Balance Behaviour

29/01/2025

Not as Icky as you may think...
A whole plethora of super-fantastic mood-balancing chemicals are stored in the epithelium of the gut - which can only be at optimal strength and health when it works hard to digest the food we feed.
Looking at what a food contains is only half of the story, looking at how it is processed by the body tells the whole tale. For health, balanced behaviour, calmness, self-control, focus and training ease, to wipe out pathogens and parasites, for healthy a**l glands, teeth and coat, for reduced allergy symptoms, and for less visits to the vet consider responsible raw feeding!
Waggy tails all round... (it doesn't matter how pretty the bowl is - it's the content that counts!)

28/01/2025

When you can control a movement controllers movements you've cracked it! The same can be said for any breed trait.
Most dogs appreciate and respect their own traits in others. If you channel their specialist skill in a way that you control and teach a 'switch' on and off, then also practise this skill on your dog, the magic happens...
Speak a bit of dog and see how the bond deepens and new understandings are forged.
Teach flirt pole games for terriers using self control and eye contact, movement control games for herders and scent games for hounds. There's no limit! Just be sure to ask for calm self-control and focus on you before they access the game, and plenty of emergency stops to get back to calmness before going again.
Not rocket science - but- very powerful indeed. If you maintain primary access to the object of the game or activity then you have the best relationship ever.
Even more fun; A sight hound or sled dog that sees you can move super-fast (a bike is a necessity) is delighted with your sp*edy prowess, a herder that sees you send incoming dogs away or move other dogs around at will is mighty impressed, and a guarding breed that watches you take control of all resources will be in a state of awed respect.
Respect and trust is gained through example and understanding - not forced through suppressing instinct to the point of misery...
So; instead of forcing a dog to be a person - try becoming partially 'dog' and doing it better 😉 Seriously powerful stuff!

28/01/2025

Just because everyone else is doing it, it doesn't mean that you should!
If we all followed the flock when it came to raising a puppy then puppies wouldn't walk outside until after vaccinations (and after the critical period of socialisation/habituation has almost passed), resulting in nervousness.
Then they would be quickly over-socialised with bikes, footballs, postmen and everything in-between whilst being fed high value exciting treats by the very people that you wish them to ignore later, resulting in excitement and a lack of focus on you!
Nervous excited unfocused dogs aren't that happy or balanced truth be told... and you won't be either, particularly when your now-very-large-dog is charging across a field ignoring you to reach that man on a bicycle because he remembers being fed rapid-fire hot-dogs last time he met a Lycra-clad cyclist...
Use your common sense and dare to buck the trend - teach your puppy to ignore every distraction and look to you from a young age as far as is possible - rather than inadvertently teaching him to rush every person in a high vis' jacket or small child with a football in expectation of pocket treats!
A calm dog is a happy balanced dog - don't forget it!
Socialise and habituate with safe exposure and focus exercises and you can't go far wrong - calm is key 🙂

27/01/2025

Hello brand new week!
Don't worry doggy people - you got this 😉

24/01/2025

A reminder of why you should ensure your dogs are happy to be handled all over!

Ava suffered a torn dew claw several years ago - blood everywhere, but what a good girl she was! When the quick is exposed this can be super-painful, meaning that a familiarity and comfort with having toes and feet touched as well as being comfortable when calmly restrained is vital. It was a bad one - luckily only a small amount of nail was still attached to the quick so no need to drive to the vets. If I hadn't been able to keep her calm and still, touch her feet even when she was in pain, then she would have have needed a muzzle, and many vets would sedate as a matter of course, particularly as she is a big girl. As it is - she quite happily allowed me to stop the bleeding, remove the broken pieces of claw and sterilise the wound etc., and all with no stress or anxiety (to any party!). The only thing that took a hit was the tin of corned beef in the cupboard...
We could bob in to the vet at our leisure.
Vets create a bad association for a lot of dogs as they become associated with pain, stress and panicking owners.

Ava says; Get yourself confident using low stress handling and examination so that in an emergency you can manage the situation well. Be sure to get your dog used to being restrained, muzzle train just for fun (even the most placid dog will lash out if in pain or panic), and be sure to touch and handle all places on the body regularly - feet, teeth, ears and tail, checking eyes and running hands over everything in between. This is a great routine to get into following a walk or during a groom. Saves a lot of worry and stress for both dog and owner, and prevents a molehill turning into a mountain later! A first aid kit on hand is a great bonus too - keep your vets number in there so that you can ask for advice if needed 🙂

23/01/2025

Love this - not sure who created it so can't credit, but round of applause for this one!

21/01/2025

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Sounds good right?
What are you waiting for? We don't bite (even if your dog does) - and it's all very informal and fun. Who knows? It might just change your life! We love complex cases, and we love simple ones too so get in touch with us ASAP at [email protected] to go onto the list and obtain your place this year. We have some left in March, and remember you can also bag some follow-ups as required via this scheme, so get your skates on.
Give me a call to discuss if you have questions! Julia: 07920464120
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21/01/2025

Think Dog! Remember not to give resources and attention at the wrong times. It's OK for dogs to communicate and ask for things if they do so politely and calmly. A nice sit and a watch is perfect, but if you are being shaped against your will there is a way out!
Avoid inadvertently feeding into insecurity or controlling tendencies, anxiety or aggression, by ignoring unwanted whining and jumping, pawing or barking. Instead ask for a polite sit and calm eye contact when you are ready and they are calm.
Sounds simple right? It is! Solid gold advice for a great relationship with your dog. ♥️

20/01/2025

17/01/2025

Giggle...

17/01/2025

If your dog's recall has gone out of the window during winter here's why!

16/01/2025

Lots of people feel the crate is should never be used as a 'punishment'. But boundary setting is important! Punishment in the dog sense of the word is a Dam drawing boundaries arou7nd excess excitement or aggression. So it's enforced calmness. She corrects scent/mood, not physical behaviour!
Behind almost every unwanted behaviour we find excessive excitement or aggression - the remedy?
Mark the unwanted quickly and calmly, and then promote the alternative; calmness!
What better way to do this than to direct to a comfy bed with a chew?
If being banished to calm down in a crate was in any way damaging or scary we would never send a child to their room for fear of them developing fear of their safe place.
Every space in the home should be a 'safe space' and the crate represents the dogs haven and calm place - use it well and it can be a wonderful tool to promote calm contentment and address unwanted excitement effectively and kindly.
Take home message; Don't snub dog prison - in reality proper use of the crate is a gift and a blessing for any dog!

16/01/2025

Weight control for health and behaviour

Feeding too often, and too much of the wrong kind of foods is a major part of an excess weight problem, but it's not the whole story.
Obesity is a turning point for many dogs, as when the fat get’s it’s feet under the table we see hormonal changes that ensure it stays there…
Unfortunately, the majority of affordable foods tend to be high in starchy carbohydrates and these cause some metabolic problems - not only obesity but lots of inflammatory conditions. All of this leads to a cycle of deteriorating health and increased cortisol (stress hormone) production.
Another factor is a lack of physical exercise. This doesn’t just create obese dogs but also boredom, depression and super-high cortisol levels.
Between them a lack of exercise and some extra pounds can trigger changes including cortisol-driven fat gain, joint problems, muscle loss, behaviour issues and ill health generally. According to a 14 yearlong study, dogs fed to their ideal weight lived almost two years longer than their obese littermates!
What can you do?
Feed high protein, moderate fat and some fruit and vegetables. Avoid ultra-processed foods at all costs - it's false economy as all the vet visits and insurance excess payments add up, so advice is to feed the best you can afford. Add healthy human-food leftovers to the bowl - a 10% swap of kibble for real food is not going to upset the balance and might add time onto their life (so say numerous studies).
Visual inspection and touch! Know what a healthy dog looks like. See this link for more on scoring your dog for body condition; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOnCx6CF01k
Give treats but make sure they are real food treats, have nutritional value (less salt, less costly, better nutrition, no additives) and reduce the food allowance to compensate. Consider fasting your dog as part of the routine too - this allows autophagy to take place. (This pause in digestion allows the cleaning crew to go around when everyone's gone home to gobble up all the broken cells and detritus).
This is one issue that is much easier to get ahead of, prevention will mean that you never need to work against the cycle of fat gain and stress that makes everything more difficult than it might have been!

15/01/2025

Get ready for the lambkins!
We have sheep all over the place where we live so the dogs are pretty comfortable with walking through them, and the sheep are pretty comfortable with dogs and walkers being around. But still - the dogs are kept on a lead around livestock. Always.
It's just manners and common sense.
Don't forget to be aware of sheep and lambs appearing in fields over the coming weeks! Go over stiles before your dogs to double check it's clear, and always have the dogs behind you when transitioning from field to field. If you can't keep them behind then put them on a lead before you transition so that you can be super-sure that the field is livestock free before the leads come off.

14/01/2025

Olfaction - a dog's primary perception of the world!
Too many of us miss the point when it comes to teaching dogs. We tend to treat them as though they are less intelligent people! We teach them as though they are small slow children, patiently SHOWING them the ropes but what if they really need to SMELL the ropes?
A dogs olfactory system is their major sense - it links straight to memory and emotion, and this means that a simple odour evokes feelings, it links straight into the endocrine system producing hormones that relate to mood and behaviour.
It is the single most important sense going if you are a dog.
We see a person or scenario unfold and glean information about it through observation first, we see a staggering man at the pub making a bee line for us and realise he's drunk and feeling chatty, then maybe we tack on some sounds and smells to this afterwards helping build an accurate picture of an intoxicated person.
A dog smells the information first and THEN tacks on associations to this. He can smell the chemicals associated with mood as well as the smell of alcohol or to***co.
Where we see a tennis ball, they smell it, and not only that, they smell where it has been and when - they can track it through time and space by the scent 'footprint' that is left behind in the coat pocket or a drawer, and by the scent on the ball of your sweat and the field up the road. They understand how long ago ago the ball was moved and from which place it came.
Now that's a completely different operating system - not merely a lesser version of our human operating system.
Imagine if you could not only see your dog, but also see his trail from the garden, could see where he stopped to p*e and where he fell sleep in the kitchen before making his way to you, like a GPS footprint with a time stamp! Now imagine you could also see his mood in each of these places...
It boggles the mind. When we stop trying to teach dogs to understand in our human way we make greater progress, faster.
Think about scent next time you want to teach a new behaviour or remove an embedded one - think 'dog' first and you may just make a breakthrough.
Yes you can counter condition based on the sight of a trigger, but what if you counter conditioned based on the scent first? Imagine pairing the scent of the dog next door with a delicious Kong each day well-before introducing the counterconditioning to sight or meeting? This takes eyes out of the equation - and we know that eyes are usually the first part of an escalation: of reactivity.
Scent on the other hand is the first part of social behaviour and understanding and it engages thought and learning.
Pair a scent with something amazingly rewarding and the association changes passively, without drama. This sets you up to succeed later when eyes come into play.
Think dog - think olfaction first.

13/01/2025

Setting Boundaries

All dogs have a fundamental need for rules, structure and guidance. They need a boundary around their emotions too. Teaching new behaviours is, in essence, training rather than 'behaviour work' - this can be seen as teaching the dog to understand 'human' and provides a basis of rules that the dog is expected to live by. This is only fair, to provide clarity, and this structure is essential to the dog, quite aside from the fact that it makes the carer’s life easier, it sets them up to be well equipped for the lifestyle that they are expected to accept, and offers engaging work that they enjoy.
Setting emotional boundaries is a bit different - this is where we need to speak a little dog to prevent behaviour issues. We are aiming to fulfil the needs of exercise and mental work, affection and health care first, whilst also limiting excessive excitement and/or aggression if it occurs - preferably before it occurs.
Teaching rules and setting boundaries together is fun and engaging for the dog, it provides interest and essential structure that underpin the dog's very essence and fulfil the dog's need for guidance as well as establishing a loose hierarchy within the family.
Whether you understand or see the need for hierarchy or not - the dog does, and just as you wouldn't let a four year old drive the car (you would say 'no' and mean it, so the child would never ask again!), you shouldn't let your dog behave in ways that can lead to dangerous or unhealthy outcomes - just say no and mean it! Then you can say yes ten times for all the excellent mood and behaviour you see.
Start straight away whether your dog is young or old, and use corrective cues and consequences to prevent excessive levels of excitement, aggression, prey drive, and then reward for great (and calm) behaviour within these boundaries. You will have followed in the mother's footsteps and spoken 'dog' fluently, and your dog will feel understood!
Train for practical things, or train for fun, but do train whilst you set those emotional boundaries so that the dog has something to put their mind to whilst you are busy removing all of the self rewarding excitement behaviours etc.
A lack of emotional boundaries is at the root of the vast amount of issues that we see - excitement can slip into frustration, prey drive, and anxiety, even aggression! So don't take this for granted, if your dog is hyperactive after a suitably very long walk - don't extend the walk, or spend hours each day on finding more and more fulfilling exercises, juggling enrichment activities and wondering why your dog is never 'switched off'. This isn't a great idea. . .
Simply ask him to stop, and then enforce it so that he can experience the gift of relaxation - because if excitement gets him access to the things he wants constantly, he might with repetition, lose the ability to switch it off, and anxiety won't be far behind.

13/01/2025

Morning Doggy People.
Drink coffee, walk your dog, be awesome.
(Do not give coffee to your dog - this would be a very bad idea!)

08/01/2025

Now booking consultations for 2025!
Some low cost student accompanied consultations are available for the coming months so get in touch with your issues, problems, questions and comments.
For new this new year, choose new dog behaviour and new confidence! 🙂