Barket Place

20/03/2025

Dogs are incredible companions and family members - but just like people, some need a little more space to feel comfortable.

That’s where Day from My Anxious Dog UK comes in (which happens to be today) - a movement to help educate people (big and small) that when a dog is wearing yellow, they need space.

Most kids LOVE dogs - but, sometimes, their enthusiasm can be a little overwhelming for even the most sociable of dogs. So how do we teach children to interact safely and respectfully with dogs, especially those who need a bit of distance?

Check the comment box to find the link for more.

20/03/2025

Join the yellow army today and support 💛

Dogs in yellow need your support. They need space. They need understanding.

Not all dogs feel comfortable saying hello and need space.
Some dogs are recovering from illness and need space.
A dog might be in season and need space.
Young dogs might be learning how to greet appropriately and to do so they need space.
A dog who’s scared needs space.
Dogs who are aging and can’t see as well need space.

If you see yellow - think “SPACE” 💛

Thanks to for championing this cause.

💛

12/03/2025

Pain isn't always seen, especially in animals who can't voice it.

The below post offers a great reminder of just how prevalent pain is when investigating any challenging emotions or behaviour our dogs may be displaying.

It's why we always ask you to see your vet before starting to work together through our private consultations. It's why we'll often recommend you investigate further with Bowen, Physio, Osteopath etc. It's why we might work with your vets to suggest a pain trial, even if they don't initially 'see' pain as being present.

The link between pain and behaviour is a topic I have a particular interest in.

With an ever increasing frequency I often meet young dogs with health issues that contribute to undesirable behaviours and/ or slow progress in terms of their training.

As I’ve spoken about so many times before- dogs don’t show pain or discomfort as we do and please do not assume that because your dog is young they do not have pain.

Have a look at some examples below of dogs I’ve seen recently in clinic

1️⃣ - 2 year old lab.

Referred to the vets for anxiety and reactivity around her owners young son- guarding the sofa from him, serious confidence issues, also becoming reactive with other dogs. No limping, lameness, no functional issues, no outward signs of pain.
Sent onto me by the vets for a pain assessment, after my assessment I recommended X-rays which led to a subsequent diagnosis of Hip dysplasia.

2️⃣- 6 year old big bull breed.

Very noise phobic and then started to become reluctant to go on walks - still really energetic and super happy to play and run and jump on and off furniture and run up and down stairs- sent for a pain check by Victoria Cooper Canine Behaviourist. On physio assessment I found pain in her low back and hip - sent her back to vets for pain relief and X-rays and she was given a subsequent diagnosis of lumbosacral disease and hip dysplasia.

3️⃣- very cute energetic 1 year old poodle cross.

Always been over excitable around other dogs and nervous of new situations. Lunges at runners and dogs when out and about. Very barkey but friendly. Again no limping or lameness. Loved chasing the ball in the garden- would play for hours until the ball was taken away from her.
Went to see the vet who passed her onto me for a pain check - I found patellas that were loose on both knees. Subsequent X-rays led to a diagnosis of bilateral luxating patellas.

4️⃣- 2 year old c**ker spaniel

Normally no issues ,very sociable and friendly - suddenly started serious resource guarding at home and then bit his owner - sent to me by the vet for a pain check and afterwards subsequently diagnosed with elbow dysplasia

I could go on and on with these examples but I think they paint the picture.

⚠️ All these dogs have one thing in common. They were experiencing pain⚠️

They were not being naughty or aggressive or dominant or testing boundaries.
Their pain was triggering undesirable behavioural changes.

It is now accepted that the most accurate method for evaluating pain in animals is not by physiological parameters but by observations of behaviour.

None of the above issues would be resolveable with addressing behaviour modification .
Indeed if your dog is not responding to a treatment programme as you would expect, in many cases this means that there is pain present limiting the animals ability to proceed.

Some of them will have drastic improvement from the moment the pain is addressed however often, once pain is addressed , behavioural intervention will then be required to address established and learned avoidance responses.

If your dog has any behavioural issues, take them to a vet and ask for a thorough examination or a referral to a suitably qualified physiotherapist. If you’re still not sure, get a second opinion.

You CANNOT train the pain or discomfort out of your dog. Address this first and foremost before you consider trying to modify their behaviour .

If your behaviourist or trainer doesn’t immediately advise a veterinary visit if any aggression, excessive ‘naughtiness’ or strange behaviour is present, walk away.

Please always rule out pain being the cause of your dogs behaviour change first.

Please share to increase awareness

11/03/2025

Does your dog travel comfortably in the car?

With many of our clients' dogs finding car travel less than fun, Caroline teamed up with Select Car Leasing and Pets 2 Places Ltd with some tips for keeping your dogs both happy and safe on travels this year.

Click for the link below ↓

06/03/2025

You walk through the door, and suddenly, your dog is all over you, sniffing like a TSA agent on high alert. After a brief hello and a snuggle, it’s nose to your toes, a quick check of your hands, then investigating all areas of your clothing – leaving no pocket unchecked. You might even feel as if they’re trying to collect forensic evidence from the time since you last saw them.

But why are our dogs so quick to turn into Sherlock Holmes, repeating the daily scent ritual each time you return home? While pat-downs are used to detect threats and keep us safe on our travels – for our dogs, is this investigation just curiosity, or is there something deeper at play?

Caroline joins Kinship to answer this one...

Ever wondered why your dog gives you a full sniff-down when you walk through the door? From detecting your mood to figuring out where you’ve been, your dog’s sniffing has a purpose. Here’s what they’re really smelling.

04/03/2025

It's Crufts week. Are you going?

Caroline will be hanging out to chat & promote the work of KAD Kids Around Dogs on Friday from 12pm to 2pm and Saturday from 10am to 12pm at the KAD Stand (Hall 4, Stand 54).

AND if you get there in time, she'll be giving away free Barket Place clickers to those who come and say hi. Limited number so can't guarantee everyone will get one - but will split the quantity per day to make it fair.

Hope to see you there!

14/02/2025

Can you spare us 2 minutes to help other wonderful dog guardians, like yourself, to find us? ↓

leave a review: https://g.page/r/CfXRVGTovs0yEAE/review

PLUS send us a screenshot of your review* to [email protected] and we'll enter you into a prize draw for some fab doggy gifts, as a thank you.

A quick review really does make a HUGE difference to a small business like us ❤️

* draw will take place on 4th March

12/02/2025

For many of us, Valentine’s Day is a time to show affection, not just to our partners, but to the special animals in our lives. After all, no doubt your dog has been your best teacher when it comes to showing unconditional love.

Whether you buy into the Hallmark approach to Valentine’s - splurging on beautiful bouquets and gifts - or going for something more simple, it’s worth taking a moment to consider: could these tokens of affection be putting your dog in danger?

Valentine’s Day is for showing love - to partners and dogs. But could your gifts be putting the canine member of your family at risk? Take a moment to find out.

07/02/2025

While tasty treats can work as the biggest motivation for many dogs when it comes to teaching them to come back to you on a walk - play can also be an effective reward for recall training.

Our in-house trainer, Susi, introduces the two-toy method to get a better recall.

While tasty treats can work as the biggest motivation for many dogs when it comes to teaching them to come back to you on a walk - play can also be an effective reward for recall training. Susi introduces you to the two-toy method to get a better recall.

07/01/2025

New puppy in your life?
Check out Caroline's top tips over at Kinship.

Getting a new puppy can be a very exciting time, but it’s important that you have all of the essentials. Learn about everything you’ll need in this article.

19/12/2024

Our annual share of this funny but important story….

Have you heard of the term 'trigger stacking'? It's defined by Grisha Stewart as "Stress accumulation due to exposure of multiple triggers, either simultaneously or close enough in time that the dog's reactivity has not returned to normal."

While the, slightly cheeky, story below is about Father Christmas - it's a great way to highlight why our dogs sometimes might be more reactive to an event, person, dog, etc. Why some days they may seem more 'grumpy' than others.

Over the festive period, it can be hard for dogs to take on board all the new stuff - a tree in their home, more visitors than usual, their humans being around a lot more, presents, human excitement after one too many sherries, flashing lights, blow up snowmen, santa coming down their chimney... the list goes on.

Over the next couple of weeks, try to schedule in a few down days - rest days for an emotional detox. It will allow your dogs the time they need to recover, ready for the next bit of festive fun.

And now, on with the story...

One particular Christmas a long time ago, Santa was getting ready for his annual trip but everywhere he looked he found issues.

In the week leading up to Christmas, Santa found that 4 of his best elves were sick; and the trainee elves weren’t able to produce toys as fast as the others, so Santa was feeling the pressure of being behind schedule. On top of that, Mrs. Claus told Santa that her Mom was coming to visit, which stressed Santa even more.

Then when he went to harness the Reindeer, he found three of them were about to give birth and two had jumped the fence and were out and frolicking with each other. More stress. Then when he began to load the sleigh one of the boards cracked and the toy bag fell to the ground, and scattered the toys. So, frustrated, Santa went back into the house for a cup of coffee and a shot of whiskey.

When he went to the cupboard, he discovered the elves had drank all coffee and there was no liquor, and, in his frustration, he accidentally dropped the coffee pot and it broke into hundreds of little pieces all over the kitchen floor. He went to get the broom and found that mice had eaten the straw it was made from.

Just then, the doorbell rang and Santa cussed his way to the door. He opened the door and there was a little angel with a great big Christmas Tree. The angel said, very cheerfully, “Merry Christmas Santa. Isn’t it just a lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you, Isn’t it just a lovely tree? Where would you like me to stick it?”

Thus began the tradition of the little angel on top of the Christmas Tree!

06/12/2024

A recent study has backed up previous research that shows how in-tune our dogs are with our own emotional state. "Empathy or Apathy? Investigating the influence of owner stress on canine stress in a novel environment" (Aoife Byrne, Gareth Arnott, 2024) set out to find whether changes in owner stress levels influenced canine stress in settings such as the vets. The findings indicate that it's important to also address the emotional state of the guardian when helping to reduce stress for the dog.

For the past 5 Fridays, I've been sharing findings from my week of life - both living with and working with dogs. It'll be snippets of joy from nature. It'll be new studies (like this one) looking into the behaviour of dogs. It'll be insights from my consultations.

Want to get your paws on next week's findings?
https://www.barketplace.uk/opt-in

05/12/2024

Want to make sure that festive cheer doesn’t lead to festive fear?

Caroline's got you covered...

Learn how to advocate for your dog this holiday season with tips on navigating unfamiliar visitors, managing stress, and ensuring your pet’s safety and comfort during festivities.

03/12/2024

You might have heard me talking about our Canine Connection Club during our special Bark Friday event. If you were intrigued, but just couldn't commit to the annual pass right now - it's not your last chance to join.
https://www.barketplace.uk/club

If you signup for monthly or annual passes right now, then you get to join us for just £1 during December - with a 30 day trial.

We're just about to get started on our Winter Panto - we'd love you to play a part.
We start learning our festive tricks tomorrow!

Want to have some super cheap fun with your dog to end out the year right?
https://www.barketplace.uk/club

03/12/2024

Does your dog do an adorable c**k of their head?
Ever wondered why?

Caroline joined Kinship to discuss this cute (but sometimes concerning) behaviour.

Got a pic of your dog tilting their head? We'd love to see it in the comments ⬇️

Wondering why your dog tilts their head? Discover the reasons behind this adorable behaviour, from improved hearing to understanding human communication.

29/11/2024

We couldn't be more excited to share the postponed date for our planned talk with Caroline Ingraham about all things Self Selection.

Caroline was due to join us during our recent Walking into Winter series but sadly had to postpone. We can now announce that she'll be joining us this coming Tuesday - the 3rd Dec - at 7.30pm (UK) in our Connect with Your Dog group. ALL WELCOME!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/connectwithyourdog

29/11/2024

Isn't the best gift you can give to your dog, YOU?
You as a constant for them?
You as their biggest supporter, cheerleader, and confidant?
You giving them the most fun?
It's all you.

And we're here to support YOUR end of the lead, so that you can be that "YOU" for your dog.

Right now, there's just over 24 hours left to get our special BARK Friday offer.
Barketplace.uk/barkfriday

It's a year of access to our behaviour / training team so that you can get THE HELP YOU NEED WHEN YOU NEED IT.
It's a year of fun live training sessions and inspiration to work on things that really will make you have the best connection with your dog.
It's a year of being in one of the best communities of supportive pet parents I've ever experienced.
It's a year of us being what YOU need to be what YOUR dog needs you to be.

And right now, when you sign up for a year (for just £89) you'll get our 4 best selling courses worth £163. OOF! Too good to miss out on.

Sign up now, before it's too late: Barketplace.uk/barkfriday