Troublesome Tails

13/09/2024

❤️🥹I know we shouldn’t have favourites but… MIDNIGHT 🥹❤️
A whole lot of energy mixed with lack of socialisation calls for walk and train sessions 😆😜

06/09/2024

Gorgeous Midnight has signed up for some walk and train sessions after having an initial 1:1 - Reggie helping as always ❤️🙏🏻

02/09/2024

💕Beautiful puppers 💕

31/08/2024

31/08/2024

Gorgeous Bertie at our 1:1 session today ❤️

05/08/2024

Thank you 🤩

09/07/2024

We are never going to have the exact same goals, desires and needs as others. And the lessons we need to learn and go through simply won’t be the same.

Our path is for us only which is what makes us experts in us and our journey.

We can’t change the journey of others, we might not be able to change our own. But we can change the way we experience it, and that starts with comparing only to our yesterday. Never to someone else’s today.

29/06/2024

A lovely review 💕

28/06/2024

💕💕

21/06/2024

I am SO proud of this gorgeous boy 💕 Being part of Lemmys rehabilitation journey has been so rewarding 💕

31/05/2024

🎉🥰One of my favourite cases to work with 🥰🎉

29/05/2024

💕A lovely review from Dollys owner 💕

29/05/2024

Walk and Train sessions with these two 🥰❤️

15/03/2024

Dogs behave the way they do for many reasons. They do NOT do things deliberately to be stubborn or ‘naughty’, nor do they aim to assert control. Outdated mythologies and training methods have detrimental effects on well-being and strain the relationship between a dog and their caregiver.

🧬A dog's breed and genetic makeup can play a significant role in determining certain behavioural traits. Dogs have genetic predispositions and breed-specific tendencies that contribute to their behaviour.
Some breeds are predisposed to specific behaviours, such as herding, hunting, or guarding.

The environment in which a dog is raised and lives can profoundly impact their behaviour. Early socialisation, which involves exposing a puppy to a wide range of people, animals, and environments during their critical developmental period, is crucial for building confidence and shaping a dog's social behaviour to reduce fear or aggression.

Overstimulation can cause all kinds of unwanted behaviours as it overwhelms their senses and can lead to hyperactivity or erratic responses. For example, if a dog is exposed to loud noises, multiple people, and various stimuli all at once, or on a daily basis, they might exhibit excessive excitable behaviour, poor impulse control, become agitated and exhibit behaviours like jumping, barking, or pulling on the leash, as their senses are overwhelmed by the excessive input.

Previous experiences and learning consequences can influence a dog's behaviour. Traumatic experiences, in particular, can lead to fear, anxiety, or aggression.

How a dog is trained and educated by their caregiver or handler can significantly affect their behaviour. Consistent, positive reinforcement-based training can lead to desired behaviours, while harsh or inconsistent methods can result in confusion or fear.

A dog's health, including their physical and mental well-being, can influence their behaviour. Illness, pain, or discomfort can lead to changes in behaviour.

A dog's emotional state, including fear, anxiety, and excitement, can affect their behaviour. For example, a fearful dog may display unpredictable defensive reactive behaviours or might avoid any encounters and run away trying to hide. While a confident dog may exhibit playfulness and a relaxed demeanour.

A dog can become frustrated and destructive if their mental and physical needs are not met. This dog, full of pent-up energy and boredom, may become frustrated and exhibit poor impulse control. In their frustration, they might resort to destructive behaviours, such as chewing furniture, digging up the garden, or incessant barking. This destructive behaviour is often an expression of their frustration and an attempt to alleviate their built-up energy and mental stress.

The type of diet a dog receives can significantly influence their behaviour, with high-quality nutrition promoting better energy levels, mood, and overall well-being, while poor diet choices can lead to issues like irritability, hyperactivity, or digestive problems.

As dogs age, they may experience canine cognitive decline, which can manifest as changes in memory, learning, and behaviour. This condition can lead to increased confusion, disorientation, and altered social interactions in older dogs.

It is really important to understand that each dog is unique, and their behaviour can vary widely, even within the same breed. Dogs use body language, vocalizations, and other forms of communication to express their needs, emotions, and intentions. Understanding a dog's communication cues is essential for interpreting their behaviour.

19/01/2024

🧊🥶What a gorgeous morning 🥶🧊

19/01/2024

😎🐾The best boys 🐾😎

12/01/2024

Gorgeous boys
❤️ Lemmy and Reggie ❤️

02/01/2024

Looking at the why behind a behaviour is the best thing we can do for our dogs, and ourselves.

When we see behaviour for what it really is, we realise it’s not personal, just practical for our dogs at the time.

18/12/2023

One of my favourite pictures 🐶☃️❄️🌨️

11/12/2023

🥰 MARSHALL 🥰

🤩 Helping to socialise this gorgoeus boy with some walk and train sessions 🤩

Ft. My helper, Reggie ❤️

04/10/2023

IS YOUR DOG “STUBBORN”, OR STRUGGLING?

It is all too easy to describe our dogs as stubborn when we are feeling frustrated that they don't seem to be listening to us, or aren't being very cooperative. “Nose down, tail up, ears off!” is often repeated when it comes to scent hounds. However, if we aren’t achieving the response that we are looking for from our dogs, we need to consider why and how we can help them out.

*Are we being clear in what we are asking of them, and do they understand?
*Is our teaching and reinforcement history adequate?
*Are we asking too much of them too soon and not building solid foundations first?
*What is happening in the environment which may be impacting them?
*Are they trigger stacked and not in the right frame of mind to be able to focus and learn new things? *Are they suffering from undiagnosed pain?
*Are they physically capable of what we are asking them to do?

When our dogs aren't able to do as we ask, we need to consider why, and understand that they are not purposely being difficult, but need some help from us. We may not always be aware of potential problems: a worrying scent, a noise in the distance that we are unable to hear, or they might be experiencing pain or discomfort. To automatically label their behaviour as stubbornness, naughtiness or disobedience is a great disservice to our dogs. Being unable or unwilling to do something is vital information that we need to acknowledge, take on board, and respond to appropriately. We should always be questioning WHY.

With any behavioural concerns, it is really important to get a thorough veterinary check to rule out any undiagnosed medical conditions; we know that up to 80% of behavioural cases have an underlying pain component.

If in doubt, always get checked out!

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https://www.trailiepawsforthought.com/

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18/09/2023

Absolutely love receiving updates from my clients. Charlie was becoming increasingly reactive toward external noises and movement surrounding the home. Some simple steps implemented and Charlie is feeling a lot calmer. Super proud of Charlie and his owner ❤️

17/08/2023

❤️Gorgeous Martha❤️

29/06/2023

The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) researchers would like to understand how Information in adverts affects puppy buying. Please help them by completing this short, anonymous survey. Thank you.

24/06/2023

💡Understanding your dog's threshold is crucial in managing their reactivity and anxiety levels. It helps you determine the optimal distance or intensity at which to expose your dog to triggers that cause their reactivity during behaviour modification exercises. By keeping your dog emotionally below ‘threshold’, you can create a more controlled and comfortable environment for your dog, allowing them to remain calm and responsive.

When the concept of “going over threshold” is brought up, people often envision a dog barking, snarling, or displaying aggressive behaviour. However, it is important to recognise that “going over threshold” means crossing over into an emotionally distressed state, which may manifest as shutting down, freezing, exhibiting overly excitable behaviour, or becoming so distracted that there is a loss of connection.

⚖️Pushing a dog beyond their comfort zone (threshold) can lead to heightened anxiety, fear, and potentially aggressive behaviour. It is essential to respect and work within their threshold levels to ensure their emotional well-being which in turn will help facilitate effective training and behaviour modification.

When a dog is over threshold, they are primarily reacting rather than thinking – they are in a fight-flight, freeze, fidget, or fawn state. Their emotional and physiological responses are heightened, making it difficult for them to ‘listen’ or respond to cue’s. They may be too overwhelmed or focused on the perceived threat to process information effectively.

Through systematic desensitization (gradual exposure therapy), and counter-conditioning (changing an emotional response) techniques, you can help raise your dog's tolerance levels towards a stimulus that causes emotional distress over time. By carefully managing their exposure to triggers and pairing it with positive experiences and rewards, you can help them develop more resilience and confidence, allowing them to handle challenging situations with greater ease.

Mardi Richmond MA, CPDT-KA describes it as: -
“Consider the threshold of a front door. When you cross a threshold, you move from one space to another. A behaviour threshold is a similar concept; it is when your dog crosses from one emotional state to another. If you spend time with a dog that is concerned about other dogs, you have probably witnessed the moment when he or she moves from seemingly okay into out-of-control behaviour. That is going over threshold.”

When a dog is over threshold, teaching them new behaviours or trying to modify their behaviour becomes challenging and would be inappropriate to do at that moment in time as they are not in the right frame of mind for learning to take place. Their heightened state makes it difficult for them to learn and retain new information. It is important to bring the dog back to a ‘sub-threshold’ state before attempting any training or behaviour modification.

✏️Furthermore, thresholds are not fixed and can fluctuate. Unlike physical thresholds like a front door, emotional and behavioural thresholds can fluctuate depending on various factors. These factors include the dog's current state of arousal, the environment, previous experiences, and the specific trigger or stimulus.
Having awareness of the dog's threshold levels and being vigilant in their behaviour and responses is crucial for effective management and training.

Adjusting the distance, intensity, or duration of exposure to triggers based on the dog's threshold can help create a more conducive learning environment and prevent the dog from becoming over threshold.

22/06/2023

❤️It was a pleasure training Lilac❤️

20/06/2023

🥰🤗⭐️

14/06/2023

10/06/2023

There are a lot of different reasons for your dog's behaviour, intentional vindictiveness or naughtiness isn't one of them.

All behaviours have a function. They serve the individual in some way. Behaviours are the observable actions of any number of underlying environmental and internal processes. Assumptions are not only unhelpful, they are potentially damaging and neglect to address your dogs' reality.

Step back and take a moment to observe what your dog is telling you. If you need help, reach out to a certified and qualified professional.

05/06/2023

🥰❤️⭐️