COAPE Dog Behaviourist and ISCP Advanced Canine Practitioner based in South Oxfordshire Puppy Training, Dog Behaviour, Dog Training
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This is a directory designed to help members of the public find ethical doggy professionals of all types (trainers, behaviourists, walkers, boarders, insurers etc) all under one roof.
Take a look at my profile: https://wooflinks.co.uk/listing/so-help-me-dog/
Our vets are amazing ❤️ but to expect them to be able to diagnose pain effectively in a super-short appointment time with a (usually) already stressed dog is a big ask.
Stress hormones have an analgesic effect, masking any pain the dog may actually be experiencing in normal day to day life.
Booking an appointment with a Veterinary Physio is a GREAT alternative. They will come to your home (so no stressful car journey or vet visit) and spend at least an hour with your dog, observing, assessing and treating in the process. If there’s an issue they think requires pain relief or further investigation, they will write a report to your vet giving you a head start in the process.
I work with a couple of Vet Physios (Amy being one of them) and couldn’t recommend their services more ❤️
🐾 Is your furry friend struggling with mobility or recovering from an injury? Discover the benefits of canine physiotherapy! 🐶✨
🌟 Why Choose Dog Physiotherapy?
- Pain Relief & Management: Eases discomfort from arthritis, injuries, and more.
- Enhanced Mobility: Improves flexibility and movement, helping your dog enjoy life to the fullest.
- Faster Recovery: Speeds up healing post-surgery or injury, getting them back on their paws quicker.
- Muscle & Joint Strength: Prevents future injuries by building stronger muscles and joints.
- Weight Management: Aids in healthy weight loss, reducing stress on joints.
- Boosts Circulation: Promotes overall health and faster recovery.
- Mental Well-being: Keeps your dog happy and reduces anxiety.
Give your dog the gift of comfort and happiness with physiotherapy! 🐕💖
🔗 Learn more and book a session: https://amystonevetphysio.co.uk/
More about pain !!
Teaching owners to recognise signs their dog is in pain is an ongoing and lifelong commitment for me.
Dogs are exceptionally good at hiding pain and owners are sadly very good at either not seeing the subtle signs or choosing to ignore them. This creates the perfect storm.
Naturally, owners don’t want to feel that their dog is in pain or suffering so they don’t see it. This is known as perception bias and is now thankfully becoming much more widely recognised. Of course you want your dog to be well and happy, we all do ….but in some cases this can lead to denial and avoidance of seeking help for issues that are right there in front of you. Sadly I see this day in day out.
On top of this ,often the changes that come with chronic pain are so subtle and develop so slowly over time that owners don’t pick up on these changes at all and they are considered the new normal and therefore go untreated.
Remember ‼️
Dogs will rarely vocalise chronic pain (whimpering, yelping, whining).
Limping is a more obvious sign something is wrong but your dog could display his pain in other subtle ways.
Things to look out for include:
✅Sleeping more
✅More reluctance to walk
✅Reluctance to play
✅Not wanting to go up stairs
✅Not wanting to jump on the sofa
✅Not wanting to walk on slippy floors
✅Being more clingy with you (often mistaken as being more loving so owners see it as a positive trait in their dog)
✅Wanting to spend more time alone
✅Changes in their coat
✅Changes in how they move/ sit/ stand
✅Being more grumpy with other dogs or people
✅Becoming more anxious
✅Excessive grooming
✅Noise sensitivity
Remember ‼️ when you are in pain you have options- you can take some pain medications, you can alter your daily activities, you can go and see a doctor or a specialist for advice.
When your dog is in pain he doesn’t have these options. He relies on you to do the best by him.
It is your choice if you want to ignore your dogs pain or if you want to help him .
Choose to help him /her 🐾
Please share to spread the word!
🐶 MY APPROACH TO SOLVING YOUR DOGGY STRUGGLES 🐶
➡️ I work holistically with your dog. This means I examine every area of your dog’s life (not just the area you’re having a problem with).
❓ WHY?
Well, it’s rare that the struggle you’re having is an isolated one. Most of the time there are other things going on that will also be influencing your dog’s behaviour. Some of these things might influence it a lot, some only a little, but they all play a role.
Let’s use an example of going to see a Personal Trainer because you want to lose some fat around your tummy. What your PT won’t do is just give you sit-ups for the hour you’re with them. Nope. Your PT will also look to work your cardiovascular system, your whole body muscular strength and endurance. They will look at your whole lifestyle - your diet, your eating/drinking habits, how much sleep you get, the quality of that sleep, and your work/life balance. Then they will make adjustments and improvements in all those areas.
❓ WHY?
Because every single one of those elements influences your ability to achieve your goal and your PT knows that. They want you to succeed just as much as you do and they know the best chance of seeing that success involves looking at all those other aspects of your life.
I am no different.
🐶 Now let’s have a dog training example:
➡️ A dog doesn’t come back when called…
Ok, so apart from the obvious reason that the training may just not have been proofed enough, there are other reasons a dog may not come back when called….
- a boring, under-stimulating home life (being out is AMAZING and I don’t want to go back to boring old home).
- not long enough or frequent enough walks (I want to make the most of being outside).
- guardian uses punishment regularly eg telling the dog off, shouting, pushing or pulling the dog around. This damages the precious human-dog bond and relationship meaning the dog is more reluctant to work with the guardian and they hold little value in their dog’s eyes.
- the dog has been punished for recall previously (eg told off or shouted at) so now the dog is reluctant to come back.
- recall always means the fun is over and/or the lead goes back on.
- rewards for recall have stopped.
🐶 A behavioural example might be:
➡️ Separation Related Behaviours…
This is a bit of a big subject to address in a FB post so I’ll keep it brief … the behaviours that guardians associate with separation anxiety can all have their roots in things that are unrelated to separation. For example, boredom (lack of mental or physical stimulation), frustration, restraint frustration, normal dog behaviours such as alert barking, opportunity to perform hardwired behaviours they normally get told off for when the guardian is home, medical issues, incomplete house training etc etc
‼️ The bottom line is… in order for me to ensure you have the best chance of success, I will address any and all aspects of your dog’s life that I think may be influencing your struggle.
✅ YES. That makes me a little different in terms of approach BUT the bonus for you is that my holistic approach means I often end up resolving other little niggles separate to the one you came to me to help with - WIN-WIN!! 👏👏👏
📧 For a unique approach to your training and behaviour struggles that increases your chances of success, email me at [email protected]
👏👏 The first picture is the face of a boy who has just been successfully recalled from chasing a muntjac 🥳
The second photo is the thistle his mother was trying to take some artsy picture of while aforementioned muntjac bounced onto the scene 🙄😂
Mother not paying attention + dog offlead * 🦌 could have been a recipe for disaster but a cheery “Whassis” (yes, that is his recall cue) and back he comes. Rewarded handsomely with a game of Orientation Game (so he got to play chase with me and food) and Find It (so I could still reward but lower his arousal at the same time.
✋ YOUR ETHICAL BEHAVIOURISTS & TRAINERS NEED YOU!!
🛑 With SO many bad, unethical trainers out there plastered all over TikTok and YouTube offering terrible advice and using cruel and abusive methods to train dogs, it is becoming increasingly difficult for ethical, force-free, fear-free trainers and behaviourists to be seen and heard.
🙏 YOU can help raise awareness and raise their profiles by….
👍 Liking their posts
❤️ Loving their posts
✍️ Commenting on their posts
✅ Sharing their posts
🥰 Showing them some love and following their page
❤️ These small things help keep our content showing up on people’s feeds and it just takes a quick thumb press from you.
Help spread the word….
So much floof 😂
And thanks to Leads Off And Love It for providing an awesome secure field for oodles of doodle fun ❤️
When you have a friend come to stay, what a great idea to get together with another poodle cross. Then you have more fun obviously
and you can use the collective noun of an
“Oodle of doodles”
CASE STUDY: STORM
🚗 Storm was not a fan of car travel. From the moment she got in the car she would be stressed, anxious, panting, drooling and really not happy at all 😢
Her guardian reached out to me for help after a particularly stressful (for everyone) long car journey where they ended up making an unplanned detour to a vet to pick up some medication for Storm so she could cope with the remainder of the journey home.
❌ There is no quick fix for helping a dog get over their fear in the car. Not only that, but it can be downright inconvenient because doggo can't go in the car for any longer than they can cope with BUT it is possible provided you're prepared to put the work in...
😇 Which is what Storm's guardian is busy doing. So far, we are up to 20 minutes of stress-free car travel 🙌🙌🙌
This is no mean feat and Storm's guardian has really been putting the hours in with Storm. I am so proud of what they've achieved so far ♥️
If your dog is struggling with any aspect of their life, please email me at [email protected] for help.
🐶 TEST YOUR DOG BODY LANGUAGE SKILLS!
This is a fab little video from SpiritDog Training Give it a go….
LET’S TALK BALLS…….AGAIN....
⚠️ This is one of my more repetitive posts but it repeatedly needs saying....😂
SO... Balls... or more specifically, ball chasing 🎾🎾🎾🎾 Good, right? Hmmmm… actually, no 😬😬. There are physical issues (bones, joints and muscles) and behavioural issues associated with it…….
🐶 When dogs spend a lot of their time repetitively chasing balls for hours a week, there is a negative impact on their physiology - adrenaline and cortisol are released every single time they get to run and chase balls. These are the hormones involved with the body’s natural Fight/Flight response. However, they’re not supposed to be present in the body all of the time - only in extreme situations.
🐶 But for the dog who gets to chase a ball every day, these hormones remain in circulation in the body and this causes problems.
🎾 Firstly, there is a health impact - these hormones increase the heart rate, elevate blood pressure, and increase cholesterol putting your dog at higher risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
🎾 Secondly, there is an impact on emotions as these hormones create unnecessary anxiety in the dog. We have a dog who is more alert and vigilant, more reactive to stimuli in the environment, less able to settle and relax and seemingly needing more and more exercise.
🎾 Thirdly, the increased anxiety can lead to chronic stress. Chronic stress can kill off parts of the hippocampus in the brain negatively impacting learning and memory.
🎾 Fourthly, we now have a dog who is less able to make good decisions/choices, they are less able to cope with things they find hard and they have reduced tolerance levels. This can manifest in other areas of their life/behaviour - more barky towards visitors, more irritable with grooming, more reactive to other dogs, easily frustrated, more needy,
🎾 The physical issues can be serious. Here is some info from Canine Arthritis Management -
“When we ask a dog to run repeatedly from virtually standing to a gallop, brake sharply, often skidding on the underlying surface, throwing their neck back initially, and then bringing all their weight forward as they reach for the ball, often twisting at the same time, we can see the forces on a dog’s skeleton and muscles are enormous. Increasing speeds can as much as double the forces generated.
It is thought that the most dangerous component of ball chasing occurs during braking, and thus is often responsible for shoulder injuries.
We also know that repeated micro-trauma to muscles and cartilage is the cause of long-term damage and that the older a dog gets, the more likely it is to be carrying small injuries. This will cause a dog to try and compensate, thus further altering the loading of its limbs.
In summary, chasing a ball combines sharp acceleration, high speeds, rapid and uncontrolled deceleration that includes rotatory forces on fundamentally unstable joints. In addition, this activity is usually repeated over and over again.”
The constant wear and tear on the joints can lead to painful arthritis, and knee and hip problems. For those breeds more prone to hip issues, there is a serious risk of increasing the likelihood of joint issues especially if a lot of chasing is done in early life before growth plates have closed.
🤔 Hmmm.... Not sounding quite so good now, is it? So what can you do instead?
✅ Encourage slower, sniffier walks. Let your dog lead the way on a walk. If they stop to sniff, go with them and stop with them. Only move on when they do.
✅ Instead of letting them chase something, encourage them to sniff an object out. Take a toy with you, ask pup to sit and wait while you throw the toy into long grass and then release them to find it.
✅ Practise some training out on a walk so they get to use their brain AND interact with you. Play games with them on a walk, have them snuffle out treats/kibble/dinner in the grass.
✅ And, of course, if they have a run about voluntarily, this is fine! Use this time to observe them - do they run endlessly forward and back at full pelt (like they would if chasing a ball)? Nope. They run for a bit, stop for a bit, sniff a bit, wee a bit, run a bit. This is more normal activity for our dogs.
But, if they do run, ensure they have a “cool down” before coming home (your dog shouldn’t get home panting and restless) - so cool them down by scattering kibble and letting them sniff it out, pop them on a long lead and let them sniff/mooch their way home.
Do your dog a favour - DITCH THE BALLS! ❌
PUPPY TRAINING IS TIRING 🥰😂
🐾 CASE STUDY: FINLEY
🐶 Handsome Finley struggled with being around and seeing other dogs on walks. He had started barking, growling and then lunging/'going for' other dogs. Finley is a big boy and that meant he was a lot for his guardians to handle in those situations and, of course, he was coming across as quite scary to others.
Reactivity mostly has its roots in fear and so my job is to change Finley's emotional response to other dogs so he no longer feels the need to react when he sees them.
My Behaviour Modification Process is a 3 Stage Programme:
1️⃣ Recovery: This is all about lowering his stress levels - not exposing Finley to the things that worry him (ie other dogs) - so he can reduce those circulating stress hormones. We also look to shift his mood state to a more positive and calm one. This puts him in a great place to learn new ways of doing things as his general view of the world will now be more optimistic. Then...
2️⃣ Retrain: This is where we equip both Finley and his guardians with a great toolkit of behaviours that they can ask Finley to do instead of the old behaviours, behaviours that enable them to move out of trouble quickly and easily. While these are essential and practical, there are further benefits - the act of training helps to repair the bond between guardian and dog, it strengthens the relationship and increases the trust. All of which will help us reach our ultimate goal....
3️⃣ Resolve: Now we have a more optimistic, happier dog who is armed with a great set of skills, we can go and try out our new skills in the real world. This is always done in a careful, controlled way. We are always looking to set Finley up for success and keep him under threshold - under the point where he feels the need to react. With repeated, careful exposure to other dogs, we can start the business of changing his emotional response.
⚠️ WARNING: This stuff does not happen overnight‼️
I started working with Finley at the end of 2022. His guardians have been working slowly, steadily and consistently with Finley since then. This video was sent to me about a month ago so we're talking about 18 months of work. But now they can take Finley out and about with them (including the pub😂) and that was what they wanted to achieve. In their words - "it's been life changing!" 🙌🙌 🍺
♥️ Behaviour change IS possible. Yes, it does require time, patience and consistent effort BUT THE RESULTS ARE SO WORTH IT ♥️
If you need help with your dog, please email me at: [email protected]
🐾 SUMMER HOLIDAY SALE 😎😎😎
👏👏 Offers available on the following:
🐶 Behaviour Consultations
🐶 Behaviour Assessment Walks
🐶 Loose Lead Walking Training Package
🐶 Recall Training Package
🐶 Frustrated Greeter Package
🐶 Adolescent Training Packages
🐶 Life Skills Training Packages
📧Email me at [email protected] to find out more!
🥰 CUTE PUPPY ALERT🥰
This is Pepper. She has just started her 1-1 Puppy Training with So Help Me Dog.
So far she is nailing her toilet training, sleeping through the night, and has mastered the art of looking cute, and wrapping her mum and dad around her little paw ❤️ Good work, Pepper!
You know how much I bang on about scent work….?😂 Here’s your opportunity - Introduction to Scent Work Course in September. Sign up!
SOLD OUT
We are delighted to open our
INTRODUCTION TO SCENT DETECTION FOR PET DOGS
course that will run this September- October.
🐶 Suitable for all dogs +9 months and can be enjoyed by senior dogs too.
🐶 A wonderful way to exercise their brains.
🐶 Can help with canine confidence.
🐶 Dogs are naturally good at sniffing so learning how to work with you as a team can be incredibly rewarding for you both.
🐶 Its good fun and is easy to practise at home.
🐶 Dogs work one at a time so it can be a safe space for dogs who might otherwise not enjoy group classes.
🐾 BEHAVIOUR ASSESSMENT WALKS 🐾
🔴 WHO ARE THESE FOR? If you are struggling with your dog on walks, this is for YOU! Maybe you don’t understand why your doing is behaving a certain way, or what to do in certain situations. Maybe you just want walks to be nicer, more pleasant or easier… (Please note: these are not for dogs with clear and overt fear or aggression issues).
🔴 WHO WITH? A Level 6 Qualified Canine Behaviourist who only uses force-free, fear-free methods.
🔴 WHAT YOU GET… An hour of my time where we will walk together and then debrief afterwards. During the walk, you’ll learn about dog body language, the emotions that drive behaviour, an insight into what might be going through your dog’s mind, advice and strategies for dealing with different situations.
🔴 WHAT YOU GET AFTER… A basic report summarising my observations, assessment and any advice given. Plus recommendations for next steps, if required. Ongoing WhatsApp support.
🔴 WHERE DOES THIS TAKE PLACE? We start at your home, getting your doggo ready for their walk and then we go from there.
🔴WHY SHOULD I DO IT? To learn lots of tips and tools that are easy to implement but can make a big difference to your walks. To increase your understanding and awareness of your dog’s behaviour and needs. And to earn 10% off any follow-up training/behaviour packages you may need/want.
🔴 HOW MUCH? £70 including your summary report.
🔴 HOW DO I SIGN UP?? Email Emma at [email protected] to book your appointment.
CASE STUDY: FREYA ♥️
Beautiful Freya wasn't housetrained at 3 years old. She gave her guardian no indication that she wanted to toilet and would always go inside the house. Previous behaviourists and trainers hadn't succeeded in changing the behaviour either.
With any issue like this, it's always worth getting a vet check to rule out any possible medical condition first and Freya had been given the all clear by her vet. Then, we need to establish whether there might be any behavioural reason for eliminating indoors - fear of outside, the dark, being left alone, noises etc. Again, nope. Freya was all good. So, this meant it was a training issue.
Freya didn't have the greatest start in life and, to cut a long story short, this meant we had three years of rehearsing the behaviour of toileting indoors to contend with. For Freya, this was a hardwired habit. For her guardian, this meant going all the way back to basics. Back to what we do with our new puppies.... no opportunity to go inside, lots of opportunities to go outside, lots of rewards for going outside. And this needs to be consistent for a good few months.
😇 Freya's guardian was GREAT. Completely committed to the programme and I was delighted to receive an email from him a few weeks ago telling me that Freya was no longer toileting inside the house 🙌🙌🙌🙌
📧 If you need help with any training or behaviour struggle, please email me at [email protected]
🐾 SOCIALISATION Contd....
🐶 Adolescence is a turbulent time for our dogs (and guardians 😂). When it starts and ends is not clearly defined and can differ dramatically according to the size/breed of dog. As a general rule of thumb, though, we start to see it begin somewhere around the six month mark and it ends at social maturity - this could be as early as 12 months in smaller dogs and as late as three years in larger breeds.
🔴 Adolescence is a period of critical brain development (including emotional and social development) and we can see many behavioural changes including arousal, impulsivity, risk-taking and interest in novelty. We also see an increased desire for social interaction....
📖 Research is telling us that social interaction and play are incredibly important during this period. Limiting social interactions during adolescence appears to increase fearful and aggressive behaviour towards unfamiliar people and dogs in adulthood, even if they were favourably exposed to them during the critical socialisation period. It is also associated with anxiety and depression in later life.
🐀 Rats denied the opportunity to play during adolescence showed extreme defensive behaviours when approached by another rat, an inability to diffuse conflict and decreased social interactions as adults.
♥️ Play is important for neural plasticity, social skills, communication skills, and problem solving but it also seems to help animals cope better with the unexpected, thus improving their resilience and tolerance to stress as an adult.
⬇️ If you know someone with an adolescent dog, tag them in the comments below!
🐶 SOCIALISATION Contd....
✅ We've talked about how the fastest brain growth occurs during the critical socialisation period (3-16 weeks old) but did you know that there are other developmental periods that you still need to be aware of...?
‼️There is a period called the Juvenile Period. This begins at the end of the socialisation period (so around 16 weeks, give or take) and ends at the onset of puberty (which could be anywhere between 6-18 months depending on the size and breed of dog - bigger dogs take longer to mature).
🐶 While it is less sensitive than the socialisation period, positive exposure to all the relevant stimuli should continue to reinforce the positive learning. Studies where dogs and wolf cubs were socialised to humans during the critical socialisation period but had no further interactions with them until 6 months of age displayed more fearful and nervous behaviours around humans, demonstrating the positive effects had disappeared with no further reinforcement. Ensuring the environment of the juvenile dog matches their (positive, appropriate) rearing environment seems to prevent the development of behavioural issues later in life.
♥️ Maintaining a secure attachment is also important in this period so continuing to use reward-based training (to improve your bond and strengthen your relationship) and preventing the puppy from experiencing stressful separations will have a positive impact on development and long term behaviour.
Stay tuned to find out about socialisation during adolescence....
❤️ This is a GREAT example of why it’s important to rule out and/or resolve any health/pain issues before embarking on a behaviour programme. ⬇️
⚠️ Pain/ill health is a stressor, as in it increases stress hormones. In turn, this can make a dog feel MORE anxious and worried and puts the dog in a negative mood state. These negative emotions are not conducive to learning so any behaviour programme you try to put in place will have limited success.
The Behaviourist here has identified pain, resolved it, and now the guardians are seeing success with the programme 🥳🥳🥳
Well done Fairy Tails Dog Training! 👏👏👏👏
This dapper little chap is Merlin and I’ve been working with him and his family for a couple of months now on separation anxiety issues and he’s doing brilliantly! Merlin had previously struggled to respond to SA training but was then diagnosed with some health issues. Following a pain management plan he’s come on leaps and bounds. Kudos to his family who have persevered, put in the hard work and are seeing the results 👏👏👏
🐾 MANTRAILING!!
I know I bang on about what a fab thing this is to do with your dog but that’s because it really is!
Mel Taylor Dog Training is running an Introduction Workshop on 21st July.
SIGN UP!!!
🐾 BEHAVIOUR ASSESSMENT WALKS 🐾
🔴 WHO ARE THESE FOR? If you are struggling with your dog on walks, this is for YOU! Maybe you don’t understand why your doing is behaving a certain way, or what to do in certain situations. Maybe you just want walks to be nicer, more pleasant or easier… (Please note: these are not for dogs with clear and overt fear or aggression issues).
🔴 WHO WITH? A Level 6 Qualified Canine Behaviourist who only uses force-free, fear-free methods.
🔴 WHAT YOU GET… An hour of my time where we will walk together and then debrief afterwards. During the walk, you’ll learn about dog body language, the emotions that drive behaviour, an insight into what might be going through your dog’s mind, advice and strategies for dealing with different situations.
🔴 WHAT YOU GET AFTER… A basic report summarising my observations, assessment and any advice given. Plus recommendations for next steps, if required. Ongoing WhatsApp support.
🔴 WHERE DOES THIS TAKE PLACE? We start at your home, getting your doggo ready for their walk and then we go from there.
🔴WHY SHOULD I DO IT? To learn lots of tips and tools that are easy to implement but can make a big difference to your walks. To increase your understanding and awareness of your dog’s behaviour and needs. And to earn 10% off any follow-up training/behaviour packages you may need/want.
🔴 HOW MUCH? £70 including your summary report.
🔴 HOW DO I SIGN UP?? Email Emma at [email protected] to book your appointment.
🐾 BREEDERS PLAY A PIVOTAL ROLE IN YOUR PUPPY'S EARLY LIFE 🐾
🐶 We learned in my last post that the socialisation period starts as early as 3 weeks old. This means your breeder must have a great understanding of critical developmental periods and make socialisation their priority. Different things happen at different stages so by having an awareness of the stages, your breeder can maximise the opportunities for good socialisation...
🐶 Early stages (3-5 weeks old): Pups have an increased desire to explore, approach strangers and form attachments. The mega bonus at this stage is there is a reduction in fear behaviours so this is an ideal time to introduce novel sounds, sights etc. Preferably ALL the things they may encounter in a normal family home - different objects, doorbells, TVs, radios, kitchen noises, hoovers, mops, brooms, sounds of thunder, fireworks, children, visitors, car travel, outside environments (safely) etc
🐶 5-8 weeks old: A pup's fear factor starts to kick in (for some breeds that starts earlier than others) so they slowly start becoming more fearful of novel things. Desensitising or habituating them to that novelty becomes increasingly harder and recovery from a stress response becomes increasingly delayed. This means the breeder needs to take greater care introducing novelty now and be mindful of which pups are struggling and help/support them accordingly.
Then, of course, the reins are handed over to you....
✅ Having a great breeder who understands the importance of socialisation means that your pup's transition from their home to yours will be smoother and easier for everyone involved.
✅ Your breeder's input into your pup's socialisation will build your pup's confidence meaning that now you're in charge of socialisation, you will have an easier job as your pup will cope better and be more confident navigating their new world.
‼️ The importance of early socialisation cannot be underestimated. We know that puppies born into puppy farms or hoarding situations display increased fear of strangers, strange dogs, novel objects, novel situations, as well as increased sensitivity to touch. Pups raised in outdoor kennels display increased fear, are less able to cope with novel situations, and are at greater risk of fear aggression.
✅ Do your research. Choose your breeder carefully. Go and visit them. Ask to look around. Ask them questions. Ask what their socialisation plan is. If they show reluctance, can't answer your questions, or won't answer them, WALK AWAY.
If you, or anyone you know, is thinking of adding a puppy to the family, tag them in the comments below ⬇️
| Monday | 10:00 - 19:00 |
| Tuesday | 10:00 - 19:00 |
| Wednesday | 10:00 - 19:00 |
| Thursday | 10:00 - 19:00 |
| Friday | 10:00 - 16:00 |
| Saturday | 10:00 - 16:00 |
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🐾 CASE STUDY: FINLEY 🐶 Handsome Finley struggled with being around and seeing other dogs on walks. He had started barking, growling and then lunging/'going for' other dogs. Finley is a big boy and that meant he was a lot for his guardians to handle in those situations and, of course, he was coming across as quite scary to others. Reactivity mostly has its roots in fear and so my job is to change Finley's emotional response to other dogs so he no longer feels the need to react when he sees them. My Behaviour Modification Process is a 3 Stage Programme: 1️⃣ Recovery: This is all about lowering his stress levels - not exposing Finley to the things that worry him (ie other dogs) - so he can reduce those circulating stress hormones. We also look to shift his mood state to a more positive and calm one. This puts him in a great place to learn new ways of doing things as his general view of the world will now be more optimistic. Then... 2️⃣ Retrain: This is where we equip both Finley and his guardians with a great toolkit of behaviours that they can ask Finley to do instead of the old behaviours, behaviours that enable them to move out of trouble quickly and easily. While these are essential and practical, there are further benefits - the act of training helps to repair the bond between guardian and dog, it strengthens the relationship and increases the trust. All of which will help us reach our ultimate goal.... 3️⃣ Resolve: Now we have a more optimistic, happier dog who is armed with a great set of skills, we can go and try out our new skills in the real world. This is always done in a careful, controlled way. We are always looking to set Finley up for success and keep him under threshold - under the point where he feels the need to react. With repeated, careful exposure to other dogs, we can start the business of changing his emotional response. ⚠️ WARNING: This stuff does not happen overnight‼️ I started working with Finley at the end o
❤️ TESTIMONIAL❤️ What a lovely way to start the weekend with a testimonial like this 🥰 I don’t have a ‘before’ video but this one ⬇️ is the ‘after’. Roo, the bouncy, excitable, beautiful Labrador would go berserk as soon as the neighbours’ dogs kicked off in the garden….. “I contacted Emma about 18 months ago when I was at my wits end. I just didn't know where to turn or what to do about a situation that, to many people, possibly wouldn't be a big deal but I knew it was a big deal for my dog and it also impacted significantly on my home life. I have two beautiful labradors who are young and bouncy but generally well behaved. The problem was that the youngest was 'reacting' to a neighbour's dogs who very frequently bark and often boundary bark. My 1 year old found this irresistible. She wouldn't bark back but she would run at full pelt towards the fence vaulting a small wall in the process. She would completely zone out to any verbal attempt from me to distract her away from the fence as her excitement levels were off the scale. I knew that her being 'out of control' with excitement was not something that was a good thing. I felt that I could no longer enjoy my garden as I would have no warning when the barking would start and therefore no way of knowing when we could be safely out enjoying the space. So, I turned to Emma. After completing a comprehensive written assessment Emma came to my house, listened without judgement to the issues I was having, met my dogs and came up with a plan to help my youngest understand that her reacting to the other dogs wasn't something that we wanted. Did I want to do some of the things Emma suggested? Well, if I'm honest, no not really as it meant significant restrictions on us for quite some time, but I do know that behaviour changes with dogs require time, commitment and dedication and do not happen over night. So, we embarked on a programme of gentle training which meant my younge
🐶 Enrichment…. I decided to book Alfie in for a fun swim session at Barkshire Hydrotherapy. The weather has been so rubbish, I felt his walks were becoming a bit same-y and boring and I wanted to give him some extra enjoyment and enrichment. Alfie LOVES swimming in the river during summer so I thought this would be perfect for him ❤️ Emma and Jess who run Barkshire Hydrotherapy in Stoke Row were fab. The whole process prior to the swim (vet referral - yes, even for a fun swim - paperwork, short physical exam) was professional and efficient and their whole approach in the pool itself is just lovely. It’s very much dog-centric, kind, and rewards-based. Which is just as well because for the first 20 minutes of a 25 minute swim, Alfie really wasn’t sure about the whole thing 🙈 There’s me thinking I was doing something lovely for him and he’s looking at me like I’m torturing him 🙈😂 I mean what’s not to like about a pool of warm, clean water??? Oh wait…. it’s warm clean water… not stinky, fishy, weedy river water….. ANYWAY….. I was close to calling it a day because I really didn’t think he was enjoying it when suddenly something clicked. He looked at the ball (as if it was the first time he’d seen it), stared at it intensely and then looked at me as if to say “Well, are you going to throw it or what?!” And we were off! He suddenly figured it out 😂 After a quick rinse off, shampoo and towel dry we were all done. 👍 So, if you’re looking for some hydrotherapy (either as part of a rehabilitation programme or just for fun) I’d happily recommend Barkshire Hydrotherapy ❤️
🐾 Just a Dog Doing Doggy Things….. 🚶♀️ Did I walk as far as I wanted to? Nope 👟 Did I get my step count in? Nope 💓 Did I get my Heart Rate up? Nope 🤷♀️ Does it matter? NOPE 👃 Did I want to stop Alfie sniffing? Nope 💩 Did I want to stop Alfie rolling in whatever disgusting thing he rolled in? Nope 🐾 Did Alfie have a good walk? YES HE DID! And that’s all that matters. 🐶 Sniffing, exploring, rolling are all perfectly NATURAL DOGGY BEHAVIOURS. 🐶 Let your dog be a dog.
❤️ Love is…… Letting your dog sniff for as long as they want even though it’s getting dark, it’s cold, it’s raining and you really fancy a cuppa… He was having a lovely time so who am I to ruin it? #sniffari #enrichment #scentwork #nosework
It’s Alfie’s 5th birthday today ❤️ As well as his new Octopus toy 🐙 several treats and some steak, he had a new enrichment feeder tonight. This is the Snuffle & Seek Ball from The Mindful Pet Owner Wowzers! What a result - it took him 20 minutes for him to finish his dinner tonight! And as we know, 20 minutes of sniffing and snuffling is the equivalent to about an hour’s walk. This is one happy puppy and one happy owner 🐶 🐾
Canine Enrichment - DIY enrichment #2........ Treats/kibble sprinkled over a towel which is then rolled up..... The first few times you might need to help pupper unroll the towel. Use smelly high value treats to make it easy and stay close by to help. If pupper just grabs the towel and shakes it (not an unpopular method😆) that’s fine - he’s just created his own scatter feed.....
Canine Enrichment - Three more DIY ways to get puppies and doggos working for their food coming up.... 1) Muffin tins with treats/kibble under balls or scrunched up paper. This requires some nose work and a bit of problem solving, too. As with all the other enrichment activities, set your dog up for success - use high value treats first before mixing in the kibble and stay close by to help them out and give plenty of praise and encouragement.
This is Inca with her Bob-a-lot food dispenser 🥰 This is another great enrichment toy that makes dinner last a very long time! Inca clearly loves her Bob-a-lot which is more than I can say for my Alfie who barked at it and then walked off in disgust 😆 And, if you want to hire the singer for your next party, it’s Andrew Bell.....
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