Katie The Dog Trainer

25/08/2025

✨Pattern Games - Ping Pong✨

🏓 Seems simple ? That’s the point…

Pattern games like Ping Pong, which involves the easy pattern of throwing treats side to side reinforcing the dog for orienting back towards the handler, have multiple benefits for our dogs.

Predictability reduces anxiety. By having this predictable movement based pattern to follow it can help them to feel more safe, secure, confident, in control, comfortable, focused and relaxed in situations which they may otherwise of struggled in.

This simple repetitive pattern offers a known outcome of events to support them in shifting from a state of hyper arousal and tension into a calmer more content mindset.

Physical movement can help decrease their frustration and physical tension within the body, encourage natural patterns of behaviour while in turn increasing engagement with their humans and the benefits of the surrounding environment.

11/08/2025

✨Trust Account ✨

Trust is a fundamental component for a strong lasting bond and the foundations of a solid relationship.

When looking at the relationship between you and your dog think of this as a bank account, The more you invest the richer you’ll become.

Every time you reinforce a behaviour you’re making a deposit into a very important savings account. When regular deposits are made into this account the behaviour is more likely to reoccur in the future and the relationship increases.

Deposits into the account shouldn’t only be made through valuable reinforcement but also through giving them the opportunity to make choices, meeting their specific needs and allowing them to feel safe, secure and content.

Each time a withdrawal is taken from the account through fear, stress, punishment, force or threat there is a risk of bankruptcy leading to a relationship breakdown. A strong history of positive reinforcement as well as listening to their communication can maintain the relationship and reduce the impact when a situation occurs where a withdrawal would be needed such as the administration of medication.

Withdrawal from the account should always be avoided unless absolutely necessary.

08/08/2025

✨Dogs aren’t perfect and that’s okay✨

No human is perfect so why do expect our dogs to be?

As a society we expect a lot from our dogs and it’s easy to be critical of their behaviour. Almost all behaviours that are considered problematic are functional natural behaviours that just aren’t seen as socially acceptable.

Obviously we want our dogs to feel safe and comfortable in the world around them but that doesn’t mean they aren’t good dogs if they struggle with noises, unfamiliar people, other dogs etc.

They are imperfectly perfect, they’re doing their best in a busy world that’s not designed for them. They aren’t trying to make things hard, difficult or complicated.

Celebrate the things that make them unique, focus on their successes, embrace their quirks, lean into their strengths and love them for who they are.

Reel inspiration jessdogtraining 🧡

05/08/2025

✨The weather & behaviour✨

Since storm Floris has moved in you may of noticed a change in your dogs behaviour.

All dogs are extremely sensitive to environmental change. When we experience extreme weather or even just an increase in wind speed this can impact our reactive & anxious dogs.

They may appear more vocal, hypervigilant to the environment, alert, restless, anxious, fearful, stressed or generally less engaged.

This is because when we experience high winds the level of sensory input is increased, sounds and scents are carried much further distances meaning they are exposed to sudden changes in the level, intensity and frequency of noises and scents of whatever it is they find worrying, other dogs, people, traffic etc.

Pain and discomfort can be amplified in these conditions from startling with sudden noises, not getting the correct amount of rest, feeling unsafe, change in environmental pressure and overall tension.

Focus on soothing, calming activity such as sniffing, chewing, licking or seeking to help regulate their nervous system and encourage relaxation.

16/07/2025

✨Licking and Pain✨

Pain in dogs doesn’t always present in the most distinctive ways, even the most subtle changes to our dog’s behaviour could indicate a level of pain or discomfort so should always be investigated.

Alongside noise sensitivity, a change in gait and physical sensitivity for Dodger a really key sign that his pain is elevated is localised licking of his forelimbs and nose.

Though licking can be a completely normal behaviour, elevated repetitive licking specifically in a localised area can be an indicator of pain, discomfort, allergies, anxiety or stress.

When licking the brain releases neurotransmitters; dopamine, serotonin and endorphins which are naturally calming and soothing. Due to this licking can quickly become a coping mechanism, displacement behaviour or an abnormal repetitive behaviour.

When this behaviour happens repeatedly, painful sores can develop on the skin known as lick granuloma as well as other lesions or infections.

Always investigate pain as a factor for any sudden changes in your dogs behaviour.

30/06/2025

☀️ Dogs Die On Hot Walks ☀️

The summer weather is here in full although it’s tempting to make the most of this warmer weather it’s important to make sure this isn’t at the detriment of our dog’s welfare

The UK has been issued with an Amber heat health alert due to temperatures expected to reach 34°C.

🧽 This isn’t being a fun sponge - it’s a risk to their life.

Exercising dogs in the heat can be and IS fatal. For all dogs especially elderly, young, medically compromised, thick coated or brachycephalic breeds exercising in temperatures over 20 °C comes with increased risks 25°C+ it’s WAY too hot .

🔥 Dogs lose their lives every year due to heat related injuries, no dog has ever died from missing a walk.

Signs of heatstroke:
⛔️ Loss of Mobility, Wobbliness, Drowsiness or Collapsing
⛔️Heavy Panting, Thick Saliva & Increased Drooling
⛔️Dark Red or Pale Gums
⛔️Vomiting or Diarrhoea
⛔️Lethargy or Confusion
⛔️Excessive Thirst
⛔️Increased Heat Rate

🚨 Heat stroke is a medical emergency if you suspect your dog is suffering from heat stroke act fast and reduced their temperature as quickly as possible, rapid cooling saves lives.

WET Before VET, Call the vet immediately but start the cooling process before transport:

💦 Seek shade & offer water
💦 Full body immersion into the nearest body of water baths, pools, rivers, troughs.
💦Pour cool water over their bodies
💦Use air conditioning and fans to blow the heat away
🚙 Transport to your vets.

Aim to walk early morning or late evening or skip their walks all together opting for low impact cooling enrichment.

22/06/2025

Hot Forecast Due 🌅 Met Office Heat will build through the week. On Wednesday the highest temperatures values in the UK are expected to be around 27ºC.

Is it true that if we use cold water on heat stroke pets they will go into shock?

One of the most common things we still hear is that we can only use tepid water on a pet with heat stroke, incase they get some complications like hypothermic overshoot, peripheral vasoconstriction hindering a cooling response, and cardiogenic shock...

We have heard not to use cold water in case it causes shock... this rarely happens!

But guess what? In a recent study over 26% of dogs presented with heat stroke died, with flat faced breeds making up nearly half of heat stroke cases seen in the study.

You should:

💧Get someone to call the local veterinary practice and tell them you're going to travel down with a heat stroke patient
💧Pour, hose or if possible immerse the pet in very cold water (this should obviously be done under constant supervision, ensuring the head is fully above water and immersion should not be attempted if the animal is too large, or you are unable to do so without hurting yourself)
💧NB: If using a hose pipe, make sure it has run through until cold, as they can often contain water that is extremely hot in the tubing initially
💧Do not drape in towels and leave them in situ. Keep the cold water flowing.
💧Move to a cool, shaded area
💧Prepare to transport to vets in a cold, air conditioned car

In studies they found that:

🌅International consensus from sports medicine organisations supports treating EHS with early rapid cooling by immersing the casualty in cold water.
🌅Ice-water immersion has been shown to be highly effective in exertional heat stroke, with a zero fatality rate in large case series of younger, fit patients.
🌅Hyperthermic individuals were cooled twice as fast by Cold Water Immersion as by passive recovery.
🌅No complications occurred during the treatment of three older patients with severe heat stroke were treated with cold‐water immersion.
🌅Cold water immersion (CWI) is the preferred cooling modality in EHS guidelines and the optimal method applicable to UK Service Personnel
🌅Studies suggest using either ice-water or cold-water immersion

The best intervention is PREVENTION, but if you find yourself with an animal with heat stroke, using cold water either by pouring, hosing or ideally (if safe) immersion then this may help reduce their temperature to safe levels while you transport to a veterinary practice.

Read more below:

https://www.vetvoices.co.uk/post/cool-icy-cold-or-tepid

21/06/2025

🐕HEATSTROKE IN DOGS🐕

We've been banging on about this for years! HEATSTROKE is a MEDICAL EMERGENCY! Fortunately, now more and more professionals are communicating the same message!

Whilst the need for rapid cooling with COLD water (1-15°C) has been recognised for decades in equestrian and human medicine, the dog world has lagged behind, and very poor information still circulates. e.g. "cool the paws", "cover with wet towels", "avoid cold water as it will cause shock"

THE KEY MESSAGES ARE............

💦"WET THEN VET"💦

💦"COLD WATER IMMERSION" (1-15°C)💦
(If you can't immerse, keep pouring ANYTHING COLD over the dog - hose, soft drinks, milk, etc)

💦Dogs die of heatstroke because they were NOT COOLED QUICKLY ENOUGH, NOT BECAUSE THEY WERE COOLED!

♨️RISK FACTORS FOR HEATSTROKE IN HOT WEATHER♨️

♨️Large dogs
♨️DOUBLE-COATED breeds
♨️Brachycephalic breeds
♨️June, July, August (UK)
♨️Exercise, being outdoors, left in cars

EDIT: - If a dog is PANTING, it's struggling to control its body TEMPERATURE! 💦HOSE IT TO COOL IT DOWN!💦

❤️PLEASE SHARE - Spread accurate information; potentially save a dogs life!❤️

CHECK OUT FREE RESOURCES HERE: https://askanimalweb.com/managing-dogs-in-hot-weather/

Welfare in the Heat: https://askanimalweb.com/heat-welfare/

If you don't believe me, look at the research: Beard S, Hall EJ, Bradbury J, Carter AJ, Gilbert S, O'Neill DG. Epidemiology of heat-related illness in dogs under UK emergency veterinary care in 2022. Vet Rec. 2024;e4153. https://bvajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/vetr.4153

18/06/2025

16/06/2025

✨If everyone is watching, no one is watching✨

This is something that is commonly applied to water safety with children and it can be easily transferred to child safety around dogs; If everyone is watching, no one is watching.

Dogs Trust report that 91% of bites to children occur at home from a familiar dog. When dogs and children are interacting, especially when there are lots of adults around, it is important to make sure there is a designated watcher that is focused and vigilant. If every adult believes someone else is responsible then accidents can easily occur.

🏊🏼‍♀️ Think lifeguard:

💧Keep shifts short, 15-20 minutes maximum.
💧When the designated watcher needs to step away, they pass their role onto another adult by vocalising that they are moving away and they are now the watcher.
💧Only have sober competent adults take the role of designated watcher.
💧Lanyards can be used as physical reminder of the designated watcher position which can be passed between shifts.

This includes if the children and dogs are separated. Children can quickly wonder into unknown danger, wanting to see a dog shut behind a baby gate or door can be extremely enticing. Having a designated watcher aware of all the children will reduce the likelihood of an incident occurring.

26/02/2025

✨ Contrafreeloading ✨

Contrafreeloading is a phenomenon demonstrated by many animal species, where given the choice between easily obtainable food or food which required effort to be obtained, the animal ops for the food which requires effort.

Some species such as rats, primates and birds have been found to have a strong preference to contrafreeload. Whereas dogs, provided the choose, have demonstrated a willingness to contrafreeload.

The anticipation of food, foraging and problem solving is more rewarding. The pleasure centre of the brain becomes stimulated releasing feel good hormones such as dopamine.

It’s important that we as guardians pay attention to their individual preferences, patterns of behaviour and provide different opinions/ choices so we can provide more of what they enjoy.

10/02/2025

💫Growling is a gift 💫

Growling is an important form of communication for our dogs. It’s a way for them to communicate feelings of stress, pain, fear, uncertainty or general discomfort in situations or with an interaction.

The purpose of the growl is to communicate their desire for an interaction to stop or request distance/ space, which is perfectly justified.

“Listen to your dog’s whisper so he doesn’t have to shout.” — Chirag Patel

When ignored or punishment is used dogs learn this method of communication is no longer effective or safe for them to use. Removing/suppressing this vital warning signal results in dogs that escalate to other behaviours increasing the likelihood of a bite occurring, seemingly without warning.

Growling just like other body language provides critical information that allows us to adapt our behaviour and addressed what is driving the behaviour. This means we can support our dogs in the future to feel safer and live a more comfortable life.