Canine Bond Dog Behaviour & Training

Home
Canine Bond Dog Behaviour & Training

Certified Canine Behaviourist, covering Torbay and surrounding areas.

My name is Donna, I am a Certified Canine Behaviourist with a Level 5 Diploma in Canine Behaviour and Psychology, holding several certifications and memberships including a Family Dog Mediator after completing my L.E.G.S Applied Ethology Professional Course. My training is fun and positive, using a kind, caring approach, giving you an understanding of your dogs behaviour and how to best support them.

14/07/2025

MYTH: Dogs with arthritis will always cry or limp if they’re in pain.

✅ Fact:
Many dogs with arthritis don’t cry out or limp, and that can be misleading.
Instead, they often show much subtler signs of pain, like hesitating to go for walks, struggling to get up after resting, avoiding stairs, or simply seeming "not themselves."

You might notice they’re less playful, more withdrawn, or sleeping more than usual. These changes are easy to dismiss as “just getting older,” but they’re often quiet signals that your dog is in pain and needs help.

Recognising these signs early is key to improving their comfort and quality of life.

If you're interested in tailored advice for your dog, our Teleguidance service is for you!
https://caninearthritisteleguidance.co.uk

13/07/2025

I Know Where I’m Going

You might have seen us going up the road, back down again, stopping to sniff, sitting in one spot for a while.
But I know exactly where I’m going.

There was a time when going for a walk was the best thing but then it became scary. A loud bang, something I couldn’t predict, made me feel unsafe in the world.

Some dogs might thrive on new places, novel experiences and variety in their routines. For those dogs, change is enriching and brings joy. But we’re not all the same and we don’t need to be.

What helps one dog grow might overwhelm another. The most important thing is that we’re understood and supported for who we are.

Familiar and predictable surroundings help dogs like me feel safe, having control over our environment helps build confidence and emotional resilience, routine helps to reduce stress without adding pressure, force or fear from anyone telling us how we should feel.

To some, that might look boring or repetitive, no set goal, no training as such. But to me, it is comfort, reassurance and predictable.

When I know what to expect, I feel relaxed, I don’t feel on high alert, I can stop focusing on what might happen and start to explore with calm and confidence.

I began to enjoy my walks, asking to go out, walking a little further. I started sniffing more, noticing the world again, not with panic but with curiosity.

I still hear everything, I might just flick my ears, pause for a moment, turn in the direction of where I heard the sound, sometimes turning to my human, asking “Did you hear that?” when she stays calm and acknowledges, yes I hear that too, I know I’m not alone.

I get to choose how far we go. How long we’re out and when it’s time to turn back. Because of that freedom, I’ve grown, giving me a sense of agency, healing and learning that the world I felt so anxious about is safe and predictable again.

So next time you might see us going past you a few times, just know, Im not being difficult, I don’t feel stuck. To me, this is everything because I know where I’m going.

From Murphy xx

12/07/2025

➡️ Dogs DO NOT DIE from missing a walk. They might if you risk taking them out in hot temperatures.

➡️ According to research, 26.56% of the dogs with heatstroke died

➡️ Nearly half (48.7%) of the dogs with heatstroke were dog breeds with flat faces. Flat-faced dog breeds were four times more likely to develop heatstroke than normal-faced dogs.

☀️ Protect your animals from the heat ☀️

🌞Dogs can get heat stroke on hot walks

🌞Animals get heatstroke in hot hutches they cannot escape

🌞Animals can get heatstroke if left in rooms with no ventilation

🌞Animals can get heatstroke if they have no access to cool water

We are hopefully aware now of the national UK campaign 'Dogs Die in Hot Cars' - this advice remains!

However, work by VetCompass has shown that 10 times as many dogs present for veterinary care related to heat-related illness (HRI) following exercise as dogs that present following being entrapped in a vehicle.

The most commonly cited reasons for triggering heat-related illnesses were exercise (51.46% of cases), hot environment (31.02% of cases) and hot vehicles (12.41%).

➡️Remember there could be a number of risk factors including:

✅Brachycephalic breeds
✅Age - juvenile or geriatric
✅Thick Coated Dogs
✅General Health
✅ Other illnesses

❌Do not leave animals in hot cars
❌Don't take your dog to the pub all day in the heat
❌Do not walk your dogs in the heat - remember even when the sun is down they may still get too hot while exercising if the temperature is still hot
❌ Ensure they aren't locked in rooms with no ventilation
❌Do not lock rabbits and guinea pigs (and other animals) in hutches or enclosures with no escape from the heat

✅ Provide plentiful cool, fresh water
✅ Provide shade, ventilation and cool breeze ( consider using a fan)
✅Give them cool mats to lie on
✅ Engage in enrichment to boredom bust
✅ Provide rabbits and small furries with cool frozen bottles, shade, ventilation, escape from the heat and plentiful water

https://www.rvc.ac.uk/research/research-centres-and-facilities/veterinary-epidemiology-economics-and-public-health/news/new-research-from-the-rvc-suggests-human-heat-health-alerts-could-help-prevent-heatstroke-in-dogs

07/07/2025

Well done to Team Bertie, Larry & Bonny for this evenings group outdoor scent work session. Really lovely to observe their confidence over the weeks and great to hear how they use scent work at home and on their walks 🐾💙❤️

05/07/2025

We often talk about providing our dogs with a “safe space.”

But when our dogs are struggling, whether at home or out in the world, it’s easy to forget that safety isn’t something we can decide for them. It’s something they have to feel for themselves.

What feels safe to one dog might be unsettling to another..Some dogs may seek safety in their bed in a corner, off the ground, lying at the back of the sofa, or on top of their crate in a different room away from visitors. Others feel more secure when they can see and hear the world around them.

Some dogs feel safe inside their home or car, quietly observing people, dogs, and traffic from their chosen spot. Others may only feel secure in an open outdoor area, with plenty of distance between themselves and others.

Some dogs, when frightened may not feel comfortable being petted, some feel safe being near their caregivers, while others feel safe being stroked or petted just by their known people.

True safety comes from offering choices and trusting our dogs to choose what feels right for them, sharing their emotions to truly understand the world a little more from their perspective.

We can learn a lot by watching their body language. Subtle signals speak volumes: how they move, how they hold themselves, the direction they turn, their breathing, facial expressions, eyes soft or staring, whether their mouth is open, closed, tense or relaxed, if they’re panting. Are their ears relaxed, held back, or alert? Is their tail loose, tucked, or tense?

These small but important signals give us valuable feedback about how they’re feeling. Communication isn’t always loud, but just as important. When we pay close attention, we start to understand what safety means to them, not just what looks right to us.

Safety isn’t just about a space, it’s a feeling that needs to be felt.

03/07/2025

Thank you to the gorgeous Mitch and his wonderful dedicated mum for our recent meet-up.

They have already been working with an amazing colleague and we’ve now been in touch to discuss ongoing support. It was such a pleasure to finally meet Mitch and his mum in person. We chose a secure, familiar field where he feels safe and comfortable.

Mitch is a truly beautiful boy, he enjoys exploring and spending time in and outdoors, but can find the world a difficult place at times to fully relax with some emotional and physical challenges.

I feel honoured to have had the chance to meet with him and his mum, and receiving updates to supporting them both, as we work together on their journey 💙

01/07/2025

How do you help your dog cope with the heat? ☀️🐶

Warm weather can really affect our mood and also how our dogs feel.

Murphy’s been choosing cooler spots in the home, spending time relaxing different places to chill out and I’ve offered him some enrichment to help throughout the day.
�🧊 Offering frozen enrichment and wet blankets to walk over keeping the surfaces cool and as part of some enrichment set up in shady parts of the garden. �💦 Swapping his normal walks with some sniffy games and chill out time inside�🛏️ Letting him rest in whatever cool spot he chooses�💛 In the evening he’s been laying near me, but not lying on me which he sometimes likes to do.

How are you helping your dog stay cool, calm, and comfortable in the heat?

22/06/2025

Early meet up with this gorgeous boy!

We’ve been working together for a few months now and Spud has been doing well. Initially my observations when we first met there were a few question marks around Spuds behaviours but also around his movements.

Spud has been to the vets and also over the past months working with a fantastic physio to support Spud physically.

We’ve been taking things really slowly to help Spud emotionally regulate, and he has recently been feeling more comfortable, a lot more like himself.

Today’s session looked at observing his body language, which helps us to understand how we can support him more, two way communication and allowing Spud to make decisions within his surroundings, which direction to walk in, giving him time to explore, sniff and also take a break when he needs to.

We came across dogs, people, traffic and cats all at different times and he did so well, he chose to engage and disengage with confidence, able to make some great choices and very proud to receive feedback from his mum.

Well done Spud 🐾 super proud! ☺️

19/06/2025

Just like us our dog’s brain is like a giant library. Every experience they’ve had is recorded as a book on a shelf, each one tied not just to a memory, but to emotional experiences.

When our dogs are finding things difficult, If a walk always feels scary, if the environment they face with other dogs, people, traffic they find uncomfortable, their brain will keep reaching for the same book, with the same emotions, same reactions we might see.

The stronger the emotion at the time, the more deeply those stories settle into their memory. Although their brain is doing what it’s designed to do, keeping them safe. The more often those books are read, the faster the brain reaches for them next time.

Just like in a library, new books can be written by them, with new emotional experiences that feel safe, predictable, positive ones to build a different collection, supporting them through with our compassion, patience, and understanding, helping to replace their books with new stories. Not the ones we write or choose for them.

Eventually, those old books can start gathering dust. They will always be on the shelf, but they won’t be the first ones our dog reaches for, building a new collection for their library, one book and one page at a time.

18/06/2025

Well done Team Larry, Kobi, Bertie & Puppy for our Vehicle scent work session. All with choice in and out of the car, height and support from their handlers.

The fantastic part of scent work is we can adapt and adjust for each dog’s needs and individual abilities, so they can achieve their search building their confidence.
Well done everyone ❤️💙

11/06/2025

Lovely 121 scent work session with this gorgeous boy Kush.

Kush and his mum have been working with Sally from Know Your Dog - Behaviour & Training with Sally Lewis and she thought scent work would be great for them.

We started scent work at his home and now looking at introducing into other areas, which can really help and support a dog’s confidence with a low level activity using their senses.

Kush did so well with his mum and looking forward to seeing them soon 💙

10/06/2025

Dogs just know ❤️

Dogs have lived alongside humans for thousands of years, and over that time, they’ve developed an incredible sensitivity to connect with us.

What’s really amazing is that their connection to us goes far beyond training ,cues or commands.

They can

🐾 Read our facial expressions and body language. A MRI study with awake, trained dogs showed how their brains respond to human facial expressions, something we used to think only humans could do.

🐾Pick up on tiny changes in our scent. Their sense of smell (olfaction) plays a huge role in this. It’s how they gather information, recognize people, make decisions, and learn.

🐾Fascinatingly, dogs have a right nostril bias, they begin sniffing with the right nostril. If the scent is familiar or safe (like food or someone they trust), they shift to the left. But if the scent is novel, intense, or possibly threatening, like adrenaline, they stick with the right nostril. Their noses are literally tuned for emotional sensitivity.

🐾Dogs can respond to the tone and changes of our voice

🐾Studies have shown dogs have something called affective empathy, meaning they may not just notice our emotions, they can feel them with us.

Even more incredible, research by Sundman et al found that a dog’s long-term cortisol levels, a key indicator of stress, can mirror those of their human. And this wasn’t related to exercise or physical activity. It suggests dogs are absorbing our psychological stress, simply by being closely bonded with us. They really do feel what we feel.

It’s a powerful reminder of the bond we share with our dogs. They’re connecting with us in a deep, meaningful way.

Dogs don’t just live with us. They feel, understand and truly get us more than we really know.

Address

Opening Hours

Monday	09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday	09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday	09:00 - 17:00
Thursday	09:00 - 17:00
Friday	09:00 - 17:00
Saturday	09:00 - 12:00

Telephone

+447717843116

Website

http://www.caninebond.co.uk/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Canine Bond Dog Behaviour & Training posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Canine Bond Dog Behaviour & Training:

Shortcuts

Address
Telephone
Opening Hours
Alerts
Contact The Business
Claim ownership or report listing
Want your business to be the top-listed Pet Store/pet Service?

Country:

City: