Animal Behaviour and Trauma Recovery Service UK

21/08/2024

𝗜𝗳 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗼𝘂𝗯𝘁 𝗦𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻

If we go at our horse or dog’s pace we will get where we need to go faster than we think. On the other hand, if we rush we can make mistakes or misread what our animals need from us. Breathe and be led by your horse or dog.

If in doubt slow down, wait and observe. Speed increases anxiety (Feldman et al,2020,Fenner et al,2019)

References

Feldman, M. J., Siegel, E., Barrett, L. F., Quigley, K. S., & Wormwood, J. B. (2022). Affect and social judgment: the roles of physiological reactivity and interoceptive sensitivity. Affective Science, 3(2), 464-479.

Fenner, K., Mclean, A. N., & McGreevy, P. D. (2019). Cutting to the chase: How round-pen, lunging, and high-speed liberty work may compromise horse welfare. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 29, 88-94.

Wormald, D., Lawrence, A. J., Carter, G., & Fisher, A. D. (2017). Reduced heart rate variability in pet dogs affected by anxiety-related behaviour problems. Physiology & behavior, 168, 122-127.

I apologise I do not know where the original quote came from.

©️ Jessie Sams (2024) Animal Behaviour and Trauma Recovery Service

20/08/2024

𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗩𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗦

As you can see I am rolling out some new services . For more information on any of these please drop me a message.

For dog clients there is also a new Supported Walks option as an alternative to or in combination with behaviour follow up.

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝗣𝘂𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀

Hi everyone I am a Provisional Clinical Animal Behaviourist and Family Dog Mediator. Ina adiition to specialising in fearful and traumatised dogs I have just launched some individualised one to one puppy packages.

I now offer

Bespoke Puppy Packages are available in 6,8,12.

They are bespoke and designed for you and your puppy and can include trips out to cafes or other socialisation relevant to your unique situation .

Everything is at your puppies’ pace and my approach is trauma-sensitive and dog-centred .

All sessions are a mixture of developing your observation skills , theory and practical skills and hacks to support your puppy to learn about their world and for you to have a peaceful life together . Your first session includes a needs assessment to design sessions around your and your puppies unique needs

Packages are designed based on your needs. You also receive a behaviour needs pack, individualised support plans and WhatsApo support between sessions are included

6- £195
12- £400
8- £290

I am also able to design an entirely bespoke package for you .

Any further sessions if required are £55 for approximately 1.5 hours.

I also have the following available

Behaviour Support
Supported dog walks or training walks where I train your dog for you £25

A 50% deposit is required to secure your booking.

20% off NHS and Ambulance staff

I have a limited number of pay what you can sessions

If you would like any information drop me a WhatsApp ⁨ 07763 317464

20/08/2024

I love this pay attention to the entire sequence of behaviour not just one part . Superb post

🇬🇧 Shake it off

The neck shake is a signal by which, among other things, you can tell if a horse has or has had tension. But as with all other calming signals, it is important to see this signal in context.

And especially to look at what is the stimulus or stimuli that is causing, or has caused, the neck shake: A sore back where a saddle has just been put on, a touch of a hand, a fly on his neck that he is trying to shake off?

So always look at the behavioral sequence. If you are able to see your horse's reactions to stimuli , this can give you a lot of information about the comfort or possible tension he is experiencing.

🇳🇱 Even shaken

De nekshake is een signaal waaraan je onder andere kunt herleiden of een paard spanning heeft of heeft gehad. Maar net zoals met alle andere kalmerende signalen is het van belang om dit signaal in context te zien.

En vooral ook om te kijken wat is de stimulus of stimuli die de nekshake veroorzaken, of veroorzaakt heeft, een pijnlijke rug waar net een zadel op wordt gelegd, een aanraking van een hand, een vlieg op zijn nek die hij probeert af te schudden?

Bekijk dus altijd de gedragsreeks. Als je in staat bent om de reacties van je paard op stimuli te ontdekken, kan dit je veel informatie geven over zijn comfort of eventuele spanning die hij ervaart.

19/08/2024

This sums up not just Family Dog Mediation but Family Animal Mediation for horses too. It fits beautifully with a trauma-sensitive approach.

We posed the question, "What is Family Dog Mediation?" to our FDMs a while back. We loved the way everyone took their own approach to what being an FDM means to them, but within all the answers, we saw so many similar themes. Our very first FDM, D Davis put this together so beautifully that we had to share!

19/08/2024

It takes a village!! Not just any village the right village to support a puppy.

The thing about puppies is you must build your own village around them. Take your crowd of calm, shepherd like people with you and your pup on all their 'firsts'. Deploy the shepherds to fend off and filter. Let the education begin with internalised pictures of people and animals that have this one very strict common denominator. Unflappable. Whatever is going on around, the village, the crew, the crowd are all unflappable. And they stay in place, big ones, small ones, sky blue pink with yellow dots on ones............. until that baby brain is connecting up and striking out and has a baseline understanding upon which to look at the flappers and say "nah".

Pictured, with one of her villagers, todays youngest tracker, little Hope. 13 weeks old. Straight through the woodland recovered a track layer. Mint.

18/08/2024

Tired but happy after work Starbucks vibes. I can't wait to see more lovely clients and horses and dogs. I have some new people and animals starting. I love connecting with other beings.

18/08/2024

Because everything is an enrichment opportunity, I picked him up at the service station .This guy is perfect for the Karl Hack. More on that later

18/08/2024

I had a wonderful update on Oscar and his new friend Jester. I started supporting Oscer with his hoof and leg handling and general confidence a few months ago. His family have worked extremely hard to help him feel safe including• No agenda time.• Predictable patterns around hoof and leg handling such as starting in the same order.• Being attuned.to his needs and stopping if he is uncomfortable. This is how build both trust and duration. This is because Oscar then learns that he is always listened to.• Jester has a longer history of struggling with his feet and we will be tailoring a support plan to his needs.

References

Argent, G., & Vaught, J. (2022). Introduction: Humans and Horses in the Relational Arena. In The Relational Horse (pp. 1-18). Brill.

Carroll, S. L., Sykes, B. W., & Mills, P. C. (2022). Moving toward fear-free husbandry and veterinary care for horses. Animals, 12(21), 2907.

Lewicki, R. J., & Wiethoff, C. (2000). Trust, trust development, and trust repair. The handbook of conflict resolution: Theory and practice, 1(1), 86-107.

©️Jessie Sams Animal Behaviour and Trauma Recovery Service

18/08/2024

Fantastic post

Willow the Sprocker has been making great progress with her Walk N Train sessions with team member Hayley.

I initially assessed Willow for shadow and light chasing behaviours as well as manic, ‘disconnected’ behaviour on walks. She pulled hideously on the lead.

It would be too easy to label these behaviours as breed/type-specific.

Whilst arousal regulation challenges are something working spaniels can absolutely struggle with, Willow’s behaviour problems are in fact strongly linked to her health.

Poor Willow keeps getting Giardia (a gut parasite that’s very resistant to treatment!). There is a strong and clear link between her shadow chasing and her gastro intestinal health problems returning.

It was re-diagnosed after I referred her back to the vets for re-testing, prompted by me reviewing her medical history, considering the information given by her family on the extensive intake form I provide and lastly observing her on the assessment.

Whilst it’s crucial to treat health problems, clients still need behaviour modification strategies to minimise dogs engaging in behaviours problems, as learning can still occur and the problem can remain long after the health issue is resolved.

Willow responds really well to the behaviour modification plan, but regression occurs every time her symptoms flare.

Poorly or not, Willow still has a brain that needs exercising and she still needs to get out the house for physical exercise. However, our focus isn’t on exhausting the spaniel!

Caution must be taken with regards to what we ask her to do!
We need to adapt to how she feels that day, but also be aware that arousing exercises, such as a daily focus on high intensity training games with toys, are not going to be helpful for her gut environment.

Again, this is why behaviour problems should be referred by a veterinarian to qualified professionals who have an adequate knowledge of health problems and who recognise that you can’t train every behaviour problem away. A holistic and adaptive approach is needed.

Over two thirds of our behaviour cases require re-examination and/or medical treatment post-assessment for health problems.
It is highly unlikely that these figures are unique to our cases.

A big shout out to team Willow. I know it’s not easy and she’s very lucky to have you! The fact that she’s not got worse and only briefly regresses before returning to the improvements we’ve made is a testamont to your dedication. ❤️❤️

18/08/2024

BUT THERE'S PLENTY OF GRASS!? 🌱🌱

Now and again I see horse pasture that looks full of grass, yet the horses on it seem to only grass the short grass (called 'lawns'), and seem quite hungry despite all the longer grass (called 'roughs).

The trouble is, the longer grass is sour, 'rank' and unpalatable because it is growing where the horses have deposited their droppings (faeces/poo) and they will refuse it.

Which is a good thing because this will lower their potential exposure to worm larvae.

Some owners don't realise that horses are selective grazers and will not eat grass growing around piles of droppings. This grazing behaviour is why we need to either pick up the droppings, or harrow them and let the pasture rest for several months until the droppings have been dispersed and incorporated into the ground. Harrowing should only be done on fields grazed by horses with well controlled parasite burdens, and/or on hot sunny days.

(By the way - never leave horses to graze in pasture that has had droppings left in it, then been harrowed).

Mares and geldings tend to face into these roughs to defecate (poo), which gradually makes the roughs larger and larger in area.

Roughs and lawns are an indication of poorly managed grazing.

If the grazing also contains weeds (more likely in lawn areas, due to being overgrazed) and has a high worm burden, it is described as 'horse sick'.

Picking up droppings, harrowing and resting, cross-grazing with sheep and/or cattle, and cutting roughs will all help to maintain healthy pasture, avoiding roughs and lawns.

Interestingly, roughs will disappear after a season of good management, where poo is dispersed or removed and the land then rested for a few months before being regrazed.

Feel Free to share!
🐴🍏🌱

17/08/2024

I have been debating whether or not to share these rambles that have been rattling round my brain as I am not feeling particularly thick skinned just now but you only live once so here goes. I can add a reference list later .

Very short brave pants rant . Before we teach a horse or dog to do a behaviour we need to ask ourselves a few questions .

🐴🐶 Who is the behaviour for?

Is it us or the horse or the dog or both parties ?
If it is for us it is absolutely ok to do this to make our lives easier BUT if it is simply to prove how good we are, may be we need to question if it’s necessary . Some behaviours for example such as rearing can really back fire if the trainer is not highly skilled setting the horse up potentially to be punished in the future . Before someone jumps on me I have some friends who are exceptionally talented trainers who have taught horses to rear but if you are the average Jo best avoided for the sake of your horse and you. Others like teaching a horse to lie down or bow for example further remove autonomy. I understand people often like to train a horse to lie down but my personal and professional feeling is we need to consider WHY we are training lie down, who is it for is it the horse or us? If we think it is to make the horse feel safe or trust us we need to recognise to quote Rachel Leather that safety can’t be taught or only felt. So instead work on the conditions that create safety like meeting needs and attunement. The only rare exception for lying down for me would be on a case by case basis might be if a horse was experiencing sleep deprivation even then many other avenues should be explored first in conjunction with your vet and ideally a veterinary behaviourist.

🐴🐶How does the behaviour benefit the horse or dog?

For example is it for husbandry such as injections or eye drops that have very clear benefits for the horse or dog. Will it help them to feel safe and successfully navigate our crazy human world such as a solid recall which ultimately offers the dog more freedom or being able to be lead or loaded in the case of a horse.

🐴🐶 If we need to change a behaviour because it poses a threat to animal wellbeing or is unsafe what do we choose as an alternative?

First we need to understand how is the behaviour helping the animal for example is it offering them relief from a stressor or stressors in their environment or does it have some other cause such as pain or illness. In addition the behaviour may be normal for the animal but undesirable from a human perspective such as digging in the garden or for horses pawing the ground. For the latter we can offer the animal a more appropriate outlet for the behaviour such as a digging area .

To address this, we start by assessing whether the horse or dogs’ species specific and individual needs are met? Do they have good social support and relationships with other animals and people. Are they physically healthy or if they are in pain or unwell is this treated and well managed to maximise quality of life? If not, what can we do to enhance these.

Does the horse or dog have good social support with humans, other horses or dogs where they are able to feel safe physically, emotionally and socially to enable change if needed to happen (McMilan et al,2019,Mills & Ricci-Benoit,2020).

🐴🐶What alternative behaviour offers the horse or dog a sense of relief, so we are not simply stopping the behaviour but leaving them still in distress?

Can we employ harm reduction approaches. Instead, can we manage the behaviour for example for horses who crib offering them a softer alternative to crib on if the behaviour is emancipated (not to mention changing environments and stopping harmful practices such as early weaning, isolation , confinement and high starch diets so that the behaviour is not expressed in the first place!).
For dogs can we address the underlying emotional need so they no longer have to bark so often or do whatever we find challenging. So choose a behaviour and use management that addresses the need.

🐴🐶 How do we train the behaviour if this is still required after management changes and relationship building?

Ideally we would already be training with positive reinforcement and using the least invasive ways to train. Regardless, of how we are training we need to be attending to emotional state we don't want a frightened shut down animal or one that is intensely frustrated or taking themselves overthreshold in an attempt to gain reinforcement either Henshall et al,2022, Kieson et al,2020,We want calm relaxation and arousal appropriate to the task. It is highly probable training on its own won’t eliminate what’s happening and a multimodal approach is required such as ensuring species specific and individual needs are met, that they are not in pain or unwell and that we also spend no agenda time where we ask nothing.

It is not just how and what we train that matters but all of the other ways we show up. Every time to find that itchy sweet spot, adjust your behaviour when you see tension or how you continue to offer predictability.

So give yourself credit for all the ways you show up for your animal.

17/08/2024

This please accept no for an answer

So you’re at an outing, standing next to your spouse or friend. Someone approaches you with a tray filled with hors d’oeuvres, and offers one to you. You look at the tray, but then say “no, thank you.” The waiter moves away.

Now, imagine if after saying “no, thank you” the waiter didn’t go away. Imagine if the waiter continued to push you to take one, and even your spouse started saying “come on, take one!” So you uncomfortably took and ate one, even though it wasn’t what you wanted. You’d probably be pretty aggravated with your spouse too. But you think it’s a one off and you carry on with the evening.

A few minutes later another waiter approaches with another tray, and the same thing happens. This time you feel yourself get more upset, especially after saying “no” multiple times. But your spouse insists also, even going so far as to take the snack off the tray and try to put it in your mouth. By the end of the interaction, you’re really on edge.

The third or fourth time you see a waiter approach you, you’re feeling either stressed, angry, or both. The waiter hasn’t even gotten all the way over to you yet and you’re ready to yell “no!” You look around for a place to escape to but your spouse/friend has their arm around you and you can’t back away. You end up physically snatching the tray from the waiter and throwing it on the ground, yelling obscenities and getting as quickly out of the room as possible. The guests look at you while your spouse simply says “I don’t know why she’s being so aggressive! They were just wanted to give her a snack!” I’m guessing you would be pretty angry at your spouse/friend by this point too. They aren’t helping support you at all. You can’t trust them OR the waiter.

You see where I’m going with this don’t you?
Try to imagine if your “no thank yous” were ignored. How many times would it take being ignored for you to get angry, get physical, or try to escape, or worse, just shut down completely. Everyone would handle it differently, but we’d all hate it.

Dogs deal with this EVERY DAY. They say “no, thank you” all the time. And we often times are guilty of ignoring that request and trying to convince them otherwise, sometimes even going so far as to force them through something because WE don’t understand. And then we wonder why dogs reach a point of aggressing or avoiding. Whether we are the waiter; trying to push something onto the dog like an interaction, or the spouse/friend not supporting the dog and backing up their request of “no, thank you” we are doing serious harm to the dogs confidence and even more harm to our relationship with them.

Your dog can only use his body language to tell you what he wants, so pay attention. If your dog says no thank you, listen. If they don’t want a stranger to touch them, support them. If they don’t want to meet a strange dog, let it go. If they want to take their time trying something different, let them take their time. I can tell you the more choice they feel they have the more likely they are to actually decide to try when they are ready. Just like you may finally get hungry enough to want a snack from the tray, but on your terms, and one that you get to pick.

Choice and consent matters in ALL species. Respect your dogs “no, thank you” and you’ll get a lot of respect back.

- Helen St. Pierre, No Monkey Business Dog Training. Please if you share give credit.

16/08/2024

This

16/08/2024

𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴

My first coffee out as a free women. Bluewater this time. Generalizing from hospital to home is it bit rocky but this is to be expected. We do not always have all the time in the world to make things go smoothly or a hundred percent perfectly. In addition life has a way of throwing curve balls.

What can we do if this happens

🐴🐶👩 Lean in to social support ( thank you mum and to my friends you know who you are).For horses an equine friend and dogs who are social a canine friend as well as trusted human is beneficial.

🐴🐶👩 Under veterinary or medical guidance use short-acting (situational) or long -term medications

🐴🐶👩 Slow down and don’t panic.

🐴🐶👩 Start from a place of relaxation or as close to baseline as you can get ( for chronically stressed or traumatised animals and people total relaxation may not be possible).

🐴🐶👩 Create a predictable pattern and routine if possible. If you do not have time to do it for all parts of the activity, doing so for even part of the activity will help. Predictability reduces stress and anxiety.

🐴🐶👩 If you are supporting someone do what calms you ( put your oxygen mask on first).

🐴🐶👩 Learn what helps your horse, dog or loved one and support them to use these things examples might include sniffing ( smelling can help humans too), chewing , licking ( dogs and horses) , scratches or gentle touch, taking a deep breath and gentle movement . Please note all of these depend on the individual .

🐴🐶👩 Decompress after the event this may take anything from minutes to hours or even days .

If it goes pear-shaped, breathe , re-group and get support.

If you would like to book an emergency or crisis support session drop me a message or WhatsApp 07763 317464

References

Asok, A., Hijazi, J., Harvey, L. R., Kosmidis, S., Kandel, E. R., & Rayman, J. B. (2019). S*x differences in remote contextual fear generalization in mice. Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience, 13, 56.

Carroll, S. L., Sykes, B. W., & Mills, P. C. (2022). Moving toward fear-free husbandry and veterinary care for horses. Animals, 12(21), 2907.

McMillan, F. D. (2020). The mental health and well-being benefits of social contact and social support in animals. In Mental health and well-being in animals (pp. 96-110). Wallingford UK: CABI.

Ortiz, S., Latsko, M. S., Fouty, J. L., Dutta, S., Adkins, J. M., & Jasnow, A. M. (2019). Anterior cingulate cortex and ventral hippocampal inputs to the basolateral amygdala selectively control generalized fear. Journal of Neuroscience, 39(33), 6526-6539.

Rault, J. L. (2012). Friends with benefits: social support and its relevance for farm animal welfare. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 136(1), 1-14.

Ricci-Bonot, C., Romero, T., Nicol, C., & Mills, D. (2021). Social buffering in horses is influenced by context but not by the familiarity and habituation of a companion. Scientific reports, 11(1), 8862.

Riemer, S., Heritier, C., Windschnurer, I., Pratsch, L., Arhant, C., & Affenzeller, N. (2021). A review on mitigating fear and aggression in dogs and cats in a veterinary setting. Animals, 11(1), 158.

Wu, A. (2021). Social buffering of stress–Physiological and ethological perspectives. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 239, 105325.

©️ Jessie Sams Animal Behaviour and Trauma Recovery Service

15/08/2024

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗬𝗼𝘂

And just like that after two months I am a free women, well nearly as I start day care three days a week from Monday . So much gratitude to everyone from the medical staff at the Prncess Grace, mental health professionals and psychiatric nurses at the Nightingale to the paramedics who repeatedly came out when I was in crisis with severe hypoglycemia. Not just over the last year but from 2017 when this s**t show first began and nobody else did anything.I am also so thankful for every single one of you who have supported me and put up with my ridiculous coffee posts . I will be gradually returning to work so thank you for your patience ❤️💚💚❤️

14/08/2024

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗠𝘆 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝗼𝗴?

If you choose to work with me, one of the first things I will do is examine your horse or dog’s history. Understanding why your horse or dog is struggling is complicated. To understand what might be happening, I use a process called formulation and differential diagnosis, as well as the biopsychosocial approach. Trigger orcstomulus stacking can also play a role. This offers us a framework to consider what may be going on for your animal. It is never enough to train another behaviour to stop the undesirable response.

Behaviour is complicated. It involves a complex interaction between the body, the mind and the environment. For the people at the back, not all behaviours a horse shows are created equal; NOT every loading issue is the same, NOT every catching problem is the same, NOT every mounting problem is the same, NOT every napping or hacking issue is the same !! Behaviours have many causes and multifaceted solutions involving holistically supporting the horse and meeting their needs. Working out the cause of the problem should involve a differential diagnosis or formulation to address the root cause. None of these issues require inducing fear or pain in an attempt to control the horse’s or dog ‘s behaviour. Some behaviours may not require change just support to address an unfulfilled need or concern. For more information on diagnosing and assessing behaviour issues, see the literature below.

If you are in need of help with your horse or dog or just wish to understand them better I have the following services available.

I have space in London, Kent, Surrey, Sussex and Essex this weekend.

For more information please WhatsApp 07763 317464

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀

In celebration of returning to work I am launching some new services including

𝗘𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 : £𝟵𝟬 𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗸 , 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁, 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝟭𝟬% 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗳𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀

𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 - £𝟱𝟬

A Pathfinder Session is for you if you are unsure of your needs or just feel something isn’t quite right . They are the initial steps of us working together.

These sessions are a broad overview of your horses’ life, wellbeing and your relationship . Together we create a way forward. These sessions also have a practical element such as enrichment , scent work or supporting you with practical handling or training skills.

In addition to your pathfinder session you will be required to book either further

🐴 One to one sessions (£50 for 1.5 hours)
🐴 A full behaviour needs package ( complex problems) 5% off if you book a Pathfinder session)
🐴 Relationship Enhancer package ( enriched environments, scent work, observation and body language) 5% off if you book a Pathfinder session
🐴 Co-operative care or Young Horse Support package 5% off if you book a Pathfinder session
🐴 Unhandled Horse Support package 5% off if you book a Pathfinder session

Following your pathfinder session we organise appropriate on-going support for you and your horse.

You receive

🐴 WhatsApp support between sessions
🐴 A behaviour information pack
🐴 An initial support plan to start you off
🐴 Discounts on any courses and webinars offered

For more information drop me a WhatsApp ⁨07763 317464⁩

References

Mills, D. S., Demontigny-Bédard, I., Gruen, M., Klinck, M. P., McPeake, K. J., Barcelos, A. M., ... & Levine, E. (2020). Pain and problem behavior in cats and dogs. Animals, 10(2), 318.

Mills, D. S. (2017). Perspectives on assessing the emotional behavior of animals with behavior problems. Current opinion in behavioral sciences, 16, 66-72.

Fatjó, J., & Bowen, J. (2020). Making the case for multi-axis assessment of behavioural problems. Animals, 10(3), 383.

©️Jessie Sams (2024) Animal Behaviour and Trauma Recovery Service

13/08/2024

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁

The Ensure tonight is finished despite a very overwhelming afternoon, thanks to the incredible and highly skilled ward manager. Simple acts of kindness and compassion often go the furthest, whether for humans or animals.

We also played with context and changed the supplement's colour and flavour, but we had to swap from Fresubin to Ensure. For unavoidable situations involving animals or people, these small context changes can really lower stress and enable what needs to be done.

Support and interventions do not always have to be complex to be effective.

I apologise for the lack of references but I am exhausted.

I also planted some Camomile seeds in OT group today. The wonderful animals I support are never far from my mind.

12/08/2024

𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗜𝗦 𝗔𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗜𝗙 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗡𝗛𝗦 𝗢𝗥 𝗔𝗠𝗕𝗨𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗩𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗘𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝟮𝟬% 𝗢𝗙𝗙 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗕𝗘𝗛𝗔𝗩𝗜𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗦𝗨𝗣𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧 𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗩𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗦!!

This is a reminder that if you work for the NHS or Ambulance service and are struggling with your horse or dog this discount is for you !

I can also offer

🐶Free muzzle training ( to groups or individuals )

🐶🐴Free enrichment sessions for dogs and horses ( to groups or individuals)

🐶🐴15% off all lickimat products

Drop me a message or a WhatsApp 07763 317464

Thank you all for your tireless hard work ! !

12/08/2024

I love this!!

11/08/2024

I do my best to live and breathe being trauma-informed. Once you understand it, this is not something that can be unseen.

I apply these principles to every animal I meet regardless of their history. It truly is a way of life.

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