Taylor Pet Behaviour Vet

12/06/2022

A nice surprise for Theo and Biscuit not having to run through long wet grass any more!

30/03/2022

Our cows are enjoying their target stick training!

20/12/2021

Sniffing is a normal dog behaviour which they find very rewarding. Scent games are a useful way of providing mental stimulation, especially for dogs who have limited opportunities for physical stimulation.
This rotten tree stump is an ideal location for a simple scent game for Derek, which he loves. I simply hide small pieces of sausage and kibble around the base of the tree and stick pieces of mild cheddar onto the bark.

29/05/2021

Spaniels really do like water! This one goes in the water trough nearly every day, Winter or Summer, rain or shine - but she particularly enjoyed it today!

08/05/2021

Now that the foals are appearing in the New Forest, it's even more important than usual to ensure that your dogs are under good control around livestock. Young dogs who have got used to ignoring adult ponies and donkeys may find the scent and behaviour of young animals stimulating and exciting. It's tragic for all concerned if foals are mauled by over-excited dogs whose prey drive has kicked in, or if dogs are severely injured or killed by kicks from defensive adult ponies and donkeys.
When you're visiting the New Forest, please comply with the New Forest Code https://www.newforestnpa.gov.uk/visiting/help-care-for-the-forest/new-forest-code/

08/05/2021

It's important to monitor dog play and intervene if one of them isn't enjoying it. Derek and Theo used to love playing together but Derek can't cope with Theo's vigorous play style since he injured his knee, so now they enjoy occasional fence runs instead!

02/05/2021

I walk my dog, Derek, on a long line while I work on his self-control around deer when we are in the New Forest. I try to keep the line loose to allow him as much choice as possible about where and how quickly he moves without any risk of him chasing deer, disturbing ground-nesting birds and destroying habitats. This involves some dawdling, some jogging and tolerant walking companions who don't mind occasionally being tripped by the line! (Please excuse the dialogue)

04/04/2021

The puppies I've been following are now over 7 weeks old. They've been continuing to have new experiences - including getting used to the car and being carried to new places to experience traffic and different scents while they feel safe and secure. They are going to be microchipped this week and will be going to their new homes soon.

04/04/2021

Playing with their litter-mates continues to help the puppies develop their social skills.

04/04/2021

The puppies are nearly fully weaned and happy to play with Mum without pestering her for milk.

18/03/2021

This week the puppies have had lots of new experiences. They are very enthusiastic about their first taste of solid food, which is fed in to them in separate bowls to avoid competition and food guarding. They have also been in the garden in the sunshine and just after rain, and started to toilet outside. They were introduced to the scents of a few unfamilar people via scent cloths, as the opportunities for human social visits are limited at the moment.

12/03/2021

The puppies continue to have new experiences and are coping brilliantly! From the fifth week, puppies should encounter a range of new people to continue their socialisation with humans. During the Covid-19 lockdown this is more difficult than it usually would be but some socially distanced visits can be arranged. Cloths that have been worn next to the skin of new people (and which thus bear their scent) can also be put in the puppy pen to increase their exposure to the scent of additional friends and relatives. Weaning can start at this age as the puppies gradually become more independent of their mother. Individual puppies can continue to be taken away from their mother and siblings for increasing amounts of time and allowed to explore new environments on their own. They can also be accustomed to gentle restraint by being held on the floor between a person’s legs with a hand gently preventing them moving forwards. As weaning progresses, interactions with people can be made even more rewarding by allowing puppies to lick tasty food from fingers.
Exposure to sounds should also continue throughout the time the puppies spend with the breeder. For access to sounds other than those happening within the household, the Dogs Trust provide recorded sounds(‘Sounds Scary’ etc.) on their website. These are free to download and can be played for a few minutes at a time, starting at a low volume and gradually increasing.

11/03/2021

The puppies are now 4 weeks old. They are playing well with objects and are used to a variety of objects and sounds.

04/03/2021

Play with littermates is important for helping puppies develop social skills and tolerance of frustration.
During the fourth week, individual puppies should have short periods away from their mother and siblings, starting with a minute or so and building up to 10 minutes. This helps them to become independent and is a further opportunity to handle them.

04/03/2021

The puppies are coping well with household appliances! They are 3 weeks old and are moving around a lot now. From 3 weeks of age to about 14 weeks (the ‘sensitive period’) is the most critical time in puppies’ development. During this time they learn most rapidly and develop a lasting impression of their physical and social environment.
The mother dog should be allowed to come and go as she wants to and from the time the puppies are 2-3 weeks of age she will spend more time away from them. At this time they learn how to deal with frustration, as their mother sometimes gets up while they are suckling which interrupts their feed.
By this age, the puppies are able to move from their bed area to pass urine and faeces. This can be facilitated by dividing the whelping box/pen into two parts, with a suitable substrate for toileting in one of them.
Exposure to new stimuli should continue throughout the time the puppies are with the breeder and different objects and materials can be put in the whelping box/pen every day. Scrunched up packaging and cardboard boxes with holes cut in the sides are useful for this, as are toys such as Kongs and safe household objects. Having things to walk over, climb over, drag around, tug with their littermates and burrow into helps the pups develop strength and coordination.

26/02/2021

The puppies I'm following are now 15 days old and their eyes are open. Their ear canals will also be opening within the next few days, so they are starting to learn about their environment with their two new senses, as well as those of touch and smell.
During their third week puppies start to get used to all the sounds around them such as human speech, opening and closing doors, household appliances turning on and off, telephones and doorbells. They are also able to see people and objects moving past their pen, without distinguishing much detail of the individuals and objects themselves. They are learning that the sounds, sights and scents they are experiencing are a normal part of the environment, and nothing to be scared of.
At this stage puppies can be provided with substrates of different textures to move over, as well as safe soft objects to interact with. They can also be stroked with different materials such as woollen and rubber gloves, as they continue to be gently handled each day.
If their mother is comfortable with the other household dogs and cats, and the pups have not already met them, the third week is a good time to start these introductions.

14/02/2021

The puppies I'm following are nearly 4 days old. They are really suckling well now! Three to five days after puppies are born, bi***es secrete 'appeasing' pheromone from sebaceous glands beteen the mammary glands. This is thought to promote a relaxed positive emotional state in the puppies which helps them remain relaxed when they later explore the environment and encounter new stimuli.

12/02/2021

Gentle handling allows the puppies to get used to the scents of the household people as well as the sensation of being touched.

12/02/2021

The puppies are getting used to gentle handling. Their mum is coping well with this.

11/02/2021

For the first couple of weeks, the puppies will be mostly suckling and sleeping but they already have a sense of smell and can detect touch and warmth.

11/02/2021

This lovely Labrador retriever gave birth to her litter of Labradoodles last night.
I have the privilege of being able to follow the development of these puppies from birth and am very grateful to their guardians for the opportunity.
Most dogs live as pets in a home and puppies need to be prepared for this kind of life. Early life experiences have a huge impact on the emotional stability and future behaviour of dogs, so breeders have a responsibility to ensure that these experiences are appropriate and adequate for the puppies they bring into the world.
The process of breeding temperamentally and behaviourally sound puppies starts well before their birth. The first step is to decide which dogs to breed from. If owners want to breed their pet dog, as in this case, it is important to consider whether she would be an appropriate mother and, if so, which dog to choose as a father for her puppies. For other breeders, the temperament of potential breeding stock should be as important a consideration as their physical traits when choosing dogs to breed from.
A tendency to anxiety and fearfulness can be inherited by puppies from both parents so anxious fearful individuals (who may show aggressive behaviour as a result) should not be bred from. In addition to her genetic influence, a fearful mother’s reaction to new people and other stimuli in the nursing environment can also influence her puppies’ emotional response to them.
The next step, after deciding to breed a dog and arranging a mating, is to ensure that the mother dog is protected from stressful experiences during her pregnancy. She should be kept in a familiar environment, and changes to the home avoided. If a pregnant bitch is stressed, her stress hormones affect her developing puppies, so that they are less able to cope with stress in later life. If she is relaxed and experiences affectionate contact with humans during pregnancy, her puppies are likely to be tolerant to touching and patting.

18/01/2021

Wide open places like parts of the New Forest are ideal for walking reactive dogs - you can see other dogs from a long way off and adjust your route accordingly and there are great smells for the dogs to enjoy! We're so lucky to have this as our locally accessible lockdown walk.

16/01/2021

Poor Theo became very scared of getting into vehicles after his owners used a courtesy car for a few days and he generalised his fear of this to their own cars.

They've been working for a few weeks on increasing his confidence around cars. He always has the option to stop the training if he's not comfortable but has to be on lead because they have a communal parking area that is close to a busy road.

At first he didn't even want to leave their garden to get to the parking area but soon he couldn't wait to start training each day as he was given his favourite treat of cooked turkey as a reward for interacting with the car.

On this occasion we are working with my car and one of his doggy friends has come along to help him feel more confident 🐕

28/12/2020