Grene Trest

09/11/2025

18/09/2025

What's your dog's battery like?

I've recently had a few cases where owners have been working really hard on an issue like reactivity to other dogs, being left alone, or simply adding in extra enriching training. And the dogs are rocking it... but also occasionally showing problem behaviour at home like destruction or snapping at their doggy housemates.
It can initially seem confusing... after all, the idea of training is for them to feel better and behave better. But in the early stages of learning a new 'sport' or a new way of acting around dogs and people are tiring mentally and physically. If your dog has used all their brain energy during training, they might not have the energy to cope with their bouncy housemate, or they might just want to rip something up to help them relax.
Once you know how your dog reacts when their batteries are low, and what drains their battery, you can plan better. Maybe give them some alone time to rest and relax, or offer something safe to destroy... whatever they need.
As they practise their new skills they won't drain the battery as fast and will be able to regulate their behaviour at home better too.

19/07/2025

Preventing unwanted litters is a goal we all share—but it's time to rethink the surgical approach. Hysterectomies and vasectomies, which preserve hormonal balance, can safely be performed as early as 8 weeks of age, making dogs sterile without disrupting their natural hormones.

In this study, researchers looked at whether the age at which dogs were spayed or neutered, meaning how long they were exposed to their natural s*x hormones, affected how healthy they were in old age. They studied a group of long-lived pet dogs to learn what helps dogs live longer, healthier lives. Dogs with the fewest age-related health problems were considered the most “robust.”

The results showed that both male and female dogs who kept their hormones longer (i.e., were spayed or neutered later) were 3 to 10 times more likely to be healthy in old age compared to those altered earlier. Once hormone exposure and age were taken into account, there was no difference in old-age health between males and females.

This study highlights how important s*x hormones may be for staying healthy later in life and shows that early-life decisions—like when to spay or neuter—can have long-term effects on health.