Dog Chit Chat West Lothian

02/11/2025

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02/11/2025

Aye, 3 second rule 🙄 ffs

12/10/2025

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❗️ UPDATE 12.10.25 - Dog with SPCA

Dog handed in 11.10.25
▪️Found in Uphall
▪️Collie cross
▪️Male - has been neutered
▪️Older dog
▪️Has a microchip but we are unable to contact his owner with the details on chip.

Dog is currently safe with the Westport 24 team at Westport Vets Linlithgow.

Please call the Westport24 Out of Hours team: 01506 844165

Thank you.

12/10/2025

Through My Eyes: A Day in the Life of an Over-Aroused Dog
By your faithful (and slightly frazzled) canine companion

You think I’m relaxed, don’t you? Curled up in my bed, paws twitching, snoring softly, looking like the very picture of serenity. But here’s a secret: even when I’m asleep, there’s still a trickle of arousal humming away under the surface. My body never fully shuts off. My ears are finely tuned, my nose forever sampling the air. I might look peaceful, but I’m still alert to the world, because that’s what dogs do.

Then it happens.

The Wake-Up Surge
You get up. Kettle on. Toaster pops. The bin lid clangs. You call my name. The house comes alive and so do I. Arousal level: rising. Heart rate picks up, muscles twitch, tail starts wagging. Dopamine drips into my system. Anticipation. Movement. Energy. Life!

You say, “Good morning, boy!” and I’m instantly at 50% excitement and I haven’t even left the kitchen yet. Then, bang, a noise outside! The post lands on the mat. My arousal spikes again. I’m up, on alert, scanning, listening, because in my world, every sound could mean something. And that something might be exciting, worrying, or both.

The Garden Escapade
Out into the garden for a wee. Bliss! Freedom! Fresh air! My arousal dips… for about two seconds. Then I hear him, the dog two doors down. The one who treats his fence like a boxing ring. He’s already shouting, “GET OFF MY TERRITORY!” before I’ve even lifted my leg.

Now my heart’s racing again. My body’s primed. Adrenaline’s flowing. My hackles lift just a touch, not because I’m mean, but because his energy has infected mine. It’s called social facilitation, when one dog’s arousal triggers another’s. It’s contagious, you see. I finish my business, tail stiff, mind buzzing.

The Lead Comes Out
You reach for the lead. Oh, I know what that means. WALKIES! But here’s the problem, you move at about two and a half miles an hour. I’m built for six and a half. My legs want to move, my brain’s saying “GO!” but the lead says “NO.” Frustration builds like steam in a kettle. My arousal level’s gone from warm cup of tea to boiling espresso.

Out the Gate and BOOM — Reality Hits
Just as we step out, a lorry hisses past and releases its air brakes. PSSHHHHT! Instant shockwave through my nervous system. You might flinch; I nearly levitate. My heart’s racing again. My adrenaline’s up. You probably don’t even notice, but I do. Every cell in my body does.

As we set off, I try to settle. Sniff, walk, breathe. Then it happens again, the dog from the garden is now in the front window, still shouting insults through the glass. My arousal spikes again. And we’ve only gone thirty yards.

The Onslaught Continues
We pass another dog across the road, barking, pulling, lunging. You tighten my lead (I feel it), your tone changes (I hear it), and suddenly I’m not sure if that barking dog’s the problem or if I’ve just become one. My cortisol’s now mingling with adrenaline. I’m living in a cocktail of chemistry I didn’t order.

Finally, we reach the park, paradise, right? Wrong. Because freedom for me is tethered to a lead, and freedom for everyone else’s dog apparently isn’t. A bouncy Labrador barrels over. I don’t know if it’s friendly, rude, or somewhere in between. Either way, it’s in my face before I can blink. I try to cope, I really do, but my arousal tank’s overflowing.

So I bark. Maybe I lunge. Maybe I spin, or even nip at the air. You pull me away, maybe frustrated, maybe embarrassed. I hear you sigh. You mutter something about “bloody reactive dogs.” But I’m not being bad, I’m just saturated.

The Crash After the Storm
We head home. You’re cross. I’m confused. On the way, a child runs past. Quick movement, flash of colour, my nervous system fires like a gun again. I snap at the air, a reflex more than a choice. You scold me, but my brain’s already three steps behind my body.

By the time we get home, I’m drained but wired. My system’s overloaded. My muscles ache, my brain’s foggy, and I flop into bed. You think I’m calm again, but really, I’m just exhausted. My body’s still pumping cortisol. It can take days for those stress hormones to fully clear out.

Tomorrow morning, when I wake up, I’ll already start the day a few notches higher on the arousal scale than yesterday. My threshold will be lower. It won’t take much to tip me over again. Maybe a bin lorry. Maybe that same barking dog. Maybe just the energy in your voice.

And so the cycle repeats.

From My Perspective
I’m not trying to be difficult. I’m not broken or naughty. I’m a dog, built to react, to notice, to respond to my world. But my world is noisy, fast, unpredictable, and full of triggers. My arousal system isn’t the enemy, it’s my survival gear. I just need your help to manage it.

How You Can Help Me
Let me decompress. Give me structure, rest, and calm. Don’t rush me into chaos the second I wake up. Don’t mistake motion for enrichment, I don’t need more doing, I need more being. Teach me that quiet is safe, and slow is good.

If you help me bring my arousal down, not by suppressing me, but by teaching me how to cope, you’ll find a calmer, happier, more connected version of me waiting on the other side.

Because under all that noise, energy, and chaos… I’m just trying to be a good dog in a very stimulating world.
www.k9manhuntscotland.co.uk

08/09/2025

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If you’re living/working/dealing with a ‘dog reactive dog’, then there is one absolute CERTAINTY …

That CERTAINTY is that other dog owners don’t care.

Your dog’s problem is not their problem.

They couldn’t give a toss about what ‘stage’ you are at in your training. Their dogs care even less.

The world will does not recognise your ‘thresholds’, much as you wished that it did.

The reality is, the thing you dread happening WILL happen. Repeatedly.

So you (like us) have a choice.

Blame the world, sink into resentment and pity your dog - or get out there and show your dog EXACTLY what is required from them.

What is and what isn’t acceptable and why.

Unfortuantrly, a yellow collar or lead patch saying ‘anxious’ or ‘give me space’ won’t do that for you.

Get help if you need help. But don’t expect the unexpected not to happen, because it absolutely will.

These two off lead dogs came running up, barking at Honey who is being worked through her own aggressive, vocal outbursts.

She’s on lead and under close control but believe me, if the sh*t hit the fan it wouldn’t be the smaller dogs that copped the blame

But because we know that other dogs will rush over whilst their owner whistles to thin air, we’ve got a plan and we’re using them (and dogs like them) to make the plan work.

Much of Honey’s progress has been and will be available on my Skills4Life program.

27/08/2025

Formerly fully booked, our Wednesday lunch time group walk will have space become available from 10th September due to a couple dogs moving outwith our service area ☹️

Space is suitable for a 1 or 2 dog household
Trial walk required for new dogs 🙂

Not sure if your dog is suitable for our group walks?
Give us a message and find out what else we have on offer for your pooch!
Private secure dog field also available…

22/08/2025

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