AbbeyPet

06/09/2024

Lots of interesting info here 😊

Adolescence occurs between six months and 18 months of age—a time when guardians typically struggle the most with their dogs. Some guardians are so overwhelmed and underprepared for this developmental stage of their dog’s life, they choose to surrender the dog to a local shelter or rescue group. In a recent study published in the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science found that the majority of the surrendered dogs (47.7 percent) ) were between 5 months and 3 years of age (M.D. Salman,John G. New, Jr.,Janet M. Scarlett,Philip H. Kass,Rebecca Ruch-Gallie &Suzanne Hetts, 2010)

The neurobiology of adolescence is fascinating, with some key events that alter both the structure and function of the brain.

During canine adolescence, changing s*x hormones effect the animals stress responses. Adolescent dogs have a decreased ability to process information they are receiving from the environment including the presence of dogs, vehicles, people, or really anything around them. They behave in ways that might feel frustrating or upsetting for the dog’s person.

The connectivity between the frontal cortex (responsible for decision making) and amygdala (responsible for emotional processing) decreases, resulting in less behavioral control. We see increased risk taking and more sensitivity to fear.

So what does this mean? This could mean that what was once no big deal to the dog now feels scary; what was once easy to do is now stressful; what once made sense is now confusing. At times, the world can feel like ‘too much’ for the adolescent dog.

As your puppy undergoes this transition into adulthood their inner world is intense, even chaotic. Many pet owners experience an increase in undesirable behavior and find themselves becoming increasingly frustrated. In turn, our own frustration and impatience can cause us to act unpredictably. This adds to our puppy’s inner turmoil. When the inside and the outside are both unpredictable it can be difficult for our dogs to adjust.

If you have an adolescent dog, what can you do? You can give your dog the time and space to observe what is going on around them when on leash at a distance away from the activity when possible. You can give your dog long walks to sniff and explore in nature, giving their brain time to decompress. You can offer your dog a quiet space to sleep so that they can consolidate memories effectively. You can continue training various skills, breaking them down into easier steps that can be generously reinforced.

By understanding what our adolescent dog is experiencing we gain greater compassion and understanding. When we approach adolescence with patience we create a world that is predictable and gentle so our puppies grow up to be their best adult selves.

26/04/2024

This. It's difficult, but true.

Yesterday I read a post on a colleague's page which should have been entirely noncontroversial. The post stated that dogs shouldn't be regularly crated for 8 hours or more at a time. Incredibly some people pushed back hard on that point on the basis it excluded people who worked full time/long hours from having a dog.

And there's the rub. 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙙𝙤𝙜. Much as they might want one. Not everyone's lifestyle is compatible with dog ownership. Which can be a bitter pill to swallow if you desperately want a dog in your life but that doesn't make it any less true.

Dogs need social contact*. They need space to move*. To deprive them of these things has a detrimental effect on their well being, no matter how loved they may be. So if the only way someone can fit a dog into their life is to leave it alone & crated for 8-10 hours every day they really need to do some soul searching and consider the dog's experience, not just their own wants.

If you do work out of the home for long hours and still want a dog in your life then you have to be prepared to pay for support to help you care for your dog - a dog walker, pet sitter, day care etc. And high quality, ethical pet care costs.

Does that mean that those who work long hours out of the home and can't afford high quality pet care can't have a dog? Yes, very possibly.

Owning a dog isn't a right. It's a responsibility which means that you have to consider the dog's welfare ahead of your own wants. There will be many such decisions along the way and the first one is whether your lifestyle can meet a dog's most basic needs. And if it can't, the answer should be 'no'.

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*𝘙𝘦𝘧𝘴:
• 𝘉𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘢 𝘉, 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘔 𝘉 𝘏, 𝘷𝘢𝘯 𝘏𝘰𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘑, 𝘥𝘦 𝘝𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘏 𝘞, 𝘔𝘰𝘭 𝘑 𝘈 (1998). 𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭, 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘢, 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘪 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘨𝘴, 𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘈𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘭 𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 58: 365-381.
• 𝘉𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘢 𝘉, 𝘉𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢 𝘞, 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘔 𝘉 𝘏, 𝘔𝘰𝘭 𝘑 𝘈, 𝘷𝘢𝘯 𝘏𝘰𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘑 (1999𝘢). 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘨𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘰𝘯𝘦: 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘗𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘳 66: 233-242.

30/12/2023

With New Years Eve approaching, we have some TOP TIPS for keeping your pet safe this firework season.

Dogs:https://www.apbc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Fireworks-Series-Behaviour.pdf

Cats:https://www.apbc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/APBC-How-to-prepare-your-cat-for-fireworks.pdf

20/10/2023

What is ‘Silent pain?’ 🤔

Did you know that dogs are genetically predisposed to hide pain because in the wild, weakness or injury would make them vulnerable to predators.

According to some experts, more than half our dogs suffer from ‘silent pain’ that their owners are unaware of. Dogs will rarely vocalise even moderate pain and often just run through it and don’t show any signs.

Silent pain is difficult to diagnose as it is subtle and develops slowly over a long time and any slight changes in the dog are often just attributed to normal ageing.

Things to consider with your dog-

✳️ Dogs are very loyal animals - they will follow you for as long as they can- on walks, up the stairs, onto the bed, ignoring any pain because they want to be with you

✳️ When doing zoomies, playing, chasing squirrels etc your dog won’t feel pain as their endorphins (their powerful natural pain relieving hormone) will be at released - the pain will come later when the dog is home and resting.

✳️ Your dog will not, however, be able to make that connection between the earlier exercise and the pain they’re now experiencing due to the time delay so they will repeat it the next day and the next and so on…..

✳️ Ball orientated dogs will ignore pain and continue to chase the ball as long as you throw it for them until they tire

✳️ Over a period of time and as your dog ages, the joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons become less able to deal with these demands and that’s when injuries start to happen.

✳️ You may at this point start to notice some changes in your dog, they might start to move a little
differently or be less enthusiastic on walks but again, it might not be physical signs. Your dog may develop behavioural problems, become noise sensitive, nervous or agressive with other dogs or may just pant more or find it harder to settle.

✳️ So …..just because your dog can leap for the ball/ jump up and down off the bed/ do ten zoomie laps of the field etc doesn’t mean you should let them and it does NOT mean they are not in pain!

Please share to increase awareness

And just to finish - a pic of my gorgeous arthritic girlie enjoying some autumn sun ☀️ !!

13/08/2023

Very true

Something to ponder from Dr Dunbar. ‘Capture’ and reward at least one of your dog’s good behaviours every day 🐾

02/08/2023

😼 Research has shown that when cats don’t have enough opportunities to play, they can turn to destructive and attention seeking behaviours, such as scratching the furniture or increased vocalisation. This can be frustrating for both you and your cat.

All cats need physical and mental stimulation to stay happy and healthy. Getting plenty of opportunities to use their inquisitive minds and natural hunting instincts through play is an excellent way to:

🐾 Reduce hunting behaviour - a recent study suggested that 5-10 minutes of daily play reduced hunting behaviour by up to 25%!

🐾 Encourage exercise and promote a healthy bodyweight

🐾 Improve mental wellbeing and reduce attention seeking behaviours

🐾 Strengthen the human-animal bond

Find out more about the importance of play and the benefits of addressing problem behaviours 👉 https://icatcare.org/international-cat-day/

09/05/2023

EDIT: The workshop is now fully booked! 😍 Please comment below if you wanted to book as if there’s enough interest, I will open another session. Thanks for your support, looking forward to helping your cats!

📣📣📣 EVERYONE!! 📣📣📣

🐱 Booking is now open for my very first online cat behaviour workshop! 😄 This one is focusing on urine marking and is for cat carers who are currently experiencing this problem with their cat. 🐈

🐱 The workshop will include information on the potential reasons why your cat is urine marking, and strategies to resolve the problem. 🙌 There will also be an opportunity to discuss your cat's behaviour and find out why the things you have tried so far haven't worked. 🐈‍⬛

🐱 Spaces are limited to 10 places to allow for discussion and the session will not be recorded so any details you share will remain between the group only. ❤️

Click here to book: https://www.lucyhoile.co.uk/catbehaviourworkshops
(then click the picture to book)

❤️ I CAN'T WAIT to work with more lovely cat owners! See you there! ❤️

28/04/2023

🙂

Dogs all over England are smiling today. As of Feb 1st 2024 remote electric (shock) collars will be banned in England. Thank you to everyone who campaigned for 10 years to get this done! The dogs thank you!
https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/media-centre/2023/april/cruel-electric-shock-collars-banned-in-england/

20/04/2023

This is worth thinking about? Was just chatting to a client about this the other day! :)

It's very sad that a lot of advice given today discourages people from providing secure bases to dogs. This is seen as "sentimental and soft". People are conditioned to fearing that if they reassure their dog or show up for their dog, their dog will become "needy". But it is quite the opposite. The more we show up, the more we strengthen that secure base and they gain confidence to explore. The more they explore and gather life experience, the further it builds confidence. Show up for your dog as often as possible. You are not "softening" them or pampering them. You are strengthening their core. You will be amazed at what they are capable of. But to see their best, show up for them. Don't be afraid to reassure them. Don't let people tell you that you are pampering or spoiling them. Show up. It's okay to do so. It's good to do so.

If this approach resonates with you and you like the idea of showing up for your dog, sign up for Canine Essential 101 and learn more on how to show up with empathy and compassion.

https://courses.bharcs.com/

16/04/2023

Do you have a cat friendly home? 🏡 😺 A cats physical and mental wellbeing can be positively influenced by the resources they are given in their homes.

This floor plan highlights the key resources and how they can be spaced out. Take a look at your home and see if you can improve the layout of your cat’s resources. 🧐

Here are some general tips 👇
🔹 Food and water should not be placed next to each other
🔹 Keep food away from busy areas
🔹 Keep litter trays away from doors/busy areas and food and water
🔹 Have some raised and covered safe places and beds
🔹 Try placing scratching posts near doors, windows or their beds

Find out more 👉 https://icatcare.org/advice/making-your-home-cat-friendly/

14/04/2023

Free webinars - one for dogs and one for cats 🙂

I'm excited to share that I have two upcoming webinars, one on how to have a happy dog, and one on how to have a happy cat. They are free and a recording will be available. As well, because the paperback of Purr will come out on June 6th, I'll give a copy to one of the attendees at the live webinar on how to have a happy cat. Please feel free to share these webinars with friends, family, and clients who might be interested.
Register here:
How to have a happy dog: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/2816812395546/WN_wJClLguAQ7ypoeRm0UDeAw
How to have a happy cat: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/1516812434593/WN_e8qAmN3LRieR3DirITFctw

04/04/2023

Did you know that most cats over 12 years of age suffer from osteoarthritis and about two thirds of cats over 6 years of age can also be affected? 🙀

😿Cats are experts at hiding pain and good at adapting, so signs of osteoarthritis are usually gradual and subtle. This means that only a small percentage of cats suffering from osteoarthritis are actually treated.

🦴Changes in a cat's behaviour are usually an indicator of pain or illness, and chronic joint pain is no exception. Signs of osteoarthritis in cats include:

🐈Stiff or unsteady gait
🐈Stiffness when rising from rest
🐈Difficulty jumping up or down from furniture
🐈Reluctance to use or navigate stairs
🐈Reluctance to play or frequent rest needed during play sessions
🐈Sleeping for longer periods
🐈Restlessness
🐈Favouring beds lower to the ground
🐈Difficulty grooming and matted coat
🐈Less interaction with humans and animals in the household
🐈Aggression towards humans if touched, stroked or picked up
🐈Aggression towards other animals in the household
🐈House soiling - episodes of missing the litter tray or soiling in unusual locations
🐈Reduced scratching activity and overgrown claws
🐈Reluctance to use cat flap
🐈Spending less time outside
🐈Activity generally reduced

🐾Cats are less likely to be lame as arthritis tends to affect limbs on both sides.

🩺Although osteoarthritis is a progressive condition, it can be managed. This will involve pain management, environmental modifications and sometimes other complimentary therapies.

🩺 If your cat is showing signs of osteoarthritis contact your vet for advice. Although cats do slow down as they get older, changes in mobility are usually associated with discomfort, so pain management is essential.

📝You can work with your veterinary team and go through questionnaires to monitor your cat's behaviour and mobility. Access them here:

https://www.catcare4life.org/

https://www.zoetispetcare.com/checklist/osteoarthritis-checklist-cat

https://painfreecats.org/

📚References : Ellen Goldberg. M. (2017). A chronic look at pain in cats. Veterinary Nursing Journal, 32(3), 67-77.doi: 10.1080/17415349.2016.1269625

26/03/2023

Free webinar about pet anxiety

With just under a week to go before Pet Anxiety Month ends - don’t forget that to help raise awareness, I’m offering An Introducion to Pet Anxiety webinar for FREE. Follow the link below and use the code: PETANXIETY
https://petcourses.co.uk/courses/an-introduction-to-pet-anxiety-dog-and-cat-online-seminar/

17/03/2023

When is a hutch enough?

When it is used as a safe space as part of a larger enclosure.

A hutch should NEVER be used as the sole accommodation for rabbits.



https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-care-advice/rabbit-housing/why-hutch-not-enough/

10/02/2023

Fabulous article about separation related behaviours in dogs 🙂

When it comes to in , the resolution process often involves a bucket load of myth-busting communication with clients – so what advice should professionals actually give? 🐕

Find out in Heather Taylor’s insightful article for this month’s Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors - APBC column!
https://bit.ly/3Hzkevf

15/12/2022

Really good advice with Christmas coming up

03/11/2022

Some more excellent advice

Fireworks are loud and unpredictable, which can the be frightening for cats 🙀🙀

Here are some tips on keeping your safe and reducing stress during fireworks season:

🎇Provide several cat 'hidey' areas in the house. These can be anything from cardboard boxes, elevated perches with beds on (make sure they are secure) to cat trees with enclosed pods.

🎇Cats like to be up high as it makes them feel safe, but don't forget to offer hiding areas at a lower level, especially for older cats. Making a comfy den under your bed can offer a safe and secure area for older cats, or those with mobility problems to hide.

🎇Play soft or classical music or keep the TV on during peak firework time. This can help drown out some of the firework noises.

🎇Use a synthetic pheromone therapy (Feliway)diffuser and spray. Set the diffuser up well before the fireworks start and use the spray on your cat's bedding about 15-20 minutes before use.

🎇If you have a multi-cat household make sure each cat has at least one place to hide in the area it spends the most time in. There should be at least one hiding place per cat plus several spares.

🎇 Even if your cat does not usually use a litter tray, provide one in a quiet area of the house during firework season. You can also offer a tray or toileting area the garden if needed (somewhere hidden away). Lots of cats get stress cystitis during fireworks season, so it's important to give them toileting options.

🎇Behave normally around your cat, avoid picking it up and kissing or cuddling it and try to stay calm. Cats pick up on owners emotions, so allow your cat to go wherever it wants and don't smother or disturb it too much.

🎇If possible, keep your cat inside during the evenings in peak fireworks season, as this can prevent injury and stress (don't prevent it from going outside if it wants to though)

🎇If you want to watch the fireworks from inside your house do it in a different room to your cats and shut the curtains in the rest of the house

🎇If your cat doesn't want to hide use toys or treats as a distraction

🎇 Nutraceuticals might help reduce stress, but they do not replace helping your cat feel safe in its home ❤️🐈🏡

27/10/2022

Good advice

🕷🕷Halloween🕷🕷

🕷With halloween fast approaching please consider thinking how your puppy may feel when faced with different decorations appearing in your home or family members that may be heading out for trick or treating wearing very different items, such as masks, hats and capes.

🕷Remember - if children or family members do decide to dress up for halloween it is likely that your puppy may not have seen these before and they may be unsure. As this real Puppy School photo of a child which attended a Puppy School class demonstrates clearly is that children do look very different when disguised in halloween dress!

🕷Try to introduce items gradually and create a positive association by using treats and or a fun game with your puppy.

🕷Always watch your puppies body language and create a bigger distance away if they are unsure. Do not force them to move closer if they are scared.

🕷Keep a look out as we will be sharing some more tips on how to help keep your pups safe this Halloween over the next few days.