him 💔

Please share Colin ❤️

🐶Only pet home needed🐶
👧No children home
Local to Gatwick within a hour to foster Big dog/bullbreed experienced homes wanted urgently 🆘
Foster info and form here https://www.rescueremedies.co.uk/volunteering/
Homing form and info here https://www.rescueremediesdogrescue.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=1795

Colin's forum page here https://www.rescueremediesdogrescue.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=9770

07/10/2023

Remember, never let your dog on the bed… 😜😴😴😴

26/08/2023

Amazing 3 day behaviour seminar with Amber Batson in Devon, hosted by Anna Richardson of Sunshine Canines. My brain is now buzzing with ideas, processing all the information I have learnt.
I have met some lovely people and feel even more motivated. 🐕💚

23/07/2023

This is my cat Alan 💕. He needed to have surgery, so I felt it was important to prepare him for the inflatable collar he would need to wear. When introducing anything new to a cat, or dog it is a good idea to make it completely consent based, so they can choose to participate or not. Giving them choice increases confidence and a sense of agency, which will actually allow you to acheive your goal more successfully, with no stress.

I use a process called ‘Shaping’, which inVolves rewarding approximations of the behaviour I would like, until I reach my target behaviour.

Previous to this clip, I started by placing food around the collar to create a positive association with it. Then as per this film, I progress to adding food in the centre of the collar, so I can observe when he is ready to put his head in himself. Note to self, I should have removed his collar as the bell could have been distracting when doing this.

You will notice I always move the collar away from him after he has obtained the food, this way it is Alan’s choice to move towards it, or not. I am conditioning the behaviour of happily moving towards the collar. If I moved it to towards him, i would increase stress and he would likely step away from the collar, the opposite of what I want to achieve.

Finally, i progress to him placing his head in the collar of his own volition and doing it up for a second. I hold the collar still and do not move it towards him, so he can choose how long to have his head there. Building duration of time wearing the collar was achieved by giving him an activity to do such as finding food in his Snuffle mat, or using his food ball.

At every stage of learning I use his body language to determine when to progress, or increase criteria. Alan is very happy in this clip, his only conflict being whether to head rub me, or take the treat 😂. If he were to show any signs of stress, I would make the exercise easier in some way and assess his response.

Alan’s op went well and I’m pleased to say he strutted around the house with his collar on, as if he had always worn it.
🐱💕

*apologies for the state of my kitchen…. We are renovating 😳