Wild K9s

07/03/2025

🌟 Friday Wins! Let’s Celebrate Your Dog’s Progress! 🌟

It’s the end of the week, and I LOVE hearing about the wins—big or small—that you and your dog have achieved! 🎉

Maybe your dog…
🐾 Nailed a recall in a tricky situation?
🐾 Managed to settle more easily at home?
🐾 Walked past another dog without reacting?
🐾 Felt more confident in a new situation?

Whatever it is, it matters—because progress isn’t about perfection, it’s about those little moments of success. 💛

Drop your dog’s win of the week in the comments and let’s celebrate together! 👇🐶✨

07/03/2025

What is Agency and how can you introduce more into your dogs life?

That you The DoGenius Institute for this excellent article 🐕

As dog guardians, our responsibility goes beyond providing food, shelter, and affection. One of the most important—and often overlooked—ways we can improve the lives of dogs is by giving agency. Agency refers to a dog’s ability to make choices and exert some control over their environment, which is critical for their mental and emotional wellbeing.
In many cases, we unintentionally limit a dog’s autonomy by prioritising convenience or imposing human expectations on their behaviour. However, small changes can empower dogs to live more fulfilling lives:

Choice in Activities: Rather than dictating every walk or play session, allow dogs to choose the pace and direction during walks or the type of play they enjoy most. Sniffing, exploring, and interacting with their surroundings are natural and enriching behaviours.

Respect for Communication: Dogs communicate their comfort levels through body language. Pay attention to their signals and respect their boundaries—whether they indicate discomfort around other dogs, new people, or certain environments.

Mental Stimulation: Offering problem-solving opportunities through puzzle toys, scent work, or interactive games allows dogs to exercise their natural instincts and engage their minds.
Variety in Enrichment: Providing diverse experiences, such as different walking routes, environments, or sensory opportunities, helps prevent boredom and supports their emotional resilience.

Time to Be Dogs: Dogs need time to engage in instinctual behaviours like sniffing, digging, or running freely in safe spaces. Structured environments often suppress these needs, leading to frustration or anxiety.

By focusing on these areas, we can create an environment where dogs feel secure, valued, and free to express themselves. Supporting their agency not only improves their quality of life but also deepens the bond between guardian and dog.

What steps have you taken to support your dog’s autonomy?

06/03/2025

Zoomies, Sniffing, and Chewing—Your Dog’s Self-Care Routine

Dogs don’t journal, meditate, or run a bubble bath after a stressful day—but they do have their own ways of regulating emotions and processing experiences. The key is recognising these natural coping strategies and allowing them to happen.

🐾 Zoomies after stress – Ever noticed your dog racing around after a bath, a vet visit, or a training session? That sudden burst of energy isn’t just random—it’s a way of shaking off tension and resetting.

🐾 Sniffing everything on walks – It’s easy to think of excessive sniffing as ‘dawdling’, but for dogs, it’s essential. Sniffing isn’t just how they gather information—it actively lowers heart rate and reduces stress.

🐾 Chewing or licking objects (or themselves!) – Chewing releases endorphins, providing comfort and stress relief. If a dog suddenly chews obsessively or licks themselves excessively, they may be using it as a coping mechanism—or signaling underlying discomfort.

🐾 Digging, shredding, or ‘deconstructing’ toys – Sometimes dismissed as ‘naughty’ behaviour, these are natural ways dogs relieve frustration and fulfil their instincts. A dog with no outlet for this may start targeting furniture instead!

🐾 Sudden scratching, yawning, or shaking off – Ever seen your dog pause, have a quick scratch, or do a full-body shake after an intense moment? That’s them resetting their nervous system—it’s like a deep breath for dogs.

When we listen and allow these behaviours (rather than trying to stop them), we help our dogs regulate their emotions in healthy ways.

🐶 Instead of rushing your dog on a walk, let them sniff to decompress.
🐶 Instead of getting frustrated with zoomies, recognise they’re releasing stress.
🐶 Instead of discouraging chewing, provide safe, appropriate outlets.

Our dogs know what they need. It’s up to us to respect it.

For more on understanding your dog’s natural behaviours, follow Wild K9s. 🐾

Wild K9s

Image copyright: Amy Lacey

05/03/2025

🌟 W’s Journey: From Fearful to Flourishing! 🌟

When I first met W at the end of 2024, she was living in a near-constant state of anxiety—barking and lunging at strangers and movement, nervous around other dogs, and struggling to feel safe.

Fast forward to today, and this little superstar has made incredible progress! ✨

🐾 She’s so much calmer in the house, no longer feeling the need to react to every sound or movement.
🐾 She’s gaining confidence when she’s with her big brother, and even managed a brief interaction with another dog before choosing to disengage—huge!
🐾 She’s less reactive towards new people—she didn’t bark at all when I arrived this time and even came in for cuddles!
🐾 We’re now focusing on consent-based handling, making grooming and bathing less scary and more of a positive experience.

W has had a tough start in life, but her resilience and her amazing family’s dedication are helping her thrive. 💛

Every small step is a big win, and I couldn’t be prouder of this little superstar!

Drop a 🐶 in the comments to celebrate W’s progress! 👏🎉

04/03/2025

"Consent Matters in Dog Handling—Are You Really Listening?"

Just because a dog tolerates something doesn’t mean they’re comfortable with it.

Dogs communicate consent through body language, yet their signals are often ignored—sometimes because we don’t recognise them, and sometimes because we assume they’ll ‘get used to it’. But imagine if someone hugged you when you didn’t want to be hugged, or kept touching you when you were trying to move away.

🐾 A dog turning their head away when you go to stroke them—is that an invitation, or a polite request for space?
🐾 A dog shifting their weight when you reach for their collar—are they being ‘difficult’, or just trying to avoid being grabbed?
🐾 A dog licking their lips when you go to pick them up—do they want to be lifted, or are they feeling uncomfortable?
🐾 A dog freezing during grooming or handling—are they ‘behaving’, or shutting down because they feel they have no other choice?
🐾 A dog giving their paw—are they responding to a cue, or politely pushing your hand away?

Consent isn’t just for humans—it applies to dogs too. If a dog tries to move away, turns their head, freezes, or avoids eye contact, they’re saying no. And when we respect that, trust grows.

Instead of forcing interactions, try:
✅ Giving them choice—letting them come to you instead of reaching for them.
✅ Using positive reinforcement to make handling a good experience.
✅ Slowing down and watching their body language—are they leaning in, or subtly leaning away?
✅ Stopping before they feel the need to escalate their signals.

A dog who knows their choices will be respected is a dog who feels safe.

Because handling should be a conversation, not a one-way street.

For more ways to build trust with your dog, follow Wild K9s. 🐾

Wild K9s

(Image: A dog giving clear feedback—are we paying attention?)

03/03/2025

"But My Dog’s Definitely Not in Pain… I Would Know!"

It’s something I hear a lot. And I get it—if a dog was in pain, surely they’d show us, right? They’d limp, cry, or stop doing things altogether?

Not necessarily.

Dogs are masters of getting on with it. In the wild, showing weakness makes an animal vulnerable, so many dogs instinctively mask discomfort until they can’t anymore. Exercise can even temporarily hide pain by releasing endorphins—natural painkillers that can make a sore dog seem full of energy, only for them to struggle later when they’ve cooled down.

Some dogs don’t slow down—they just adapt. They shift their weight, change their posture, or avoid certain movements without anyone noticing. They might even keep running, jumping, or playing through the pain, only to seem ‘grumpy’ or ‘lazy’ at home.

So, if dogs aren’t always showing pain in obvious ways, how does it manifest?

🐾 A dog who has suddenly become more reactive on walks—because moving hurts, and they’re on high alert.

🐾 A dog who growls or flinches when touched—because they’ve learned that handling = discomfort.

🐾 A dog who’s restless, pacing, or struggling to settle—because they just can’t get comfortable.

🐾 A dog who seems lethargic or less keen to play—because movement isn’t enjoyable anymore.

🐾 A dog who suddenly has accidents indoors—because pain makes it harder to hold or get into position.

🐾 A dog who avoids the sofa, stairs, or jumping into the car—because those movements hurt.

🐾 A dog who gets snappy with other dogs or family members—because they’re constantly on edge.

Research by Mills et al. (2020) found that as many as 82% of dogs referred for behaviour problems had an underlying painful condition. That’s a huge percentage of dogs who weren’t ‘acting out’—they were trying to tell us something.

If your dog’s behaviour has changed, it’s worth considering:

✅ Are they moving differently? Stiffer, slower, or hesitant?
✅ Are they licking, chewing, or rubbing a certain area?
✅ Do they seem more withdrawn or irritated?
✅ Are they reluctant to be touched or handled in ways they used to enjoy?
✅ Are they struggling with stairs, jumping up, or getting up from lying down?

If any of this sounds familiar, a vet check could be the next step. Because behaviour is never ‘just behaviour’—it’s communication.

And when a dog is in pain, they don’t need training. They need relief. ❤️‍🩹

Reference in the comments

Wild K9s

02/03/2025

Behaviour Problem or Unmet Need?

Before labelling a behaviour as a ‘problem’, it’s worth asking—what is your dog actually telling you?

A dog who barks and lunges at every person or dog they see on a walk. A behaviour problem? Or a dog who feels completely overwhelmed by their environment but has no choice but to face it head-on, day after day?

A dog who digs up the garden and shreds the sofa cushions. A behaviour problem? Or a dog who spends most of their time alone, without enough opportunity to exercise their body and brain?

A dog who growls when you try to move them off the sofa. A behaviour problem? Or a dog who has learned that their choices aren’t respected, and this is the only way they can make themselves heard?

A puppy who won’t stop biting and seems impossible to settle. A behaviour problem? Or a young dog who is overstimulated, overtired, and just needs more sleep?

When a dog’s needs—physical, emotional, social, and mental—aren’t met, their behaviour reflects that. And no amount of training can replace unmet needs.

Before trying to ‘fix’ a behaviour, ask yourself:

❓ Does my dog get the right kind of exercise for their age, breed, and personality?
❓ Do they have opportunities for safe, positive social interactions?
❓ Are they getting enough rest as well as stimulation?
❓ Am I feeding a diet that supports their overall wellbeing?
❓ Could pain or discomfort be affecting how they behave?
❓ Do they have a way to express natural behaviours—sniffing, chewing, digging, exploring?
❓ Do they have a predictable, safe environment where they feel secure?

Dogs aren’t ‘being difficult’ for the sake of it. They are communicating.

So instead of asking “How do I stop this?”, try asking “What does my dog need?”

Because when needs are met, behaviour starts to change. ❤️

Wild K9s

24/12/2024

🎄✨ Wishing all my wonderful clients, friends and your families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 🎉

Thank you for your incredible support throughout the year – it's been an honour to work with you and your amazing dogs and thanks to you, I am really living the dream of making a difference to dogs and their people. Here's to a joyful and peaceful holiday season filled with love, laughter, and wagging tails.

I hope Santa Paws is kind to your dogs! 🐾❤️

See you in 2024! 🎅🐶

15/12/2024

Brilliant advice!

10/12/2024

🌟🎄 Guess Zuri’s DNA and Support Super Dogs in Need! 🎄🌟

I’ve had a DNA test done on my wonderful 5 month-old girl Zuri, and the results were such a surprise! For the price of a Christmas card (and way more fun!), you can join in this festive competition to guess the top 5 breeds in my girl Zuri’s DNA mix! 🐾

💡 It’s just £2 per entry, and you can enter as many times as you like. Every donation supports the amazing work of CyDRA, who rescue and care for dogs in need, and SuperDogs Rescue, who help them find loving forever homes.

Zuri’s story is one of hope. Found wandering the streets of Limassol as a young puppy, she was taken to a municipal shelter. On her final day, CyDRA stepped in and gave her the second chance she needed. Now, thanks to their care, she’s safe, loved, and thriving here in the UK with me. 💖

📩 How to enter: Follow the link below, donate your £2 per guess via PayPal, and write your top 5 breed guesses in the comments section. All proceeds will go to SuperDogs Rescue.

https://www.paypal.com/pools/c/9arrESts5s

🎁 Competition closes Christmas Eve, and the first winning entry will receive a Pet Remedy Boredom Buster Foraging Kit worth £35!

Good luck, and thank you for helping make a difference this Christmas! 🎅🐶

✨ Guess today and help save lives! ✨

21/11/2024

Important read especially for those of us with overseas rescues

Did you know?

If we had NO Brucella canis in the UK and all 12 million dogs in the UK were UK originating dogs we would still get, on average, 120,000 false positives among those dogs if vets made all those owners test for Brucella canis on a routine screening.

That is 120,000 dogs whose owners could be told that the vet recommended euthanasia because this was an infectious zoonotic disease with no guarantee of a cure. They wouldn’t even have the disease OR ever have had the disease!!! 🙈🙄🙈🙄🙈🙄🙈🙄🙈🙄🙈🥰💩💩

This is because the tests used are not 100% specific. Using the APHA combined parallel testing protocol (SAT plus indirect ELISA) the combined specificity of the test is ~99%. This means that if you used the test on 100 dogs that do not have BC antibodies the test will correctly identify 99 of these as negative. it will incorrectly identify one as positive. When you scale it up, the figures are staggering!

TAKE HOME MESSAGE:

Diagnostic testing is a tool to help vets with clinical decision-making, it does NOT replace clinical decision-making. Ask better from your vets!

You’re paying for clinical expertise in line with evidence based practice and contextualised care that puts the patient and client at the heart of clinical decision-making.

Ask them to deliver on BC diagnostic interpretation and the care management of dogs but test positive that align with the quality of clinical decision-making that they would use for other clinical scenarios within the practice.

Your vet is a highly skilled professional, they deliver as a highly skilled professional in other aspects of clinical practice, and you’re paying a lot of money for the expertise of a highly skilled professional so make sure that they are delivering on that in respect of Brucella Canis.

Image: Efra, the Mastin Mix from Spain, showing that she clearly couldn’t give a monkeys about this information and isn’t in the slightest bit bothered by Brucella Canis. Oh to be a dog!

05/11/2024