Emily Birch Canine Consultancy

Emily Birch Canine Consultancy Clinical Animal Behaviourist in Stroud, helping dogs & owners build brillaint partnerships. Writer, consultant and published researcher.
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Highlights include BBC Radio 4 The Today Programme & The Conversation. I care deeply about helping dogs & their owners

Lets talk about how the emotional salience of something can play a huge part in how quickly an individual learns. I will...
02/12/2025

Lets talk about how the emotional salience of something can play a huge part in how quickly an individual learns. I will use a few examples below but in a nutshell - the more important something is for an animal, the quicker they learn about it.

I have taught my dogs many things in many contexts - they are all very bright individuals. However, in the space of two minutes (and probably saying the cue maybe 3 or 4 times) Mavis has learnt the word 'get on' means hunt for pheasants. I realised when working her on our first shoot that all my sheepdog cues were coming out my mouth as I was a *little* bit stressed it might go wrong! So as I do when things are getting to fast with young dogs working sheep I started saying 'stand there' and 'lay down'!! Not things we want a spaniel to be doing when finding birds (actually we do need a stop whistle but this is different - and I didn't actually want her to stop, just maybe slow down a touch! So I started saying 'get on' and basically using this as I do a turn whistle. And because 'get on' meant head in to here where there are a load of birds, she learnt it. FAST. The next day on a walk I wanted to test this so I just said it, as per I had on the shoot, and she lit up! 'Get on' absolutely has been learnt as a hunting cue!

Its also how i've taught her, and indeed how I taught my sheepdogs, a stop whistle. I've taught one separately, away from sheep or pheasants, but when you add these in, often this can go a bit out the window! But we absolutely need one in both contexts. So here is how I taught it, using the thing that is of really high salience to the individual. Get between dog and bird/sheep and give them their stop cue (which they already know but may choose to ignore in these situations), the moment they stop, mark the behaviour and give them their get on/comeby/away cue and let them hunt or herd. And then we build duration.

But because we're using access to the thing they really, really want as their reinforcement - they learn these cues really fast.

Of course, this is one tiny piece of the puzzle but I definitely see so many parallels between training sheepdogs on sheep and spaniels on birds. Mainly that it all happens exponentially faster than my brain and body can process 😆

Using birds as reinforcer.

Ceci has been asking for pet rats for a long time and I said when she's 7, this can become a possibility for her. So of ...
27/11/2025

Ceci has been asking for pet rats for a long time and I said when she's 7, this can become a possibility for her. So of course, the moment she turned 7, this became a reality for her!

And here is what we have done - we found a breeder, we've chatted lots to the breeder and they've asked us lots of questions including filling in questionnaires about our set up and experience. We are now at the point of picking her two ratties and this has been based on personality traits of the individuals.

We will have lots of photos, updates and information about the litter, we will meet the mum and dad and relations and when we collect them, we will have ample time to meet them, chat through everything and the breeder also cares and wants to be updated how they're getting on.

They are handled lots and the moment they see hands and people, they come running over and want to say hello and interact. They are given new experiences frequently so they grow to be confident little souls.

AND HERE IS THE MAD THING - SO MANY PEOPLE DON'T EVEN DO THIS FOR A DOG!!! Which, I hate to break it to you, is a much bigger responsibility than pet rats (I say this not from a care and needs perspective, but you don't have a Dangerous Rat Act for out of control and aggressive rats!).

I am beginning to get so fed up of people getting puppies from puppy farmers - I see the mothers from these places all the time in the rescue I work at and honestly, its hard to comprehend what happens in these places. And all because people don't want to wait. Ceci, aged 7, has waited 3 months for her rats, which is not easy! Sure, we could have gone to a pet shop and got one that day - but I absolutely do not want to fund that business where the mothers, fathers and babies live in the most baron boxes and have never known love or kindness.

So thank you Oh Rats Rattery :)

Lily is running monthly workshops over winter at my venue just outside of Nailsworth. If you'd like to book a space - le...
27/11/2025

Lily is running monthly workshops over winter at my venue just outside of Nailsworth.

If you'd like to book a space - let me know either in the comments or privately.

Maximum of 5 in a group

Want to fix your dog's behaviour problem in time for Christmas? Well get in touch today and find out how! Only joking! T...
24/11/2025

Want to fix your dog's behaviour problem in time for Christmas? Well get in touch today and find out how!

Only joking! There is no immediate fix for a behavioural problem!!

There is however training and behavioural modification programmes that teach your dog what behaviours we are wanting instead and these changes are life long.

That said, if you are wanting to make a start on helping your dog, Christmas time is a good time to start as we often a few more hours at home than we might do otherwise.

So do get in touch if you would like make a change to your dogs behaviour - I just can't promise i'll fix anything in time for Christmas (Santa will just have to run the gauntlet once again avoiding the dogs who are not cool with visitors, let alone ones who come in the dead of night, down the chimney 😆)

I didn’t take any photos today as my hands got so cold they didn’t want to uncurl 😂Mavis’ 4th time beating - and with th...
22/11/2025

I didn’t take any photos today as my hands got so cold they didn’t want to uncurl 😂

Mavis’ 4th time beating - and with the exception of one naughty moment - she was amazing! Turned on every whistle, flushed many birds in very hard to find places and was absolutely a member of the team.

I am beyond proud of the small creature! And there is nothing like the sleep they do after breed specific work (in my opinion).

And yes, she did wear a bright pink coat between drives - she was dry and toasty whilst waiting (more than can be said for me 😂🤦🏻‍♀️)

Mavis has been on rest/lead walks for the best part of 4 weeks (due to a smorgasbord of injuries!) and I find it no wond...
18/11/2025

Mavis has been on rest/lead walks for the best part of 4 weeks (due to a smorgasbord of injuries!) and I find it no wonder that often owners find spaniels and working breeds hard to live with.

The Mavis who is on lead walks and rest was an angel for the first 3 weeks and then by week 4 was a little bit bored! The Mavis on rest is the Mavis who has chewed so much stuff (including some precious toys!), is a bit bonkers at the first sign of any excitement in the house, struggles to switch off after getting excited and is just looking for stuff to do.

The Mavis who gets at least 90 minutes of freedom on a walks a day as well as agility training, gundog training and working on shoots is also the same Mavis who you'd not really even know you have at home. She sleeps, she doesn't get over excited, she settles really well, she rests even when the kids are going wild, she doesn't chew anything and she's honestly an angel.

But here is the thing - if you get a working dog, you have to accept that a 20 minute lead walk once a day will result in you having a pain in the butt living with you. We have bred these individuals to do stuff, to use their brains and if you don't, they will find their own entertainment.

I do also believe that they need a mixture of work and freedom (adding in here so long as they come back when called and don't run off etc then freedom on a walk can be given).

I do work with a lot of working breeds who's owners do all the right things and indeed they're walked for hours each day and still won't settle at home. That's where a behaviourist is needed - to help find out why this is the case and make a plan as to what to do about it.

Comment below if you see a big difference in your dogs when on rest or not... Interestingly, Juno is the same dog whether she is on rest for something or not (but then she came out the womb as a wise and mature soul!)

I can't be the only one who obsessively watches my dog's movement for any signs of lameness?! I can spot a lame dog a mi...
13/11/2025

I can't be the only one who obsessively watches my dog's movement for any signs of lameness?! I can spot a lame dog a mile off and I see many sore dogs as a behaviourist as pain is a common contributing factor. But the double edged sword of this is that I watch my own dogs all the time and if they do anything, I am always mega worried!

Yet again Mavis has demonstrated to me that I can just cool my jets, not freak out and give an injury a bit of time to heal! I don't need to panic! They say that every dog is sent to show us things - Mavis has taken this very seriously and her role is to show me that injuries happen in life and we can't control everything 😆

I am always so torn about how much I share on social media and how much I don’t. Talking about something as private as g...
03/11/2025

I am always so torn about how much I share on social media and how much I don’t. Talking about something as private as grief on something so public, seems wrong to me in some ways. But I also am a huge believer in sharing things as if it helps just one person feel less alone, then it’s worth doing.

I’ve found the last few days so immensely tough. The irony in grief I find is that in the very immediate moments after, it’s almost easy to forget because it’s almost as if they’re just in another room. Then as the hours go by and then the days the gravity of it hits you with brute force. Repeatedly.

It’s the seeing their coat or collar, sniffing their little onesie that smells of them, looking at their bed and then not being there. It’s getting out a cup full of food and putting a third back again. I found the ice cream he had as his last little snack in the recycling - I couldn’t do it. It’s now washed up and next to his ashes.

It’s walking past the place where he took his last breaths, knowing it was the absolute right thing to do for him, but wishing against all else it hadn’t happened and they were still here.

It’s trying to parent two young children whilst you’re grieving but whilst they’re also coming to terms with what death really means.

I am no stranger to grief - alas, I wish I was. I do know this pain. I do know you can’t run from it, you can’t escape it, you have to sit with it.

I miss him with every fibre of my being. I gasped out loud suddenly yesterday on a walk. On a very narrow path I looked up and there was a black and white collie with us. Ij the nano second it took for my brain to say ‘there he is, no wait, it can’t be’ and then the reality hits all over again. All my dogs have a voice that I always do for them. Ceci asked me to do Jimmys yesterday. I did. I wept. Again.

For anyone deep in the depths of grief, I do know it does pass. It just does. Eight years ago I faced the most extreme loss of one of the most brilliant humans to have ever been. And I do know we smile again, our souls relax again, our hearts laugh again. But when you’re in it, it’s dark.

Today was the most welcome day of being busy - my mind switched off from the sadness and I got to work Mavis in the Sun!...
01/11/2025

Today was the most welcome day of being busy - my mind switched off from the sadness and I got to work Mavis in the Sun!

Day 2 of beating for her - she was wonderful! There is nothing quite like working your dog in the field they were bred for. Seeing them excel doing something that is absolutely filling their joy bucket is best feeling.

She styled her hair exceptionally well too!!

She even got to have a little go helping her mumma and aunty picking up. I say helping, I’m sure her mother would say hindering 😂

Today we went on a beach trip (as the clock change always means a long day)!It was so cold - by the end non of us could ...
26/10/2025

Today we went on a beach trip (as the clock change always means a long day)!

It was so cold - by the end non of us could feel our feet!

The four legged ones had a delightful time and apparently didn’t feel the chill!

I rarely do things really spontaneously, but today we did and it was marvellous!

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