Impeccable Behaviour

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 😳

11/06/2023

Some sound advice in the heat today 🌞🌞🌞🌞🐕🐕🐕🐕💧💧💧💧💧

It is HOT out today!! We were back at the car after a quiet wander by 7 30am and both our dogs were feeling the heat more than I would have intended.

The humidity is 85% which is definitely having an effect on heat perception here in the UK

It’s likely too hot in many areas for dogs to be safely exercising today. Some tips to stay safe and cool:

*you don’t need to walk your dog Collect some sniffs on a walk by yourself - pick up some leaves, some sticks, bits of loose soil, perhaps some sheep fleece, animal hair on fencing etc … and bring it home and place in a box or two or on some dog towels or in a garden area, and let them sniff. Or pop to a car boot sale, a friends, a neighbours and get a few old baby toys, some worn clothing, other dogs toys or harnesses etc and bring them home for an investigation

*do a toy or sniffs or treat (or combo) search … by placing little tastes or scents in places found the house or garden and let your dog treasure trail at home

*biscuit bob - washing up bowl, bucket, paddling pool etc with water and float some kibble amongst some floating toys and let them enjoy getting them out (do this when they re not hungry to avoid frustration if they re not experienced bobbers!)

*make some cool pastes - you can soak kibble and make a mash, or add water to meat foods, or add flour and water to herbal tea or marmite or peanut butter or yoghurt and place in fridge. Once cool, put smears in a muffin tray or on different plates or bowls and let them investigate the different cool flavours

*keep the curtains / blinds closed!! Less sun in = less heat in. Consider setting up a fan if you don’t get much breeze in the hottest parts of the day

*damp some dog towels and place in fridge or freezer then lay them out in the hottest parts of the day to see if your dogs would like to lie on them

*avoid water play eg hosing, water pistols etc as whilst the dog gets wet, the exercise intensity is creating much muscle heat so they ll be hotter after, not cooler. Also grabbing too much water can cause health issues like low sodium if excessive, which can be really dangerous

*take care with natural swimming - seems a good idea but can be hot getting there and back and again, creates a lot of muscle heat for many dogs to recover from. Also HUGE issues at the moment with blue green algae in many places of the UK which is extremely toxic to dogs if swallowed

*have different sounds on the TV or speakers throughout the day - plenty of relaxing waterfall sounds, rainforest sounds, farm yard noises, classical music, pop / rock and other genres to enjoy … or audio books too!!

Plenty of cool, calm options to have a chilled out but interesting day! Stay cool and safe

(And don’t forget horses / rabbits/ cats / other furries too … give shade, give choice … )

28/03/2023

Alan decides to lay on my wrist whilst I try to work…. and then proceeds to look unhappy about his discomfort. For the love of cats
🥴😻
I have pins and needles.

23/02/2023

The certificate finally arrived! 👏 I can now believe it’s actually true 😂

20/01/2023

Yes this!

Most of what I do is with human learners. Once human and dog can understand each other, the rest falls into place. 🐕

11/07/2022

Some nice little tips here, for keeping your doggy cool over the next few weeks. 🐕☀️☀️

7am this morning and already nearly 20 degrees C outside. An early, shady potter for us today.
Whilst on the wander I plan the rest of the days COOL entertainment…. mostly resting I imagine.

We re in for a pretty hot week or two in the UK and many of us humans and dogs alike are not adapted to the heat. More dogs suffer from heat related injuries (mostly hyperthermia/ heat stroke) because of exercise rather than being in a hot car. But both are significant risk factors so we must be careful about both.
Walk early … or if it’s too hot already as it may well be for thick coated dogs, dogs with a fair amount of fat coverage / overweight dogs, brachycephalic dogs, dogs who just can’t go slow (such as pull hard on the lead) .. don’t walk at all unless you make plans to get up super early and only walk in shady places. Often it’s still hot at the end of the day too.

Choose grass over pavements unless you can guarantee shade. (If you don’t have a garden, take a large umbrella to carry to create temporary shade as you wander on local grass). Maybe visit a friend or neighbours garden instead of a walk. Or you go for the walk, collect some plants, twigs, leaves, feathers, sheep fleece etc and bring the walk home: my “walk in a box” idea. You can place the items you collected in a large low sided box or on a blanket indoors, or put them around your garden, and let your dog wander exploring the smells.

In an hour or two, our dogs will do a garden and house treasure hunt where we ll hide a few toys they ve not seen in ages, a few human friends socks and some treats in different places for them to find if they d like. I ll do this within an hour or two of their breakfast so they re not really hungry when we do it, otherwise they ll be more inclined to rush the game.

They ll probably choose to sleep for much of the day after that. I ll put out some damp towels on the hard floor / patio in shade in the hotter middle of the day, and if it’s really hot a couple in the vicinity of a fan. Then they can choose cooler lying places if they d like. We ll keep curtains and blinds down today so the sun doesn’t heat up the rooms.

We ll pop the radio on throughout the day but change stations - a period of classical, versus some soft rock versus some human chat. I might even pop on some rainforest or beach sounds for a while - relaxing for all!

After a smaller dinner, we ll probably do a little food based enrichment such as licki bowls and snuffle mats. Just bear in mind if your dogs hot and panting, to sniff and lick they can’t simultaneously pant so these “use your nose” games are definitely better at cooler times of day.

Avoid water play. For most dogs, jumping in and out of a paddling pool, “playing” with hoses or water pistols is far too arousing. They ll get too hot with increased exertion, and they may consume too much water - yes, water intoxication is a real thing where internal salt levels get dangerously low. Water in static hoses can get to almost boiling temperatures so if you do turn on a hose later in the day for your kids or garden, make sure you run it through safely away from anyone who get burnt.

Summer days can be just wonderful. And there are so many lovely places to visit including country shows or fairs and beaches …. But when it’s this hot, they re just not suitable places to take dogs too.

I hope you enjoy the beautiful weather, but mostly I hope your dogs stay comfortable and safe.

21/12/2021

🌲🎄🌲Is your dog prepared for Xmas? 🌲🎄🌲🎄🎄🌲🎄🌲🎄🌲🎄🌲🎄🌲🎄🌲🎄🌲

Many people brought home dogs over lockdown and since restrictions have been lifted lots of dogs are struggling to cope with people, the environment and visitors to the house.

As Christmas quickly approaches and everyone looks forward to having family over to celebrate it might be worth sparing a thought about the challenges this may pose for your dog. If they are not used to having even 1-2 people enter the home then multiple people paired with Christmas trees, decorations, flashing lights, restricted space, loud voices, new smells, party hats, party poppers, crackers and novel objects could be a sensory overload. 🎄🥂🎁🎈🎉

To ensure your dog feels safe, set up a safe place for your dog to retreat to now, so they can become familiar with it before Christmas Day. Ensure it is somewhere comfortable they can snuggle, duvets are great for this. Place treats and toys in this area so your dog perceives it as a really great place.

When people arrive it is a wonderful idea to have them bring something which smells of them which can be placed in a bag for your dog to sniff, without having to engage with the person directly. 🧤🧣🧦

If your dog already struggles with people then have them in another room and scatter some treats on the floor whislt you let the people in and say your hello’s. Once everyone is seated you could bring your dog out on a lead and give them high value treats for sitting /laying on a bed/mat next to you at a distance from the people. Do this for 5 minutes or so and then pop you dog back into their safe area or behind a baby gate. This principle allows the dog to relax and reset away from the visitors, as it isn’t possible to train and supervise constantly when you have guests , whislt still allowing you to create positive associations when they are supervised.

To ensure your dog is happy when they are having time away from guests, Freework can be a wonderful way to entertain them. Introduce them to the concept at least a week before Christmas so they are keen and excited to do Freework by themselves. For dogs who may guard food or objects you can gather scent from outside to place on and inside objects.

For info on Freework click the link below:
https://caninecompilation.com/free-work-enrichment-for-dogs/

Penny Ashby of Impeccable Behaviour

24/10/2021

To change behaviour we need to change conditions – not the animal! – by making the right behavior easier and more reinforcing.

The wrong question is to ask how to stop problem behavior. The right question is, ‘What do you want the learner to do instead?’ ” Susan. G Friedman

Changing behaviour is a fine balance between modifying the environment and promoting the behaviour you would like. Both must work in equilibrium.

19/07/2021

Last week I was lucky enough to be training some fish 🐠🐟🐡🥰
Yes you heard me correctly! 😊

Contrary to popular belief fish do not have a 3 second memory. This concept would be utterly ridiculous in the wild as how would a fish stay alive without being able to remember where the tastiest food comes from, the best places to hide and what things signal danger. Any living organism can be ‘trained’ with the principle of classical conditioning if we use primary reinforcers. Primary reinforcers are anything that is biologically important to the animal such as food.

In this video I am training the fish with husbandry/care behaviours. When the tank is being cleaned they need to be netted which is very stressful for the fish. Here, this Cherry Barb is being taught to swim into a jug of its own free will so this can be used to move the fish when needed. Choice and freewill is intrinsic to so much behaviour modification as this builds confidence. If you feel you have control and predictability to the situation you are in this reduces anxiety. Once a positive association has been made between the jug and food the fish will swim in voluntarily. These same principles apply to our dogs too.
🐠🐟🐡👏👏
Thanks Katie Mansford-Clark 👏👏

15/07/2021

Great ideas here for any dogs who are on cage rest for whatever reason. A no calorie way to enrich dogs and give them that well needed mental stimulation. 🐶🙌

4 more days of “indoor - outdoor” boxes prepped.

My son and I have been on some short wanders the last couple of days and collected various bits of fallen tree, leaves, grass, animal bedding, pond w**d, bird egg shell, feathers etc and set up collections ready to tip into the box when our other dog heads off for a walk. We have a pond walk, a park walk, a farm walk and a herb garden explore.

She can have the box, full of outdoor sniffs, to provide some stimulation as she’s on pen rest after a leg operation last week. Static, low or zero calorie is a useful part if enrichment in a variety of circumstances including post operatively.

She gets some enrichment including food as well but when dogs are on longer term exercise restrictions it’s important they don’t gain too much weight!

More enrichment ideas coming soon 😊

(Have a look back if you missed our recent posts)

09/07/2021

Love this 💙

01/06/2021

🐶💐THE OTHER END OF THE LEAD 🐶🌸🌷

Sometimes I see people yanking their dogs on a lead and it breaks my heart. Pulling on the lead is not a dog problem, a lead means nothing to the dog until we teach them. Dogs don’t walk in straight lines, they meander or move from side to side, so teaching them to walk looking up at you adoringly for 30 minutes is unsustainable and also a travesty as they are missing out on so much other important stimulation.

Often teaching your dog the meaning of a lead doesn’t start at the end of the leash, it is about teaching your dog to engage slowly with the environment. The big wide world can be scary for some dogs and over stimulating for others, so they may rush through it as this brings some relief. Showing them how to slow down, use their nose and investigate the environment means you inadvertently have a dog who takes their time and stays close by, this is ultimately what most of us would like. This allows you to appreciate the time you spend walking together rather than filling it with lead corrections which ultimately damage the guardian/dog relationship.

For details on working in harmony with your dog feel free to contact me for more info on behaviour programmes.

[email protected]

22/05/2021

Love this statement from Kathy Murphy 👏👏
So often we want to treat the ‘bad’ behaviour, get rid of it as quick as possible, when actually we need to look at the needs of the animal first. If I am asked ‘how do I stop my dog barking’, I am not looking at how I stop the bark, I will be delving deep into WHY does the dog bark.

“We have many powerful skill sets and tools to help us change unwanted behaviours but perhaps we should start by challenging the very premise that behaviour ‘needs’ to be changed, and think first about what needs need to be met? Not as part of a process of changing behaviour, because behaviour is information, but as part of a process of providing what’s needed (we don’t treat disease to change symptoms, we use symptom change to inform us about the success or not of treating disease).”- Barking Brains

29/04/2021

Some really poignant points about a dogs emotion and the benefits of removing judgement and labels. 🐶💙

Is it the dog's fault? Over the years, working with dogs and their humans, I have come across a great number of amazing people and equally, amazing dogs. However, many guardians that struggle to see past the sometimes, unsavoury behaviours of their dogs and to recognise the fractious emotional insta...

10/03/2021

Love this 👏
Many behaviours we perceive as ‘unwanted’ are brought about by the dog trying to bring relief in some way. Simply trying to stop the behaviour with obedience training or bending the dog to your will does not eradicate the root cause of the issue. It is essential to address the underlying emotions.