Balance Behaviour

09/10/2025

All ready for Halloween? You have a few weeks to prepare for the door knocking extravaganza that is Halloween and a little longer to get ready for the fireworks that will follow...
Is this a nightmare of dog-hiding proportions or a fenzy of barking hyper-alertness in your home?
Have a look at the halloween horror post for some tips on turning a nighmare into a daydream!
https://www.facebook.com/balancebehaviour/posts/1676155205932760:0
and the post on Firework Fright for a comprehensive approach to pre-empting the night we all dread...
https://www.facebook.com/balancebehaviour/posts/1675004749381139:0
However you approach these daunting days - do it from an informed place and see what you can do to turn a negative into a positive learning experience 🙂

08/10/2025

You don’t always get the dog you want - but you virtually always get the dog you need.
Sometimes our dog's behaviour is a reflection of us, or it presses our personal buttons and highlights our weaknesses! This may be low confidence, or a tendency towards anxiety, a short fuse, or maybe being too quick to give up or get frustrated- or maybe your block is getting up before work in the morning when it's walk time! Dogs almost always have a way of holding a mirror up to us.
Working with your dog to figure out their problem and then sorting it out makes your dog better - we all know that, but it also MAKES YOU BETTER too. Seriously. (I should be awesome - all those dogs smoothing out the rubbish bits for me…)

07/10/2025

Here's HYPS again. Swooping in again to take in the dogs that most rescues won't take. The urgent ones, the last chance ones, the elderly ones, the sick ones, the expensive ones... and thank goodness they do... If you have a spare fiver donate - these guys do the work of the angels. ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

PLEASE HELP!!! 😩🆘 BERTIE the Doberman is a VERY poorly boy who has a foreign body in his stomach…. He needed immediate veterinary help to try to save his life🚨🆘 … please, PLEASE help us to save BERTIE 🖤🧡

There was no time to say anything other than ‘yes’… so he’s been signed over to HYPS, and has just been admitted to the emergency vets 🚨🆘

He has been stabilised with fluids, and now needs surgery this morning to remove a foreign body from his stomach 🆘😣 BUT, he has the added complication that he has terrible diarrhoea and possibly something else going on as well that his body is battling, as well the foreign body 💔😩

Bertie is 5 years old, and we have been told is the most lovely, friendly boy - we honestly couldn’t turn our backs on him 💔🖤🧡

SO! We now have the MASSIVE and incredibly daunting task of raising £4000 for his surgery, feeding tube, post op intensive care etc etc… we don’t know where to start!! 😣🆘 … But we have to start somewhere!!

So here we are… Doberman lovers, dog lovers, anyone out there - we desperately need to get this shared far and wide to help us save Bertie 🧡🆘🖤

05/10/2025

Chilling, working, socialising, growing up, growing out of another head collar, making us walk in the rain, making us proud ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

01/10/2025

HOORAY! The weigh-in is done - after some confusion (before moving the scales so Donk didn't have to lean against the wall), and some serious entire body wags when he spotted his favourite nurse, we recorded his weight as 166 lb.

The award for good judgement (and suspected witchcraft) goes to the lovely Maria Gillespie.
Your invisible crown is in the post ;)

01/10/2025

So much Butternut Bafflement at the moment!
So here's everything you ever wanted to know about Bbox but were too afraid to ask.

YES you can warm it up in hot water safely - it takes @ ten minutes

YES you can feed it with raw food without upsetting digestion

NO there is no catch

YES it is completely free.

NO there is no hard sell or awkward phone calls if you pause or cancel.

The free trial is so that you can check out the product, decide if you like it as part of the diet or as the whole diet, and leave an honest review if you want to.

YES you can still put it in the freezer if it's defrosted when you get it - providing it is still fridge cold to the touch.

YES I gain commission or free food when people take up the free box offer or the 50% off offer.

YES if you have a Butternut Box link in your dog's behaviour report then it has been suggested as an option for enrichment or as a complete diet for your dog.

NO I will never suggest it so I can gain lots of commission at the expense of your dog's health. EVER. If it's not suitable for your dog I will tell you that.

NO. This is NOT a raw food. It is a cooked frozen food that compliments raw.

YES it is rather expensive

YES it can be fed mixed with dry or raw or wet, as a topper or in separate meals and nothing bad will happen if your dog's gut is healthy/ if your dog is on raw.

If I have suggested a raw food diet as the major component, then this - in my opinion - is a better choice for gut repair and mood problems, dysbiosis, allergies, ye**ty ears or whatever - but I always suggest you do your own research.

HOWEVER. That doesn't mean that you can't / shouldn't add variety. I actively encourage you to (safely) add in fruit and veg, cooked meat and fish, eggs and - yes - a variety of Butternut Box flavours if you want to!

Lots of raw, fresh and minimally processed variety is the gold standard for a happy healthy gut flora. The more the merrier. We are not crazy cult-following purists here. Variety is amazing. See below for segway into variety...

Cooked sardines in a tin - yes but rinse off the brine.

Raw egg - yes go for it, cooked eggs - sure!

Butternut box can be great for adding proteins that the dog doesn't usually get such as pork, turkey or duck, or for small amounts of other healthy stuff like cranberries and broccoli.

NO it isn't just the same as raw but cooked - it has a less meat and more (mostly healthy) protein-y and carb-y ingredients.

The vegan one is (IMO) a travesty.

The Veggie one is okay but you have eggs right? Just use those - they are virtually complete and if you can get the shell into your dog then they ARE complete.

Butternut Box is the absolute ULTIMATE for getting most dogs interested in food if the appetite is poor. Warm it up. Also fenugreek - add a pinch of fenugreek if you like.

BB is much more interesting and hygienic for foraging toys when working on counter conditioning for things like separation and boundary setting, practicing at the café or pub, and all that stuff. (If you want a reminder of your special behaviour client discount link then pop me a message or check your report)

YES RELAX, the product is COMPLETE AND BALANCED so you can safely add it in as part of the daily calories without worrying about problems arising. Remember to deduct calories if this is part of the daily routine plan longer term.

YES if you defrost it until its just malleable but still a bit frosty and crunchy you can stuff it in a Kong and refreeze it safely.

YES this product is FROZEN and the quantity is LARGE so you will need some freezer space (although it's very conveniently compressed into book like meal packages so not as much space needed as you may think).

REMEMBER If you go online and pause the subscription whilst you trial it, then you won't be charged a month later - but if you love it and want another box to be sent - YOU WILL NEED TO go online and 'un-pause' it - so don't lose your log in details.

I think that covers it! If anyone is Butternut Box curious - or raw curious - or just generally diet curious, and has questions then ask away - I will be brutally honest about everything diet as far as I understand it - which is quite far. Feel free to post any questions below so that others can get some clarity too.

For all my Balance Behaviour friends who don't have a behaviour plan with us, and haven't sought advice from us in the past, you can still get 50% off your first two boxes if you want to try it. www.butternutbox.com/balancebehaviour50

If you have a plan, or have sought advice and have lost your super-special-client-link, or didn't get one, then drop me a message, email, call, or text and I will whizz one over to you.

If you are local I will drop you some cute little samples off instead so just say the word (any excuse to scratch some ears and see some waggy tails)!

30/09/2025

If you have a new puppy don't forget to have a fancy dress party early on!

It's so difficult to fit in all of the exposure to different people, ages, genders, hair styles, facial hair, walking aids, - we have hats, sticks, earrings, burkas, small children, so much more to try to cram in before that period of ideal sponge-like habituation/socialisation ends. ESPECIALLY difficult as it's a bad idea to have your dog interact and investigate strangers... Really, best practice is to ignore random people on the street entirely, and be allowed to meet family and friends in your home and garden.
Ideally you want your puppy to meet 100 people before 12 - 16 weeks so for me that's an excuse for party time!
Offer a prize for the wackiest costume!
Invite people to drop in rather than having a kicking off time so you can allow the puppy to ignore or investigate each new person one at a time and monitor for any red flags.
Rule no/1 is supervise each meeting and tell the person what to do, usually this is to ignore the dog initially, and let him sniff without eye contact or touching, (just because he smells it doesn't mean he necessarily wants to be touched - he's just finding out about the person).
Your job is to protect the pup from unwanted advances and coach your visitors when and how to interact (or not!).
To gear towards eliminating the usual 'suspects' give a bag of the best smelliest treats to the children, some great treats for the men, and standard ones for the women, especially for rescue dogs.
This is so simple and can virtually eliminate the chance of fears and overblown threat perception problems later providing you wait until after eleven or twelve weeks to go full party mode.
So easy and so important.
Just ask any owner of an adult dog that missed out on proper socialisation when young. Halloween can be a nightmare or a joy! Start straight away with calm positive exposure to all sorts of everything and you will never need to hide from Halloween later. ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

29/09/2025

Thanks for being a top engager and making it on to my weekly engagement list! 🎉

Linda Walton, Demi Darko

29/09/2025

We last weighed Rain at 18 months and he was 160 lb. He will be 20 months on Wednesday. What will he weigh? I can't say I've noticed that he's bigger or heavier...but I've said that many times before... I'm not sure whether he's sticking or twisting this time!
OK place your bets!

28/09/2025

Half price boxes x 2 from us to you 😘😘😘

Butternut Box is a fresh dog food subscription. Our meals are healthy, delicious and hypoallergenic. Perfectly-portioned and delivered direct to your door.

23/09/2025

Nope, it's not all 'how you raise them'!
There's temperament, and then there's personality. That's how I see it anyway, and this is the easiest way to explain how genetics and environmental influence make your dog who he or she is.
Temperament is inborn, innate and as much a part of them as their tail. It's the hormonal profile, the innate drives that govern their decisions, energy levels, and tell them 'what feels good to them'. Crossbreeds are no different - form and function go hand in hand - large ribcage and long legs? This dog has keen eyesight and prey drive to boot. Short little legs and long back? This dog is assertive and tenacious, probably not a good choice for proudly preserving your flower beds...and not the lap dog you want it to be.
Temperament is why Terriers dig, Huskies are vocal and social, and Collies want to be both in front and behind on the walk all at the same time! It's even more specific than this; it's why black Labs tend to excel in the working arena, why yellow Labs are usually super-foodie and why the Choccies are often as 'mad as a bag of frogs'...
Personality on the other hand is the environmental aspect - it's the bond with, and treatment from their mother, their siblings and the breeder. It's the way they receive rewards, is this during excitement or following calmness? It's whether they get chastised for things that happened hours ago and whether they are treated like little babies in a dog suit. It's how much training they have done, and what kind. It's whether they are neutered or entire, fed crap or wholesome food.
You can take dog with a great temperament and ruin it in one minute flat with the wrong handling, and you can take a dog with questionable traits and bring out it's best self if you know what to do.
No dogs aren't set in stone but it's not ALL how you raise them! With flexibility we can channel and fulfil and train and work - but if you want a dog to fit in with your lifestyle rather than making big changes to routine, then consider temperament seriously before you commit.
All shapes and sizes, temperaments and personalities are found within breeders homes and rescue centres - and there's a dog for everyone, take your time finding yours and have a lovely life life together!
Just always remember - it's not just how you raise them.