Know Your Dog - Behaviour & Training with Sally Lewis

03/09/2024

Louie can feel a bit worried when new people approach him so today we worked out some strategies to help him with this out on walks & at home. He did so well with me as a new person today! Looking forward to hearing how he gets on. We also tagged in some simple ways to help him be calmer around certain things out and about, giving him the time & space to process and make new connections.

Did you know...🤔
You don't need to offer your hand to a dog for them to smell you. That's just a hand coming at their face and can be scary. If they want to smell you, they will approach to do so, and approaching for a sniff is not an invitation for you to touch them. The hand thing is a common misunderstanding. The best thing you can do is keep your hands to yourself unless they indicate that they'd like you to stroke them, but that usually isn't if they're approaching for a quick sniff.

03/09/2024

I haven't done an intro post for a while and I've got a fair few new followers, so, hello!

My name is Sally & I'm a dog behaviourist based in South Devon, UK.
I live by the seaside with my rescue dog, my two children, and my husband.
I'm passionate about helping you understand the "why" behind your dog's behaviour and giving you strategies to help work through things you're finding challenging.

I'm a published author and you can find my two books on Amazon. Empowering Your Dog Through Choice (I often refer to this as my understanding your dog's needs and preferences 101), and Dogs Can Talk! An interactive storybook for children and families to learn about dog body language.
I also have online courses and webinars which you watch from home and enroll on at the click of a button.

I use a holistic, fear free approach, and do not use stress, pain, or fear in the name of behaviour modification.
My behaviour support plans are bespoke. I don't have a magic wand and don't offer quick fixes. What I do have is a lot of knowledge, understanding, and practical abilities ready to pass on to you. If you'd like to unpick some of your dog's behaviour and do this in a way that prioritises their wellbeing, then we will get on just great! My clients are a dedicated bunch that put in effort outside of their appointments, and when you're willing to do this, the things that you can achieve are amazing.

I'm not just a behaviourist. I like reading (although with a young baby at home, I've been converted to audiobooks), the sea, table top gaming, and more recently have taken up going to the gym to lift up heavy stuff 😂I'm a one man band at Know Your Dog which means I do all my own admin, accounting, enquiries as well as practical appointments. I do try my best to have a life outside of work, especially with young children at home, so if you are making an enquiry for the first time then please do this via email to [email protected] or message this page. It is a bit of a challenge for me to have long phone conversations with new clients around a young baby so this is much easier for us both. I'll get back to you as soon as I can, usually within a few days.

www.knowyourdogdevon.com

02/09/2024

“My dog has growled at a member of our household – should I punish them?”

This is a question I am asked about very frequently, so I thought I would put up a post about it.

Growling is very straight forward communication from our dogs to tell us that they are not comfortable with something, and growls are often used to request space. Dogs are not creatures that seek out conflict on a regular basis and will usually try to avoid it. They are also very good communicators.

Dogs communicate through using their body language, postures, social signaling, and vocalisations.

If a dog has reached the point of growling, we have probably missed many other subtle forms of communications from them before that. The growl is the less subtle request for space, or to stop doing something that they do not like. This precedes showing teeth, a snap, or a bite. We shouldn’t punish a dog asking for space, or asking us to stop doing the stressful thing – we should listen to it! That is a direct attempt to reduce tension from your dog, and to communicate that they aren’t happy.

So what could you do if a dog is growling at you in your home?
1. Give them space!
2. Think about what could have been going on to cause that, or how the situation could be managed differently in the future.
3. Think about what other body language may have been missed.

If we instead punish a growl, quite simply, the dog may just stop growling at you. On the surface, that might look like you’ve solved a problem, but all you’ve done is taught the dog that growling is ineffective and actually achieves the opposite of their goal to receive space. You haven’t dealt with WHY the dog was growling.

So, what happens if they learn growling is not functional communication? They might start skipping it all together. That is when they start snapping or using teeth.
I know that being growled at might not feel very nice, and it might even be scary, but it is communication. Dogs have evolved to read incredible amounts of our body language, micro-expressions that we might not even know we are making. Recent studies even show us that dogs can detect changes to our cortisol levels and our blood sugars, so they know when we are stressed. The least we can do for our four-legged family is understand them, too.

Some things you can look out for that might come before a growl (please note that not all dogs will do all of these things depending on them as individuals, their learning history, their physiology, and the context):
Show the whites of their eyes
Put their ears back
Increase their blinking rate
Look like they are smiling or have facial tension such as a furrowed brow
Yawn
Lick their lips
Turn their head away or lean away
Try to move away

This is not an exhaustive list of body language but are some lower level stress signals you can look out for.

If you have a young family or relatives with young children, you will find my book Dogs Can Talk! Very helpful. Written in the interest of dogs and children living harmoniously and safely, Dogs Can Talk is an interactive storybook for children and families to learn about dog body language. Including an engaging story and illustrations for children, more detailed notes for adults, and activities. You can find this on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dogs-Can-Talk-Sally-Lewis/dp/B0CZ8YSZ2Z
If you’re interested in learning more about dog body language or behaviour then you may enjoy some of my online courses or webinars at knowyourdog.thinkific.com

If you are concerned about your dog's behaviour and want some support, then it is better to reach out sooner rather than later. Don't let things escalate for months or years before getting some guidance. Drop me a message or seek the help of another qualified and accredited behaviourist (the dog behaviour industry is unregulated so always check out qualifications and relevant experience).

02/09/2024

Only 2 places left on each of these courses starting 1st Nov!
🐾 Doodle/Poo Club (for poodle mixes) 6pm
🐾 Small Dog Club (for small breeds) 7.30pm

Including life skills, nose work, breed based enrichment, increasing engagement with you (great for walks), lead walking, recall, plus info on dog body language and other useful tips!
Only £60 for 4 weeks. 3 sessions in Holcombe, the 4th session will be an out and about session at a location in Dawlish (location TBC closer to the time).
Message for more info and to book on.

01/09/2024

Would anyone like to join me for a facebook live to talk about firework stress reduction for your dogs? (free, on this page)

29/08/2024

We are back to it with our regular social walks, and what a lovely group of dogs we had this evening. I haven't seen some of them in quite a while and it makes me feel very special when they're so excited to see me! ❤️ well done to everyone, they all did fantastically tonight.

Our social walks are small on lead group walks in an on lead area, to give dogs the opportunity to spend time around other dogs and people in a controlled way. They have time and space to "be a dog", with no pressure to interact, so these walks are great for dogs who are building their confidence around others, as well as for dogs who are learning not to say hello to every dog they see.
Everyone that comes along is like-minded. We are a judgment free zone 🚫 and we use empathetic methods with our dogs.
If you're interested in joining these walks then message me to see if they'd be suitable for your dog. I have a couple of spaces left at the end of September and the beginning of October.

29/08/2024

27/08/2024

An evening with the very handsome Teddy, to help provide some insight to his family around some of the "why" behind his behaviour, and start the behavioural support process. He is a mixture of two breeds, can you guess which?
He is a cross breed that I've always loved, myself.

27/08/2024

I'm really pleased to share my renewed behaviourist membership with The Association of INTODogs. As well as being thoroughly assessed to join as a behaviourist, every year, INTODogs assess the amount of continued professional development I have done. This means that I am knowledge and skills assessed every year, not just when I initially become a behaviourist member.

INTODogs is a signatory organisation of the UK Dog Behaviour & Training Charter.

26/08/2024

Do you have an anxious dog?
An excitable dog?
A dog with allergies or itchy skin?
A dog with coat issues?
An older dog?
A dog with digestive issues?
A dog with mobility issues?
A sensitive dog?
A rescue dog?
A dog who can struggle with being calm?
A dog who eats natural materials on walks?
Basically...do you have any dog 😅
OR are you...
Somebody who just loves dogs and likes to learn everything you can to help them?
Somebody who works with dogs?
Somebody who is passionate about holism, and a holistic approach to both physical and mental wellbeing?
Interested in natural approaches?

Then you DO NOT WANT to miss this amazing day on Saturday 7th December with the brilliant Speak Dog Education with Rebecca Hanlon. Rebecca will be teaching us about self-selection (self medication), phytotherapy, herbalism, and how we can use these practices to help look after our dogs. With both practical and theoretical elements to our day, this is going to be really special. Only £100 per place. Events like this don't come up frequently so pop Rebecca a message on Whatsapp on +44 7799 350300 to enquire and book your space. This will be held in Holcombe (just outside Dawlish) with parking on-site.

If you're thinking about travelling for this event, let me know, some people have enquired about dog friendly accommodation and I'll be happy to help signpost you where I can.

26/08/2024

Sometimes people apologise to me for the way their dog walks on a lead. Just because I work professionally with dogs doesn't mean I have an expectation that your dog walks next to you like a robot. I care more about your dog's happiness, your connection with them, and how you cater to their needs, MUCH more than I care about their lead walking (it's actually quite low on my priority list 😂). You will never receive judgment from me for your dog pulling on their lead. If your dog is pulling because they're stressed, I will of course want to help you out with that so that your dog is happier. If you don't want to get dragged down the road so that you're having a calmer walking experience, I'll help you with that too, because that isn't fun and can be dangerous. I understand that.

But please never ever feel like I will be passing judgment for your dog walking ahead of you on lead or pulling sometimes. There are more important things. My dog walks to the end of his lead too. It's his walk 😀

Photo of my beautiful friend Barley who has a beautiful connection with his guardian out and about, and doesn't he look happy in this photo?

(PS, as a side note, feeling safe, relaxed and having a good connection with the human end of their lead is the foundation for improved lead walking anyway...so if this is something you did want to work on...you need to think about these things first)

25/08/2024

A great post by Liz. There's always a reason why a behaviour is happening. Puppies & dogs don't do things to spite anyone or to be "naughty".

The giant puppy was 5 months old yesterday!

She is being a pickle in the garden today pulling up grass and getting easily overexcited.

WHY? It’s important to ask why……. And not just think she’s being naughty!

She’s been loosing her baby teeth this past week and today I noticed a loose baby pre-molar and quite a lot of blood on the top and bottom jaws where teeth are loosening and falling out.

She can’t tell me this hurts but she can show me with her behaviour and I believe her being a ‘pickle’ is down to some tooth pain or soreness in her gums and her not knowing how to cope with this.

I’ve made sure she’s got lots of different things to chew on and when she is in the garden I’m supervising so she doesn’t wreck things that I don’t want her to wreck. I can redirect her to play with me with a toy or to engage with her doggie sister for a game.

This helps her to cope and me not to get annoyed.

Ultimately I have a lot of sympathy for her because I had a lot of dental pain as a teenager when I had braces on my teeth to straighten them. It’s no fun.

(the green blob is a modesty blob 😆)

24/08/2024

Say no to shock collars.

24/08/2024

I am asked for dog walker recommendations a lot. There’s a lot of dog walkers in the area, and I’ll be honest that I don’t know each one that is out there, when so many new ones pop up so often. Whilst I do have some that I recommend locally, I thought it would be more useful for me to share my dog walker green flags. There are no regulations for those working in the dog care industry (the only thing that is regulated is veterinary care) so this is just my personal view.

🐾 They ask lots of questions about your dog’s behaviour, their likes, dislikes, and what makes them “them”. This shows that they are more likely to be able to cater to your dog’s individual needs and are interested in doing this.

🐾 They have taken time to learn about dog body language from reputable sources, and can evidence this understanding in one way or another. ANYONE working with dogs professionally should be able to read dog body language, and you don’t just learn this from spending time around dogs a lot. I’ve taught people that have had dogs for 40+ years new things about body language. Being able to read body language is essential for making sure any dogs in their care are happy. If there are things causing them worry or discomfort then the walker will be able to recognise this if they can read the dog’s body language.

🐾 They’ve taken time to learn about dog behavioural basics including recognising when a dog is becoming overwhelmed, how the environment impacts the dog, and some breed-based behaviours.

🐾 If they offer group walks, they carefully consider the compatibility of different dogs, and don’t just lump them together without managed introductions. If they tell you your dog doesn’t quite fit in with any of their groups, it is because they’re looking out for your dog and also the others. Sadly I’ve known more than one dog come to me for behavioural changes after going on a group walk and being put in to a group that probably wasn’t right for them, with no managed introduction to the group.

🐾 They recognise potential for resource guarding on group walks and manage accordingly, to prevent tension and conflict between the dogs. That might mean your dog doesn’t get to play with their favourite squeaky toy on their walks, because the other dogs might also really want that toy and there aren’t enough to go around.

🐾 THEY ARE INSURED – anyone working professionally with dogs should be insured.

🐾 Their ethics as a dog walker are clear from the outset, in terms of their approach, ethos, and values. They may even hold some dog behaviour qualifications, dog walking qualifications, or can evidence some understanding of dog behaviour beyond just liking dogs.

🐾 They will not let your dog off-lead unless they are confident in their recall and if it is safe for them to spend time off-lead. I’ve known dogs get lost when this has not been considered. It doesn’t mean the dog can’t spend time on a long line, though, and they can still have a fun enriching walk.

🐾 They prioritise your dog’s welfare above all else and will advocate for them when they are in their care.

🐾 They respect your wishes for your dog providing that they aren’t being asked to do anything that is not in the interest of the dog’s overall welfare. I know how scary it can be letting somebody else walk your dog, it requires a lot of trust. That trust needs to be respected. If your wishes aren’t being respected (e.g. “please don’t take him to the beach as it’s a bit busy for him there”, “he doesn’t like walking around our estate so please could you take him to XX place instead”) then that would concern me.

🐾 They are not harsh with your dog and do not use aversive training methods. They support the use of ethical training, and compassionate methods.

🐾 They know their limits. A dog walker is a fantastic part of the team around the dog but does not replace the role of a qualified behaviourist, or a vet (some behaviourists may offer dog walking services in some circumstances for their clients, and this is a bit different of course). If the dog is experiencing complex behavioural challenges (for example, reactivity), this can be discussed with the family, who may choose to employ the help of a behaviourist. I am always keen for dog walkers to get involved with supporting ongoing behavioural coaching if any of their clients have come to me, and am even happy for the walker to come to sessions if they’d like to, so we are all on the same page and understand the causes for the behaviour, as well as steps we’re going to take to help with the behaviour. The dog walker can then put in to practice our coaching strategies and management on walks, and provide greater consistency. They aren't expected to come to sessions, but at the very least, I always suggest to my clients that they share my recommendations and assessment with their dog walker.

🐾 They are respectful of other dogs, people, and livestock in the environment when they’re out on walks.

🐾 If travelling with you dog in their vehicle, the set up is suitable for the safety and comfort of your dog.

To add in some information about boarding and sitting. Dog boarding (looking after your dog in THEIR home) requires licensing by the council. They should have a license number. Dog SITTING (looking after a dog in YOUR home) does not need a license.

Dog walkers can be a great part of your support network, "team around the dog", and it can be helpful for your dog to form a positive relationship with a walker in case you need to employ their walking or sitting services.

22/08/2024

After a break from behavioural assessments over the summer, I was back to it tonight with lovely Fig. It's such a special feeling when a dog who can be sensitive around strangers accepts you as a safe person, and I was really pleased that Fig made the choice to trust me today.

She's in her second home but luckily has landed on her paws with a family who are going at her pace, have recognised her sensitivities, and the situations she finds tricky. She did so well today and I'm looking forward to hearing what she gets up to before I see her again soon.

I'm currently booked up to the beginning of October for new behavioural assessments so please don't delay if you were thinking about booking in as a new client.

22/08/2024

Please see the below. I've had a few messages to ask if I knew if the Dawlish Loves Dogs Day at the Warren would be going ahead this year. Although I helped to organise the first event in 2022, it was then taken over by DTC as the organisers in 2023, although I did have a stall last year and gave two talks.
Hopefully we will see this event back in 2025. In the meantime if you wanted to speak to me at the dog day for any reason then drop me a message.

21/08/2024

'He's limping, but he's not in pain!'

This is something we hear, a lot.

And unfortunately it can lead to a huge amount of pets carrying on with chronic pain without the necessary medicinal or multimodal support.

An article by Vet Help Direct helps to explain more about where this confusion stems from:

Limping and stiffness can be caused by several different conditions. The most common being acute injuries and skeletal issues like osteoarthritis (OA). As many as 80% of dogs over 8 years old have OA in one or more joints.

The way that our dogs display pain may not be how we expect; limping usually equals pain or discomfort!

The article covers:

➡️ The difference between acute and chronic pain
➡️ If your pet will ever limp without pain
➡️ Treatment options

https://vethelpdirect.com/vetblog/2022/04/12/your-dogs-limping-that-means-hes-in-pain/

19/08/2024

How much does price and marketing influence what you feed your dog?
Yesterday I had to nip to pick up some dog food. Our delivery hasn't arrived yet, so I've been home cooking for him, but ran out of that yesterday too so went to the shop and out of interest, I started looking at different foods within a similar price bracket to what I usually paid.
Our usual food is around £1.60 - 1.90 (depending where you go) per "container". The food I was looking at, purely out of interest, was priced at £1.85.
✅️ What is in our usual food...
Lamb (75%), Butternut Squash (4%), Carrots (2%), Peas (2%), Minerals, Linseed Oil (0.5%), Dried Seaweed (0.45%), Herbs 0.12% (Camomile, Parsley, Rosemary, Nettle), Fructo-Oligosaccharide (0.05%), Glucosamine (50mg/kg), Chondroitin (50mg/kg), Yucca Extract (0.005%)
🤔 What was in this other food...
Cereals, fish and fish derivatives (14% of this is whitefish), meat and animal derivatives (of which 4% is chicken), oils and fats, derivatives of vegetable origin, provence herbs.

It is important to understand that ingredients are listed in the order of most - least in these foods. So the main ingredients in food 1 is lamb, the main in food 2 is cereals.

Don't know what meat and animal derivatives are?
According to All About Dog Food, "According to European law, 'meat and animal derivatives' is defined as "All the fleshy parts of slaughtered warm-blooded land animals, fresh or preserved by appropriate treatment, and all products and derivatives of the processing of the carcass or parts of the carcass of warm-blooded land animals".

Does the above give anyone else visions of Jamie Oliver showing everyone what went in to some children's food in the 90s, stood next to a pile of turkey carcasses? That's what it makes me think of!

Derivatives of vegetable origin, according to pet-shopper: Derivatives of Vegetable Origin: This term allows the use of anything that is not classed as a cereal. It is generally waste material from the Human food preparation industry. By the time it is processed at high temperature, it contains no nutritional value except as another fibre source.

So, food 1, nutritional, minimally processed. Food 2...pants. Food 2 is VERY well marketed, and is the SAME PRICE AS FOOD 1. In fact, there are some really poor quality dog foods that are quite expensive.
Don't be sucked in by marketing! Understand what goes in to your dog's food and READ THE LABEL. Food is fuel for your dog's body. If we put rubbish fuel in our car, it doesn't perform well, and it might break down. Keeping your dog in tip top shape starts at feeding them good quality food. Diet also has a significant impact on behaviour.

18/08/2024

Dog professionals can work together – and we are often stronger for it.

Sometimes people are surprised that I don’t view other behaviourists in the area as ‘competition’. Far from it. Especially when those behaviourists are following a welfare based, choice based, ethical approach to their work.

Working in the dog behaviour and training industry can be really hard, and isolating at times. I love my job, but it can be emotionally challenging too. A lot of the time, we are self-employed, often working alone. We can be expected to answer our messages at all hours, which is unreasonable for any profession and is something I don’t make a habit of doing.

I have a group of friends who are behaviour professionals (you know who you are if you’re reading this) that are part of my network of wonderful people in my life that I have met through this job. I don’t view a single one of them as competition. I celebrate the fact they’re busy, their latest achievements. We are stronger when we work together. I know they view me the same way. We understand the challenges of this job and can talk about our day (respecting client confidentiality).

Some of us specialise in some areas, others specialise in other areas. This means if for whatever reason we feel we should refer a case on, we can do this, knowing that the dog & client will be in good hands and receiving the best support they can. This isn’t because we don’t want you as a client, it is because we want you and your dog to receive the right support for you, within the right timescale. We can learn from each other, and the experience others may have in a certain field. Even if we follow the same overall approach, we can learn things from one another by the way one person approaches a situation or speaks with a client (it may be different to how we do it).

Some of us offer services that others do not. A lot of my clients benefit from scent work, but it isn’t something I offer as part of a regular structured program of work. I know others that do offer structured scent work, and we often share clients in this way. They might refer the dog to me for a specialism I have in a certain area, or for a service I offer that they don’t. Quite often myself, and a couple of other local practitioners, will “share a client” in this way, where we offer different input and specialisms. I consider us as working as “a team around the dog”, with the wellbeing of the dog at heart of this team work approach.

I also work with some wonderful other professionals, like physios, vets, groomers, even dog walkers and sitters. We can form a fantastic team around the dog resulting in better outcomes, ensuring their needs are being met.

These are the reasons I don’t consider other welfare-based professionals as competition. We are all part of a big team, striving towards the same common goal to improve the lives of dogs and their families, through education and an empathetic approach. We are stronger when we are working together. We might work ‘alone’, as separate businesses with our own business models, but we can still support each other in this way. It is my view that supporting them as professionals, and supporting their businesses, doesn’t damage my own. In fact, if anything, it enhances my experience as a professional and as somebody running their own business.

So, to my dog professional friends, who are now not just colleagues but personal friends – thank-you for being part of my journey as a dog professional! If there’s somebody you want to thank for being part of your professional network, why not tag them below?

17/08/2024

Thanks to everyone that came to the Canine Body Language seminar. It was great to see you all more confidently picking up what was being said in the pictures/videos at the end. Your dogs will thank you for the time you spent learning to understand their communication today.

The next "event" coming up is the Canine Self-Healing & Herbalism day course with the amazing Rebecca Hanlon from Speak Dog Education on 7th December. This will be a fantastic day consisting of theoretical and practical elements learning about self selection (zoopharmacognosy), herbalism, and Phytotherapy. Not to be missed.

16/08/2024

Due to unforeseen circumstances ONE GIFTED PLACE is now available at tomorrow's seminar. This is due to somebody that was booked on, no longer being able to come. They have kindly given me permission to gift their place to somebody that would like to come.
To confirm, this place is already paid for so your attendance is covered. Please message me (I might not see comments) tonight if you'd like the place.

16/08/2024

Do you have a puppy? Are you getting one? Do you work with dogs?

In the early days of having a puppy, many people focus on puppy training...but in my experience as a behaviourist, formal puppy training (sit, down, stand - position type training) DOESN'T actually help your puppy in the real world, and more importantly, doesn't help YOU to understand them. This can lead to behaviour problems arising in the future without you knowing why.
I put together the puppy essentials online course for you to take from the comfort of your own home, which will compliment any other training you're doing, to help set you and your puppy up for success in the early days.

Including:
3.5 of easy to understand video content. This course is webinar-based, broken up in to small lessons to work through at your leisure. Topics include:

🐾No Blank Slates - Genetics/Epigenetics, Passing on Behaviours, Mum's Experience During Pregnancy
🐾Development, Fear Impact Periods, Adolescence and Adulthood
🐾Socialisation, Common Mistakes & Important Considerations, and Social Regression
🐾Dog Body Language
🐾The Emotional Bucket & Trigger Stacking
🐾Puppy Behaviours, Quality Rest, Mental Stimulation
🐾Introducing Walks & Walking Equipment
🐾Calm & Confidence on Walks (including reasons your puppy may stop on walks)
🐾Coaching & Learning (including practical exercises around engagement and building calm, with demo videos)
🐾Recall Information, Safety Tips, and Relevant Dog Law (around control of dogs in public & private spaces)
🐾Industry Regulation (tips if looking for a Trainer/Behaviourist), plus Other Resources

Get a MASSIVE 75% off using code SUMMER75 at checkout. This code will work for any courses on the Know Your Dog Online Learning Hub this August, so why not treat yourself and upgrade your understanding of dogs?
Access Puppy Essentials here: https://knowyourdog.thinkific.com/courses/puppy-essentials