Pets Explained

30/07/2024

Your reminder that cool mats aren’t just for dogs! Here’s lovely feline client Eliza showing us no rest spot is better than her fresh new cooling mat…

Keep in mind our pets wear fur coats, and can’t simply take them off, turn on a fan or run a cold shower to cool down. On hot days consider providing cool mats (pop them in the fridge beforehand), or towels soaked in cold water. You may put ice cubes in water bowls, and freeze wet-food meals.

If you’re concerned about your pet overheating, always call the vet quickly - especially for flat-faced dogs and fluffier pets with dense fur, who are less able to regulate their heat.

Like and share with your fellow fluffy-pet owners 😉☀️

27/10/2023

Do you ever think your cat might be a little, well... strange? 🙀

In fact, you're not alone! See my mini interview below with the fabulous team at The Cat Doctor. Together we explore some of the motivations behind your feline's more quirky behaviours 😺

17/08/2023

I'll be teaming up with The Cat Doctor (mobile vet specialising in - you guessed it - cats!) to celebrate their 10th anniversary in September. I'll present a free Webinar talking about cat-cat conflict and answering queries on common feline behaviours. If you've got any burning cat questions, comment on the original post!

See below & share the post to benefit your cat-loving friends 😸

12/07/2023

Why do dogs guard, and what can you do to manage this tricky behaviour? Swipe through to find out more.

06/07/2023

Recent figures suggest rates of dog bites in the UK are increasing. If this is true, why? And importantly, what can we do to make people (and dogs!) safer?

features in discussing why the answer might be more complex than you think.

Numbers and stats were taken from 's Paw Report over recent years.

'So called "pandemic pups" may have been unprepared to adjust to normality after growing up in lockdown, and vets are reporting more owners delaying or unable to afford treatment than in previous years.'

01/07/2023

'No' means No.... doesn't it?

Knowing what we do about dog and cat psychology, our 'No' really doesn't ⛔ mean the same thing to our pets!

Swipe through for a more efficient strategy to stop nuisance behaviours in our furry friends...

29/11/2022

Do you wish your dog was less restless? Gave your chairlegs a wide berth rather than chewing them to pulp, or less clingy?

My favourite activity to occupy your dog is a Destruction Box.

Undeservedly they're not very well known, though in my experience destruction boxes are one of the most interactive, enjoyed, cheap (use old packaging) and stimulating activity you can offer at home. Not to mention using these discourages chewing other items!

What does your dog think of one? Like & share to get this wonderful idea out there to dog owners who would benefit.

See below for a how-to demo guide with my (very) glamorous assistant, Ronnie the Whippet! More to come...

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03/08/2022

The APBC provides membership of Clinical Animal Behaviourists and Animal Behaviour Technicians, both of which are able to register with the ABTC. You can find out more about these roles here: https://buff.ly/3AoDl9h

19/07/2022

Strapped for cash? No matter.

Pets Explained is accredited by the APBC*, which means if your pet insurance covers behaviour, consultations are claimable.

Celebrate by getting in touch today!

* Association of Pet Behaviour Councillors

17/07/2022

Now fully certified as a Clinical Animal Behaviourist, Pets Explained behaviour consult services are COVERED by most pet insurance companies, where your policy includes behavioural cover ☺️

HUGE Congratulations to Bonita Brincat of Pets Explained who has passed her assessment and is now a Full CAB member of the APBC 🥂🍾

Find out more about the different pathways to APBC membership here: https://www.apbc.org.uk/become-a-member/

29/06/2022

A solid, reliable recall is essential for any dog owner. Ensuring your pup comes back when you call not only keeps them safe, but also engaged with you and what you're asking more generally.

If your dog's recall needs a bit of work, get in touch today for a training session with Pets Explained. As Snoopy our glamorous assistant demonstrates, it certainly can be done!

28/06/2022

The Snoopy Series is here!

The first installment looks at how to safely manage your pup stealing or 'happening to have' an item you'd quite like back...

Follow for regular troubleshooting with those tricky behaviours 🐕‍🦺We'll look into Training tips, hacks and behaviour advice in bitesize videos with wonderful Snoopy the Golden Retriever, glamorous assistant of Pets Explained!

Also see our Instagram for much more:

11/05/2022

Have vet visits become a struggle because of your pet's behaviour? Or, would you like to avoid such fears in the future?

If only taken to the vet when unwell, your furry friend may incorrectly believe that the vet surgery itself is the cause of pain and illness. Here are some simple steps to turn that belief around!

Swipe through to see Pets Explained' top tips for Convincing your Pet to like the Vet 😍🥰. For you creative owners out there, how did you persuade your companion to make veterinary friends?

02/05/2022

Ever noticed that treats don’t always cut it ✂️ when training your pet 🐩 🐈? Especially when there’s something exciting 🎈around?

Read on to learn about a world of motivations for training you might not have considered, to get your pet back on track 🚂 to success 🏆

02/05/2022

New tagline! 🏷

01/03/2022

Daniel from Animal Behaviour Kent describes the findings from a new study, exploring the relationship between the gut biome & canine behaviour (aggression & separation anxiety). It's only one study so results aren't conclusive, but interesting nonetheless!

A new study published has provided some promising results in support of the use of probiotics for supporting dogs with separation anxiety and aggression problems.

Yeh et al. (2022) found a significant reduction in symptoms of aggression and separation anxiety in dogs treated with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (PS128) compared to a control group after 14 days.

This provides strong evidence for the role of the gut in modulating emotional difficulties in dogs. A reduction in serotonin turnover indicating a serotonergic mechanism may be responsible for this effect.

However, there are some limitations to this research it is important to be aware of:

- The dogs were not assessed beyond 14 days, so it is unclear how long lasting these effects may be, and whether the effects continue once PS128 is no longer being administered.

- Serotonin levels were measured through blood plasma which is limited in accuracy.

- It is not understood how this fits into the wider picture of understanding dogs' behaviour - it is not clear which dogs will respond to this treatment and which will not!

- This will a small pilot study with a small sample size, so replication is needed to better understand these effects, and to better understand any potential side effects (both behavioural and medical).

If you are looking for ways to support your dog, it may be worth discussing this with your vet. However, remember, alone it is unlikely to solve all your problems, and as with all medications, they generally need to be administered alongside behaviour modification to be effective longer term.

Yeh, Y. M., Lye, X. Y., Lin, H. Y., Wong, J. Y., Wu, C. C., Huang, C. L., ... & Wang, L. C. (2022). Effects of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum PS128 on alleviating canine aggression and separation anxiety. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 105569.

27/12/2021

We did it! We’re published! See our brand new open access scientific article 🧪 in our Link in Bio!

What did we research?
Our study looked into whether the appearance (specifically, head shape) of dogs had an impact on which emotions viewers attributed to a photo of the dog.

What did we find?
Generally, dogs with less extreme heads (neither flat nor long faced dogs) were viewed most favourably; respondents attributed them the most emotions overall, the most positive emotions, and the fewest negative emotions.

Long-nosed dogs were sadly viewed to have the most (and strongest) negative emotions, though this was by a small degree.

Interestingly, owners emotional ratings of their own dogs were not influenced by the dog’s head shape. This is likely because owners use other things, such as behaviour, to assess their dog’s emotional state.

Thank you to everyone who responded to my thesis questionnaire way back pre-pandemic, you have contributed to published science and our understanding of the dog-human relationship 😊😊😊

25/12/2021

What has 2021 looked like for you?

For Pets Explained, it’s been a brilliant whirlwind 🌪 supporting clients in need of some serious behaviour support ⛑. We’ve been with them through thick & thin to lend our expertise where we can.

Despite COVID, that’s what’s made 2021 special to us. Thank you all of our clients & referring vets for enabling us to make a difference.

What made 2021 worthwhile for you? 🐩 🐈