The Positive Canine - Behaviour Specialist

05/07/2025

Old dogs can learn new tricks 😉

Neurogenesis may be happening in a brain region essential for memory and learning.

27/05/2025

“Just ignore it and it’ll stop…” Ever heard that advice when your dog’s doing something ‘bad’...like barking, jumping, or whining? 😬

Let me tell you why that doesn’t work, and what to do instead.

I recently worked with two lovely little dachshunds who were constantly barking in the garden and at home. Ignoring it not only didn't stop it, but they would grow more frustrated.

Why? Because behaviour is communication. Dogs don’t act out for no reason. When we ignore them, we’re not addressing the cause, we’re just ignoring the symptom.

These two weren’t being “disobedient.” They were overwhelmed, under stimulated, and trying to tell us something the only way they knew how.

So instead of ignoring them, we started listening.

We looked at why they were barking, made small changes to reduce their stress, and gave them healthier, more appropriate ways to express themselves. And guess what? The barking started to ease, without punishment or constant “no’s.”

Here’s what happens when we ignore behaviour:
⚠️ Dogs can get more stressed and escalate the behaviour
⚠️ Or they shut down, which might look like improvement—but it damages trust
⚠️ The root cause is still there, so the behaviour often returns later

Have you ever tried ignoring a behaviour and found it made things worse?

24/05/2025

Does your dog get bored easily on walks? Instead of doing repetitive fetching, try getting them to use their nose and put those amazing senses to use!

19/05/2025

Hi everyone! I'm Karolina 👋🏼 To all new joiners and those who have followed since the beginning, I thought I would make a post to formally introduce myself and how I got to where I am 🐾

I'm a certified Behaviour Consultant via the International School of Canine Psychology and Behaviour. My interest in dog behaviour started when I grew up around my family dog, Cocker Spaniel called Oliver who really struggled with a lot of different triggers, especially around new people, resources and handling.

I originally went to uni to study Vet Nursing, but quickly realised it wasn't for me and moved into Animal Behaviour instead. Oliver really inspired me to understand why he behaved the way he did. Unfortunately my family had absolutely no experience with overcoming behaviour problems and did ALL the wrong things - prong collars, Cesar Milan, telling off and all that bs. It breaks my heart to think about today, but I can't change the past. I can however do better for dogs everyday through educating guardians and supporting dogs.

I do various bits of CPD and I love learning new things. I love training my dogs fun tricks, but my priority for my and any dogs I work with is their welfare; physical and mental wellbeing. I prioritise investigating the dogs emotional motivation behind any behaviour and addressing all possible underlying factors, not just the symptoms we see on the surface.

Learning to understand your dog is a journey and one you need to enter open minded, as there are a lot of myths and legends out there about dog behaviour and training. We share a really distinct and sometimes complicated relationship with dogs; my goal is to really help you get the best out of yours.

If you are considering getting help with your dogs behaviour, drop me a message for a chat before booking anything in to see how I can help 🩵