Pawsitive Connections Accredited Dog Behaviourist and Trainer

14/02/2025

⭐Flo's Story⭐

One of the main things we have to learn is to read dog.
Read what every split second of their body language tells us about how they are feeling in an environment and situation and consider each split second as part of a bigger context.

Many of us have a natural affinity with animals, but we can always learn more. Reading our dog is paramount to knowing when to support and when they can make the choice themselves in situations they are concerned about. It's pointless shovelling food into a dog or repeatedly asking for a sit when the dog tells you they need something quite different.

I was going to write a backdrop to Flo's story, but her mum has done so in a lovely review. What she hasn't done is written about how we were able to utilise her existing super connection with Flo to help develop the ability in Flo to make good choices by herself.

⭐I should add, her fab neighbour has also been crucial in helping us to improve the situation and together, they will be building on this in my absence.

"Joann is an amazing dog trainer and I would highly recommend her to anybody who is looking for help with training.
I had a very worrying experience when my 4 year old working collie randomly bit one of our neighbours. I was devastated about this and wasn’t sure what the long term outcome would be for my dog. After getting her checked by the vet, the vet recommended I contact Joann and it was the best thing I could have done.
Joann has helped me better understand my dogs cues so that I understand when she is anxious or worried and understand her cues for being happy and relaxed. Joann has taught me strategies for helping Flo build confidence with other dogs. I had lost a lot of confidence after this incident and Joann has really helped us both get our confidence back.
My knowledge and skills have improved and Joann has definitely made me a better owner."

As an ex working collie owner, I truly enjoyed every minute with Flo.

06/02/2025

Another GSD ...seems to be a theme 😊 Callie came to me for pulling on the leash and reactivity to other dogs.

Session 3 has seen a massive reduction in reactivity and her loose leash walking is coming along nicely. What did we do?

👉 Set her up to make good choices so real learning can take place
👉 Coached her owner in loose leash skills as tight leads only increase reactions longer term
👉Cash in on the existing bond between owner and dog
👉Removed the slip leash

Did you know that everything we do around a dog makes an association in the dogs brain...that's the Pavlov classical conditioning bit 😀. We can choose to make that a positive 😊 or a negative association 😥 by which equipment and training we choose.

It was an easy decision to make for her owners to make to be positive only and it was a wise one. They have seen big improvements.

Choose strategies which build positive associations and aren't going to come back to haunt you and your dog further down the line.

I look forward to our next 3 sessions.
Great work and understanding from her folks 👌

03/02/2025

What's your recall word?
I have several depending on context but which ever words I choose, it helps if I get a positive response from the start to the cheery sound of that word.

I then build value in that word in safe, less distracting environments.

Ellie Hansen and I have worked on conditioning her favourite word "Ellie Hansen" and her recall is like a mini ground covering missile.
However, I have noted that recalling her from digging for mice needs much work 🤣

02/02/2025

"They aren't with us long so I just want him to have a better life," said his mum. Words which I'd like to hear more often.

It's a new start for this handsome chap after "trainers" subjected him to aversive correction and flooding based techniques which suppressed him and created a bigger problem with people and dogs in particular.

His mum felt helpless and did not know where to turn. It's my second time meeting him and he trusts me now to be close to his mum and him so we are able to work safely together and without him watching me out of the side of his eye.

In session 2 there were glimpses of hope, he started to realise he didn't need to confront his worries. We now need to nurture those glimpses in what will be a slow journey.

Fortunately his mum has realistic expectations. In her words, years of the wrong approach will take time to improve and even longer to change emotionally how he feels about the things he's come to be wary of.

If you've found yourself in a similar situation and don't know where to turn, then reach out. If I can't help, I will put you in touch with trainers who like me, use the right methods to reduce fear and aggressive behaviours without negative long term consequences.

Thank you to his brave owner who was happy for her experience to be shared to help save other dogs from this type of training.

30/01/2025

Consequences.

"hi thanks for getting back to me .
can i just enquire about the methods and techniques you use ? the last trainer i tried recommended aversive techniques and it shut him down and made him really anxious even at home."

Yup. Methods which use nasty equipment to tighten, choke or shock, or intimidation, suppression and general bullying techniques have been proven to raise cortisol and add stress to dogs. This can lead to deep rooted anxiety with devastating long term health and mental problems.

Sadly, this message isn't altogether unusual. What is unusual is someone asking my techniques which more people absolutely should.

The only way has to be positive and that means so much more than food reinforcement. Choose who you let loose on your dog carefully. Actions have consequences.

22/01/2025

"Man is the only animal that blushes - or needs to." Mark Twain

Several times a week I pick up the mess left by unkind methods which cause long term mental damage on dogs. I don't post about it, I carry the weight on my shoulders. It's often not the owners fault, it's the aversive trainer and the misguided belief in being a bully boy pack leader.

A friend posted this on petition and I've signed it. Not because I'm a member of a political party, but because I'm a member of the Be Kind to Animals party.

It's astounding to believe any good can truly come from shocking an animal. They used to shock us in the name of mental health therapy which is now illegal as it didn't fix anything at all and just caused more long term ingrained problems.

In the words of Abrantes, intimidation and punishment is "social aggressiveness" at its finest. It's power over the weak.

Please, in the name of man's best friend put your signature to it.

https://greens.scot/ban-electric-shock-dog-collars?fbclid=IwY2xjawH-Qk1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHUQzKi1API6XRq0fwLmmEEXV7I4hn3Bc_vO6YpDG6dqSHI5ug-yWbTinKg_aem_WftE0gG8n3qttqqGfwh3zQ

Ban electric shock dog collars -

13/01/2025

Adolescence, Life is a rollercoaster...

I introduced Wallace early Dec. Wallace has been working on reducing his meerkat act and extreme barking at people and dogs.

Wallace is going through a tricky time- adolescence. His brain is experiencing hormonal changes and his front brain is not working in synchrony with the rest of his brain which can bring about a range of challenges including:-

👉Short attention span
👉Easily over aroused
👉We may see fear
👉We will undoubtedly see frustration such as leash ragging or barking
👉Sleep-wake cycles go awry
👉Big emotional reactions to things
👉Risk taking (I'll never forget my adolescent jump a fence and try to hump a horse 😱)
👉And pulling on the leash can increase just when you thought you'd nailed loose leash walking!

Now is NOT the time for neutering for various reasons including impacting neurological brain maturation. 🧠

⏰It IS the time to modify our expectations, environment, and to strengthen your bond with your dog as they really need you to understand them.

Wallace was able to achieve great things on our 3rd session. Previously, he simply didn't use his nose, and his nose was important in helping him to regulate his big feelings. His mum was chuffed to bits and said, "I was so pleased with today."

⚠️ We cannot change adolescence, no one can. It happens, we ride the storm with our teen, supporting them on the rollercoaster of adolescence to become a confident connected adult.

05/01/2025

I awoke to sad news, as did the entire positive dog training community, the news that a shining light, Karen Pryor has passed.

Karen Pryor brought ethical kind positive training to the fore and we all benefited, especially the animals.

I didn't know her personally but I shed a tear, a tear for the loss of an intelligent person who brought compassion and knowledge to the table for dogs, zoo animals, trainers and I'm sure her family and friends.

Rest in peace- you taught myself and other trainers lots thus improving the life of many animals now and in the future. 💔

04/01/2025

This resonates with me greatly.

We have other lines of diagnostics beyond a basic assessment.

Ketchup, this one is in memory of you 💔
Tethered cord 😥

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1TrxqtLA7n/

At this point in time, most folks understand the link between pain and behavior. It’s logical: you don’t feel well, you have less patience and tolerance, you lash out or shut down or otherwise are not the best version of yourself. It makes sense that the same would be true for dogs.

But how do we know there is pain with animals who cannot verbalize that pain?

The short answer: we can’t know.

The longer answer: we also can’t know there ISN’T pain.

Meet Malus.

From puppyhood, he’s been a little spicy. But he’s a terrier, so that’s normal, right? He didn’t like having his feet handled. No biggie. And as he got older, he got a little reactive to other dogs - again, see “terrier” in the dictionary. And after he got neutered at 2.5 years old, his behavior spiraled - going after his housemates, aggression directed at his owners, even less tolerance for handling, increased fence fighting. But there’s some evidence of increased aggression after neutering, so maybe he just got unlucky.

For many folks, that explanation would’ve been enough. They would’ve worked on behavior modification, or just accepted a crate and rotate household, or managed the heck out of all of his triggers… or, honestly, would’ve ended up euthanizing him for his dangerous behavior.

Luckily, Malus’s mom is Katrina, who is essentially a terrier in a human body. She dug in.

Training, a veterinary behaviorist, consulting with other behavior experts, expensive testing - and then we got our first physical explanation: low zinc.

But even with a zinc supplement, his aggressive episodes remained unpredictable. Katrina had noticed some very, very intermittent lameness, foot chewing, butt/tail biting, so off they went to the first orthopedic specialist - one who cleared him orthopedically for all activities.

So they did physical therapy, and pain meds, and kept working on training.

But the weird, mild lameness continued, and so did visits to specialists. A neurologist who recommended an MRI, then more physical therapy for a possible psoas strain, different meds, another orthopedic/rehab specialist consultation, adjustments to physical therapy, a PEMF bed for home use, adjustments to behavior meds, consults with nationally respected trainers and behavior specialists, and finally - FINALLY - a recommendation to see a pain management specialist.

“I think he may have Tethered Cord Syndrome. I’m going to try different pain meds, but there’s a specialist in Massachusetts you should get in touch with.”

With the new meds on board, his behavior improved. He was brighter, happier, had fewer episodes of lameness, self mutilation, and aggression.

Yesterday, Malus had a dynamic MRI at Tufts, where Tethered Cord Syndrome was confirmed.

Today, he had surgery to relieve the adhesions to his spinal cord that have been causing him pain.

He was never “just being a terrier.” He was not acting out for no good reason. He didn’t need harsher training methods. He wasn’t aggressing for no reason.

He was in pain.

There are no words to adequately describe how thrilled I am for Katrina and Malus to have this diagnosis and surgery in their rear view mirror - it has been a long time coming. The strain on Katrina and Kevin’s emotions, time, resources, finances, and household over the last 5 years cannot be overstated. Most folks wouldn’t - and couldn’t - go to the lengths they did.

We can’t rule out pain. We can only rule out specific issues and diagnoses. For Malus, it took finding the right vet who had heard about this rarely diagnosed issue to connect them with the vet who could help.

To my clients I encourage to work with their veterinarian to try to find any physical explanations: Katrina and Malus are the reason why I will push you more if your primary care vet shrugs you off. It’s why I will push and push and push, especially if your commitment to training and management is excellent but we still are struggling to make progress. Malus is on my shoulder (sometimes literally), poking me with his nose, screeching in my ear to look harder.

If you’ve ever heard him, you know how hard that ✨ delightful ✨ noise is to ignore.

(PS - Here’s your sign to sign up for pet insurance.)

To learn more about Tethered Cord Syndrome:
https://vet.tufts.edu/news-events/news/breakthrough-surgical-procedure-relieves-dogs-chronic-pain

02/01/2025

How lovely, 2 foreign rescue dogs doing very well with their visitor.

To anyone who has a dog who is anxious about people, new situations, dogs, cars, children and more, helping your dog to feel comfortable around those things can be challenging. To those who have dogs whose lives have had a normal smooth pathway, you may wonder what's the big deal.

Context- Bertie can be wary of people and Ellie is too at this juncture. Bertie has met Barbie on a fair few occasions and came bounding out to see her. Ellie has only been here 3 weeks, so I assume and prepare for the worst in order to set her up for success, as opposed to, let's see how she copes and try to patch things up.

With foreign rescues, it can be easy to make the assumption they have been abused. Whilst this can be the case, deficits in their early socialisation and ongoing habituation as well as kennel life are the more common culprits which can inadvertently bring trauma too. With such deficits, you can see fear, anxiety, aggressive type behaviours, hyper attachment and stereotypy.

For those who know Bertie, you can see the difference here in him...thanks to a positive only approach, pain meds and anti-anxieties and building confidence in relationships. He couldn't wait to get to Barbara today and dashed over to parade his chew (caveat, please don't do this without professional help as this is not my normal method).

As for Ellie who had a wee cameo at the end with Norman cat, I was delighted with her positive learning today. Not only did she learn that Barbara came and went without harm to her, but that my other dogs were safe around people too.

Thanks to my lovely lunch guest Barbara for investing so much time into setting my dogs up for success.

s**t required..oops sit required them up for success

31/12/2024

Yes, that's me, cheering my Betty on for finding her dummy of the moment.

When she came home to me at 8 weeks she was naturally carrying and bringing me back things. YIPPEE I thought 🎉 Objects such as plastic corners from a blown down greenhouse. By celebrating with her and encouraging the retrieve, quick consumption was never an issue.

As a pup, I cheered Betty on, praised her and her retrieve blossomed. She was naturally talented, and I made sure I didn't spoil it by chasing her or pulling things out of her mouth. And today, some years on, I'm still her biggest cheerleader.

Scott and Fuller 1965 considered there to be a critical period for dogs learning to retrieve at 9 weeks old. So by cashing in on the likelihood of the retrieve actually happening we can grow it and our relationship with pup with ease.

It's one of the reasons I prefer to teach a retrieve before a leave it 😊

29/12/2024

Wee Ellie understandably demonstrated worry by my ponies whose stables are next to my house.

Perhaps she's never seen them before? Perhaps her socialisation prior to 6 weeks hasn't built in resilience? Perhaps ongoing socialisation and habituation has been lacking or inappropriate? There are many reasons why she had big emotions.

Today, she managed 4 ponies coming into the adjacent yard to go to their stables.

Now we have done preliminary work for this event, I didn't just leave it in the lap of the gods, and thanks to the calmness of the ponies, she did exceptionally well demonstrating much resilience.

With reassurance from me, she was calm and didn't show any big emotions.

And if she has done, there would be no sprays guns or shocks from me, just an evaluation of what she needs help with. I need her to feel chill when the ponies come into their yard (which is separated by a fence) not fear.

Well done wee Ellie💞

24/12/2024

I started the holidays off with much needed beach time with my Betty 🐾🎉🎄

Back home filthy with two wash loads to be done on Christmas Eve...the joys of having a Bouncy Betty 🤣

A very happy Christmas to everyone 🥳🎁🎄🐾

22/12/2024

Thank you everyone for your lovely comments on my Ellie. She's been a long time coming in my mind with some serious considerations on my behalf.

That's us a week in, still taking things super slowly. How lovely to share a quiet Sunday evening with 4 dogs,l ( 3 foreign rescues) getting their 💤 in 🙏🐾

21/12/2024

Welcome to my home Ellie 🥰🐾

Last Sunday morning, in the wee small hours I brought Ellie home after she had been in rescue for a year.

Ellie is a 4th addition to my family.

Bringing a rescue or indeed any dog into your home is fraught with challenges. It wasn't just Ellie I had to support, it was my other 3 dogs, not to mention the cats. This picture was a magic moment, they are not left unattended together and we have lots more work to do. What happens in those first few days can change the potential relationships for ever.

Key to this integration were baby gates, safe spaces and reading body language second by second...of all dogs, not just Ellie.
I can't emphasize the importance of studying dog body language, it really is so much more than a wagging tail.

One by one they were introduced, raising the contexts for interaction in tiny increments. A journey we will be on for many more months as I gradually add more into Ellie's world 🌎...at her pace.

There have been a few low grumbles but everyone is supported, not chastised or told no intentionally (I'm human, I'm sure it slips out) and the situation is diffused and evaluated.

✅Building confidence with me and my other dogs is my Number 1 Priority right now.

✅Relationships are key, dogs need to know we have their back.

She is a lovely little dog and I'm overjoyed to have taken this massive step. Taking on any dog, nevermind one who has come from rescue is a big responsibility.

If you're thinking of taking a dog on, you need to consider the worst case scenario and how you would cope. It's often not straightforward, leaving people shocked, and the dog being misunderstood or surrendered.

12/12/2024

No you're not seeing double!

I had the privilege of two beautiful siblings, Trooper and Sissy in my puppy class. Siblings in a puppy class can be challenging for the handlers, the trainer and the pups as they just want to play, but my word, their folks worked beautifully with them and they excelled. The preparatory work done by their folks prior to class set the pups up for success. 👏 👏 👏

And well done to Rosie and Lucy, your progress has been joyful to see. What a pair of fabulous girls.

And well done to wee Mac who had a pop in visit for some brief positive socialisation. All pups took his appearance in their stride!

Last puppy class of 2024- you've been a pleasure. See you in Juniors ⭐🐾❤️

08/12/2024

Did you know, that an insecure relationship with your pup may be the cause of early puberty?

New research has found that it is not worthwhile for a juvenile to hang out at home any longer than necessary if their needs are not being met, they simply might try to flee the nest sooner.

So many years before this science, in 1993, Brazilian photographer Pisco del Gaiso, captured this. It shows a woman from the Guaja tribe in the Amazon rainforest breastfeeding a small wild boar whose mother had been shot by poachers. She didn't know the science, she just had ethics and natural desire to care. Perhaps to fatten up the boar to eat? Regardless, through nurture, the boar will hang out with her until adolescence completely takes over.

Kindness wins every time.

What to do to maintain that trust your puppy may naturally give you...

✅Positive only interactions,no nasty methods such as poking, prodding, smacking, spraying, shocking...you wouldn't do to a baby
✅A satiated tummy
✅Don't leave them to cry it out, they no more need to toughen up than a baby
✅Meet their needs both physical and mentally
✅ Care, nurture, have their back
✅ Connection not obedience
✅ Reduce conflict

Want to learn more...then listen to...

https://podcasts.apple.com/cy/podcast/the-teenage-phase-adolescent-dog-with-dr-naomi-harvey/id1499510501?i=100048512000