H4 Therapies - Haley’s Horse, Hounds and Humans

17/09/2023

Horses are powerful animals who can be easily frightened in traffic, unwittingly putting themselves and their riders at risk.

• Pass horses wide and slow: no more than 10 mph.
• Keep engine noise as low as possible and do not sound the horn.
• Be prepared to stop. Remember that horses cannot move out of the way that quickly.
• For horse riders, always wear a helmet and reflective clothing, and carry ID on both you and your horse, such as armbands and saddle tags, to help locate you if separated after a fall.

Expect the unexpected. Beware of vulnerable road users and remember to share our roads.

15/08/2023

ARE ICE CUBES AN EFFECTIVE WAY TO COOL DOGS IN HOT WEATHER?
by Dr David Marlin

There are always lots of posts circulating on social media concerning ice cubes and dogs! Some say it’s a good idea and others warn against it! So what does science say?

WILL GIVING YOUR DOG ICE-CUBES COOL IT DOWN?
Let’s take a 25kg Labrador as an example. The amount of water in the body of an adult (non-obese) is usually around 60%, so a 25kg dog would have around 15litres of water (an average sized bucket). So lets fill a bucket with water at 38.5°C. Now if we add 6 ice cubes how much will that reduce the temperature?

A 3cm3 ice cube will have a volume of 3 x 3 x 3 = 27ml. If we have 6 ice cubes that will be a total of 6 x 27ml = 162ml. Ice is slightly less dense than water so the volume of water will be around 145ml. So how much will 145ml of water at -20C lower the temperature of a 15 litre bucket of water at 38.5°C? Probably by about 1°C.

A dog is more than just water however and so the reduction in temperature in a living dog as opposed to a bucket of warm water would be less than 1°C. But as heat is being produced continuously by the dog, the cooling effect of the ice may only last a short while, so to be effective, ice would have to be ingested quite frequently.
So the answer is POSSIBLY, but this would have to be 6 ice cubes perhaps every 20-30 minutes for a 25kg dog.

IS THERE ANY DOWNSIDE TO GIVING YOUR DOG ICE-CUBES?
Studies in many different species of mammals, including dogs, suggest that cold stimulation of receptors in the mouth and tongue by cold fluids or ice may lead to reduced drinking by reducing the sensation of thirst. So an animal could drink less even though it's dehydrated. So, the answer is that ice could result in your dog feeling not thirsty even though physiologically he is dehydrated.

BOTTOM LINE - ICE CUBES & FROZEN TREATS are OK for DOGS in small amounts. They are not an effective way to keep dogs cool. Too much could reduce drinking.

16/05/2023

29/03/2023

Want to be able to make friends with new dogs when you meet them? You can signal that you’re friendly by using canine body language!

We often hear that you’re supposed to offer a dog the back of your hand to sniff, but the body language of this move is actually quite threatening. When we lean forward to offer our hand, we’re facing the dog square on, looming over them, making eye contact and invading their space. All of those signals combine into an intimidating message, and as a result many dogs will become uncomfortable when greeted in this fashion. Confident dogs will usually respond with a couple of signals like turning their head away, yawning, or licking their nose, which means they’d like the human to ease up a bit. Shy or anxious dogs will back away, cower, or even growl, snap or bite.

The best way to greet a dog is to either stand side on to them and invite them over by patting your leg or calling to them, or crouch down on the ground and let them come to you. This method ensures that it’s the dog’s choice to come and say hello – they’re moving up to you, rather than you moving up to them.

If the dog chooses not to approach, it means that they don’t want to say hello. It’s important that you respect that choice, and leave them be. If you’re going to be spending some time with the dog, be patient and hang back – the best way to win the trust of a shy dog is to avoid putting pressure on them to interact. Move slowly, blink your eyes a lot to avoid staring, and don’t speak loudly. If they approach to sniff you, don’t pet them right away. Let them sniff, then when they’re finished move away from them and try inviting them closer again.

Best of luck making some new doggie friends Dog Geeks! We’d love to hear how being conscious of your body language has helped you greet dogs, or if you’ve ever won the trust of a shy dog by being patient and avoiding pressuring them.

- Maddie Ross CPDT-KA

----------------------------------------
For more graphics and videos on training and behaviour, check out our library: https://www.beacondogtraining.com.au/thatdoggeek

29/03/2023

13/03/2023

Here's a link to a video of FascialEdge creator, Andrew Glaister, demonstrating the use of the tool for equine massage and fascial release. We'll be uploading more videos in the weeks to come.

https://youtu.be/KCFI-lt2rUo

10/03/2023

Stress is so often misread.
These are just some examples of stress signals which are often misread as having another reason....and the tricky thing is they may have another reason.

It is really easy to see how these CAN be misread.
No one wants to think of their dog as anxious or stressed and sometimes other reasons are given more weight because some people refuse to accept their dogs can indeed be stressed or show signs of anxious behaviour.
This often happens because people view the situation as happy, or they believe the environment should be viewed as exciting for their dog.

Dogs can show these stress signals when they are in environments or with people that WE view as being good for our dogs....your dog may feel the complete opposite.

Too much stress is just as unhealthy and problematic for our dogs as it is for us.

As always when reading and deciphering a dogs behaviour the whole picture needs to be taken into context, as does some history.

If your dog has started to show signs of stress....be thankful that you have recognised this (as many people do struggle to see this in their own dogs).
Be thankful because you have recognised it and you can now help.

Relaxation work.
Managing environments.
Enrichment.
Controlling interactions.

All of these (and much more) can help your dog navigate back to calm....but you do need to help guide them.
The first step is recognising the behaviour and the issues....and not misreading or even dismissing them.

(As always everyone is free to share on Facebook...however these graphics are now watermarked as unfortunately a few people are using these inappropriately, removing our logo and adding in their own logos and content).