Raising My Rescue - Canine Behaviourist

15/11/2025

11/11/2025

I ignored my dog trainer - Here's why:

This moment right here - is why I ignored her. When I got Kuki, my frightened little fluff ball, who had been passed from shelter to quarantine to van to foster to me, he didn't know how to talk to me.

He didn't know how to safely walk past me, or hear me speak without jumping, or live indoors, or ask me for help.

Little things we take for granted when we have our dogs from puppies - a ball rolls under the sofa and they look to us. If Kuki lost a treat under something, he would just walk off.

He never asked to go outside, to come back in, never told me he was hungry or wanted a walk. Nothing.

My dog trainer came to meet him and told me "never do anything on his terms. You need to make sure he knows he's not in charge. If he asks for a cuddle, ignore him and call him back once he walks off".

Sorry, WHAT?!

I wanted to learn how to communicate safety and trust with my dog, not that "I am the boss" 😣

That's when I pulled my socks up and decided to bloody well do it myself and do my Level 4 Behaviour diploma!! I lost trust that I would be understood by trainers, or that my dog would be understood by ANYONE if this was the mentality.

I learned that finding someone who genuinely understands my overseas rescue was a big ask, so I became that person - now for him and for hundreds of others- for moments like this, where we can sit together and not need to say a word, because we have spent years communicating trust, understanding, friendship and safety - and never once have I found a need to try and tell him I am the boss.

02/11/2025

Meet Millie - the dog who would have happily eaten me, this labrador and a cyclist for breakfast a few months ago 🤣

I absolutely love Millie - she has come SO far since we started working together in the Summer.

Millie came from Bosnia like Kuki. She had a rough start in life and anyone who has an overseas rescue knows these souls are complicated enough as it is.

Millie met with different trainers - her family have worked hard for her. But sadly these trainers didn't understand overseas rescues and one said an ecollar and slip lead was the only answer.

Millie wasn't helped with these methods and her family lost trust in getting support, as is totally expected!

I met Sarah in our local pub, and got chatting. She knew of my work already so we decided to make a plan, and see how I could help Millie's severe reactivity towards dogs, people and vehicles.

A few months on and here we are - Millie isn't 100% with people or dogs yet, there's still a long way to go - but she's come so far now that we are feeling blown away, proud, and optimistic for the future.

Millie's family are working hard, I'm working hard, and Millie is smashing it 💪🥰🐾

31/10/2025

The next Separation anxiety video is now live, link in the comments for Dog Club members.

During this series, we'll cover:
- Earliest signs of separation anxiety
- More extreme signs
- What it might look like when you ARE at home
- ✨️ A hugely important part of training that is missing from almost all SA info you'll read online
- How to ease it from start to finish

Separation anxiety can be extreme, so please don't hesitate to contact me for 1-1 work if needed - the course is perfect for prevention, dealing wit low level SA and improving moderate levels, but your dog is nuanced and unique.

I hope you enjoy the course and learn lots! 🐾

29/10/2025

Looking up to our wonderful clinical and veterinary behaviourists tells me everything I need to know about the work I do and the trust in my methods - these are methods that work for a lifetime 🐾

29/10/2025

Want a neat trick? Here's how to spot how a recall was trained:

✨️ Positive Reinforcement Recall will look like ✨️
● A face of sheer joy 😄
● Straight line gait - confident and forward motion
● Soft body
● Consistent from start to finish - happy, soft, smooth run

💥 Aversively trained Recall will look like 💥
● Head dip after hearing the recall sound
● Slight twitch or shake if used an ecollar
● Abnormal gait - dips to one side initially perhaps, skips or missteps
● Tight mouth or squinted eyes

I saw a video a few days ago of an impeccable recall, which I agree is super important.

However, on hearing the word "come" the dog missed a step, twitched slightly, squinted her eyes and dropped her hips to one side before returning for her treat.

There was no ecollar on the dog, but when I checked, it was how the owner said she trained her.

With the collar no longer on the dog, she still flinched like it was there 😣

The evidence of these methods sticks around long after the method itself. The misstep, the twitch, the gait change.

How many recalls can you spot on social media that look the part, until you REALLY watch? 🕵🏼‍♀️

29/10/2025

Raising My Rescue - Canine Behaviourist are offering free fireworks training on their website not long now until Fireworks night and we all know they start before Fireworks night now so be prepared! 👇

I'm a Canine Behaviourist who understands the stress fireworks can put our dogs through. But just 5 mins of training a day could help your dog through fireworks season, providing you start now.
So once again, I'm offering my fireworks training method for free because I hate seeing all the local posts about how scared dogs are on fireworks night 😥 let's change it this year 💪
Www.raisingmyrescue.co.uk/free-tutorials

Thanks Molly

28/10/2025

I know you're going to want to react - I feel the same. Let me give you a step by step of what to do when you see horrible dog "training" videos on social media:

1️⃣ Stop watching - they don't deserve your engagement and views
2️⃣ Go to the profile of a Behaviourist or Trainer who you know and love, and engage with their content instead
3️⃣ Report the horrible video if necessary as violence and animal abuse

Help me get the word out - let's stop engaging with bullies!

28/10/2025

Sittingbourne clients please be careful in this area

22/10/2025

Let's compare!!!

If you've seen my previous videos of calm, settled Kuki when I get home, here's a comparison where he is less settled. This video shows some of the signs I'm looking out for 👀

🚩 Waiting at the door (I could see him through the glass which is why I started filming)
🚩 Jump up and lip lick
🚩 Stress release yawn
🚩 Paw up

These signals tell me Kuki was a bit worried while I was gone. If he was doing this every time, I'd be actively working on separation anxiety prevention using my Dog Club process, so they don't escalate. 💪

As these occasions are few and far between for Kuki, I'm not too worried yet but will keep it in mind and make some mental notes:

📝 I noticed the postie had been while I was out, so that would have worried him.

📝 We were gone about 3 hours, which is a tiny bit more than normal for us, so that could be related.

📝 He had his morning walk earlier than normal, so that could have affected him.

Take a look back at my previous video and compare these behavioural responses. Which one is more like your dog?

07/10/2025

Super excited 🥳 because we are seeing real-life examples of Kuki experiencing the (*swipe*) second reactivity pathway 🙌

At dog-club.co.uk you can find my Behaviour & Reactivity course to help you go from:

‼️ TRIGGER
🗣 REACTION
😨 PANIC

To:

❗️Trigger
🫡 "We've got this"
😌 Recovery

We spent yesterday in Padstow - super busy, lots of dogs, lots of people, and EVERYONE wanted to say hello to Kuki.

Our process:

👣 LOOK ahead to make sure we can see a clear(ish) pathway
🚧 SAY "thank you, but we are training" and block interactions we don't feel comfortable with
💡 ACTIVATE Kuki's "thinking" brain with a simple trick like a hand touch
🌳 RECOVER with a little nature sniffy time

We saw the evidence of this process and all the training we've done and support we've put in, when we had a multitude of triggers all at once and Kuki walked through this entire chaotic situation like it was nothing.

No panic, no shouting - and he lay down to watch the seagulls while we had tea and cake.

The Dog Club is about helping your dog FEEL better. Not "be" better - we aren't about good dogs. We are about HAPPY dogs. Because happy dogs are great dogs. 🐶

www.dog-club.co.uk

03/08/2025

I want to know - why do 21,000 people go to an 'Anxious Dog Support Group' on Facebook rather than seeking professional advice?

I think this speaks volumes about how guardians feel about professionals, I think it highlights the minefield we live in, where so many can do more harm than good.

It makes me nervous for our dogs - seeing the misguided, incorrect and damaging advice given by strangers over the Internet who know nothing about your dog.

Please please please, if you find yourself turning to a Facebook Group without professional support, seek out someone who can truly help you and your dog 🙏🐾

And if you are someone who feels safer asking for help from strangers online, what is it about professional support that is overwhelming? How can the dog behaviourist and trainer industry serve you better?