Canine Behaviour Coaching and ManTrailing

20/11/2025

28/10/2025

*Preventing unwanted litters is a goal we all share—but it's time to rethink the surgical approach. Hysterectomies and vasectomies, which preserve hormonal balance, can safely be performed as early as 8 weeks of age, making dogs sterile without disrupting their natural hormones.

New peer-reviewed study published in Nature:

How a dog’s lifetime exposure to his own hormones (before being neutered) affects how well he handles aging and frailty later in life.

Study Background

• Frailty = when older dogs (and people) become weaker, less resilient, and more prone to illness and death.
• Most research looks at how to prevent frailty — this study looked at what makes some dogs bounce back better after frailty sets in.
• The focus was on the HPG axis — the hormonal system that produces testosterone and controls reproduction.

Key Findings

• Dogs neutered very young (before 2 years old) had:

o A much higher risk of death once they became frail.
o About 16% higher mortality for every small increase in frailty.

• Dogs kept intact longer (more than ~10 years) showed:
o No increase in mortality linked to frailty.
o Their hormones seemed to “buffer” the negative effects of aging.

• Each extra year of natural hormone exposure reduced frailty-related death risk by ~1%.

What It Means

• Hormones from the te**es may protect against the worst effects of aging later in life.
• Removing them too early could make dogs less resilient to age-related decline.
• Frailty isn’t just about getting old — it’s also shaped by early-life events like the timing of neutering.
• This supports a “life course” view: what happens early in life affects health decades later.

Why It Matters

• The study suggests timing of neutering might influence how well dogs age.

28/10/2025

A dog person’s dream house

14/10/2025

Upcoming trailing dates.
October 25th, Lockerbie.
November 1st, Moffat.
Pm me for details.

06/10/2025

Great weekend trailing in Aberdeenshire, all the dogs and handler did well, in windy conditions 🙂

03/10/2025

New location for Canine Behaviour Coaching, now based in the Borders, still training in Aberdeenshire as well as new venues in Dumfries and Galloway.

04/03/2025

Your Dog is Speaking – Are You Listening?

Dogs communicate with us all the time, but we’re often too distracted to notice. Their body language can be subtle and fleeting or clear and obvious—like the dog in this picture.

This is a very worried dog. He’s asking for space. Can you spot the signs?

The last thing this dog needs is that hand.

Understanding canine body language isn’t just about avoiding bites—it’s about building trust, reducing stress, and truly connecting with your dog.

Want to learn how to listen better? My book on canine communication breaks down the signals your dog gives you every day—so you can respond with confidence and compassion.

👉 https://amzn.to/3F8KEq2

Because when we listen, we make life better for our dogs.

28/02/2025

27/02/2025

As today is World Spay Day, a reminder that current WSAVA (World Small Animal Veterinary Association) guidelines are discouraging routine-neutering and favouring a case-by-case basis. It is also vital that awareness is raised of the alternative sterilisation procedures that spare s*x hormones (vasectomy and hysterectomy).

21/02/2025

https://www.facebook.com/100044848263328/posts/1168201198018145/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v

We’re not about to get into a debate about the types of vet practices around, but you’ll likely find differences in prices depending on where you go for puppy