Kaizen4Dogs

08/04/2025

The female dog heat cycle.

Monday Medical Corner:

Ovariohysterectomy, popularly known as ‘spaying’, is commonly performed on female dogs as a means of sterilization and to reduce risk of certain diseases including mammary tumors and pyometra (uterine infection). Recent evidence suggests that delaying this procedure until the dog is more mature (at ~18-24 months of age) offers behavioral, orthopedic, and other health benefits.

Dogs’ reproductive cycle is different than that of humans’. A dog’s estrous cycle includes multiple stages. The best known phase is proestrus/estrus or when the dog is in “heat.” This is the phase where the dog ovulates and can become pregnant if she is bred. This phase lasts about 3 weeks on average. The dog then enters diestrus – the phase of pregnancy. What is interesting about dogs is that the hormonal profile in diestrus is the same whether the dog is actually pregnant or not. During this phase, estrogen declines and progesterone rises (secreted from a structure called the corpus luteum [CL]). Progesterone is the hormone that maintains pregnancy. Diestrus in dogs lasts about 2 months – the average duration of gestation when the dog is pregnant. At the end of diestrus, the CL essentially dissolves or becomes inactive and progesterone levels drop. If the dog is pregnant, this change is part of the process that triggers the birth of the puppies and onset of lactation and maternal behavior.

After diestrus, the dog enters anestrus which is a period of hormonal quiescence. In the dog this lasts on average about 6 months as the typical complete estrous cycle in dogs is about 7-9 months long.

If a dog is spayed during diestrus, the precipitous drop in progesterone can mimic whelping and trigger the onset of maternal behavior – including maternal aggression. Since the dog does not have puppies, dogs may begin to guard other objects and show aggression toward humans or other animals. In rare cases, this aggression has persisted long term.

Since there is no benefit to spaying a dog during diestrus, we recommend that dogs be spayed during anestrus to prevent this possible complication.

07/04/2025

“Pack walks” are NOT the answer (esp for dogs struggling with reactivity to other dogs).

𝙋𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙨 (𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙣𝙚𝙪𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙨 𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙨) 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙜𝙨*.

These are often marketed to owners of reactive dogs as a way to socialise and train their dogs. But they can be fraught with risk.

⚠️ A group class for reactive dogs requires rigorous control & management in place to keep everyone safe. This is impossible to do in a public space as it’s just not possible to control the environment well enough to avoid risk.

⚠️ Many of these are run on a ‘pay & play’ basis so the trainer has 𝙣𝙤 advance notice of who will turn up, 𝙣𝙤 idea how many will turn up, 𝙣𝙤 idea what issues the dogs have, 𝙣𝙤 idea of the severity of those issues, 𝙣𝙤 idea if that dog is ready to be walked in close proximity with unknown dogs etc.

⚠️ Working with a reactive dog in public requires the trainer to give their full attention to the dog, the human client and the ever changing environment at all times. Things can change in a moment and it is simply not possible for a trainer to give that level of focus to every dog in a group setting.

⚠️ They are cheap. Some trainers charge as little as £5 per dog which means they need higher numbers to make them economically viable.

Large groups of reactive dogs with a high dog:trainer ratio in a public space where the environment cannot be controlled poses a real risk to the dogs, the human participants & others in the environment.

My strong advice would always be to avoid these but if you are considering taking your dog to a reactive group ‘pack’ walk ask the following questions -

❓how many dogs will be there? Is there a maximum number?
❓what is the dog:trainer ratio
❓what equipment does the trainer stipulate you should (or should not) use
❓will dogs be on lead at all times
❓have all the dogs attending been previously assessed by the trainer
❓can you see a copy of their risk assessment
❓can you see copy of their public liability and professional indemnity insurance certificates
❓what qualifications does the trainer have

If they can’t, or won’t, answer these questions or if the answers concern you in any way think seriously about whether this is a situation you want to put your reactive dog, and yourself, into.

Social walks can be hugely beneficial for reactive dogs under the right conditions (which would include assessed dogs who have worked with the trainer previously in strictly controlled small numbers). But 'pack walks' with unknown, un-assessed dogs and little control of numbers isn't that.

(* 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐'𝘮 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 "𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘴" 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺...𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘴 £5. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘶𝘨𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐'𝘮 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯.)

04/04/2025

11 years old and still rocking it! Happy barkday Bruno! You are so lovable! 🩵
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31/03/2025

Prioritise supporting the dog’s emotional state and behavioural wellbeing - everything else will follow.

26/03/2025

There’s a lot of pseudo science thrown about by misinformed folks (including self-proclaimed “trainers) floating around the internet.

Always ask questions and research credible (and ethical) sources - we’ve done ours! And we have no doubt about how we’ve chosen to train with a dog-centric, positive reinforcement approach that always prioritises the needs and wellbeing of the animal in front of us.

18/03/2025

Is your dog constantly pulling on the leash or struggling to stay focused?

Behaviour Unleashed: *5 Domains of Animal Welfare is here to help!

Learn effective reward-based training techniques to tackle common behavioural challenges and build a stronger bond with your furry companion.

Join modern science, AVS-Accredited Certified Dog Trainers Candy Lim-Soliano (Kaizen 4 Dogs Training & Behaviour) and June Lim (A Smiling Leash) at this fun, interactive event!

SG’s 1st Family Paws Parent Educator, Liu Xiaoxuan () will also be guiding families with kids by debunking common misconceptions about Dogs, Babies & Toddlers.
**Bring your dog along for a hands-on session focusing on the fundamentals and be clued in on how to motivate your dog better, build trust together, and enjoy a stronger bond with your lifelong animal companion!

*Pre-registration is required - simply drop a DM indicating your interest or drop us a DM with the word “R+” to receive the sign up link.

See you there!

**Conditions for participating dogs:
- Generally calm in crowded environments and able to interact comfortably
with unfamiliar humans and dogs
- Not on heat
- Participants to bring along their dog’s favourite high value treats
- All dogs must be vaccinated

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#-positivereinforcementdogtraining

18/03/2025

Come join us at the Dogs & Me event this Sat, 22/3, from 2pm to 4pm at Zhong Shan Park.

Fellow accredited modern science trainers, Candy Lim-Soliano (Kaizen4Dogs), June Lim (A Smiling Leash), and Xiaoxuan Liu (Allies of Dogs) will be there!

Pre-registration for the training workshop is required at:

https://shorturl.at/La5Qa

Limited slots available. Sign up before the link closes on 20/3 Thur. See you there!

09/03/2025

Why Cooperative Care training is such a crucial part of supporting our dogs’ welfare..

08/03/2025

Happy reunion! Ginger and her nephew, Horlicks (previously named Ivory) have finally met each other for the first time 🥰

Against all odds and thanks to the heartening efforts of , they’ve found loving homes and families who are dedicated to walking the journey with them and committed to learning how to overcome challenges together.

It’s not been a walk in the park for either of these rescue doggies (and their adoptive families), but they have each come a long way and we are so proud of them!

PS: swipe to the last slide to see the behind-the-scenes of how the second picture-perfect snapshot was taken!
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28/02/2025

Happy 1st Barkday Rusty boy! 🤍

You had so much fun surrounded by your best furiends today! You were over the moon when you saw your very first Muttcake and you enjoyed every bit of it (and came back for seconds… and thirds… 😋)

You’ve grown so much over the months and we’re so proud of how far you’ve come! 🤍
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14/02/2025

Coffee says “Happy Valentine’s Day everypawdy!” 💗

Coffee and Lola adore each other and couldn’t be happier spending V-Day together! 💓

Empress, cool as a cucumber, hangs back and watches their antics 😎
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12/02/2025

Rusty, Giorgio, and Nami wishing everyone a Happy Hump Day! 🤍
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11/02/2025

Nap mode: activated 🐾

Good quality, restful sleep is crucial for the development of emotional resilience.

Encourage better sleep by creating calm, safe environments that minimise stress triggers 💤
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