Fundog Behaviour and Training

10/11/2025

Research tells us that chronic pain cannot be effectively assessed in a clinic. This isn’t due to lack of skill or care on the part of veterinarians, but because the context itself makes it nearly impossible.

1. Pain behaviour changes depending on where the animal is and how they feel about that place. A vet clinic is unfamiliar, noisy, and filled with smells. Most dogs experience stress or fear there which can suppress outward signs of pain.

2. When dogs are stressed, adrenaline and cortisol rise. These hormones dampen pain perception, allowing the dog to appear “normal” even when they are not. It’s very common for a dog who limps at home to walk almost soundly in the clinic.

3. A vet consultation usually lasts 20 minutes. Chronic pain, however, is a condition of patterns, subtle changes in posture, behaviour, mobility, sleep, and mood over time.

4. Dogs are often held for examination. Even gentle handling can cause them to freeze or shut down. A dog that is tense or compliant under restraint may appear cooperative but is actually suppressing communication.

5. Clinic floors are typically slippery, and rooms are small. Dogs who are cautious about movement, weight-shifting, or joint pain will move differently in this setting not because they are pain-free, but because they are trying not to slip.

6. Dogs rarely yelp in chronic pain. Yelping is an acute pain response, a reflex to sudden, unexpected pain. Chronic pain is different. It develops slowly, often affecting multiple systems. Dogs adapt by changing how they move, sleep, interact, or express emotion. They may become quieter, withdrawn, restless, irritable, or reactive. Chronic pain alters the nervous system gradually, and because it becomes the “new normal,” dogs stop signalling it in obvious ways.

8. The most accurate information about chronic pain comes from a dogs behaviour, reluctance to jump, shorter walks, altered posture, increased irritability, licking or chewing at body parts, or changes in sleep and play.

Stress, restraint and environment all interfere with true pain expression. Defensive behaviour often reflects discomfort, and the absence of yelping does not mean absence of pain.

01/11/2025

New website up and running 🤩

31/10/2025

"Every training session is a chance to grow - for both ends of the leash"

11/10/2025

If you own a dog, you should listen to this

Podcast Episode · The Bitey End of the Dog · 22/09/2025 · 1h 4m

28/09/2025

Spaniel owners …IYKYK

19/09/2025

This 👇. Sometimes it seems we are trying to fit square pegs into round holes

We throw the word “reactivity” around way too easily.
Bark at a dog? Reactivity.
Lunge at a jogger? Reactivity.
Spin on the lead? Reactivity.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth — most of the time, what we’re calling “reactivity” is just… a dog being a dog.

Take Aslan, the Australian Shepherd currently staying with me. On paper, he’s a conformation-bred Aussie — a show dog, bred for looks. But Aslan is a walking contradiction. He’s aloof with strangers, fiercely loyal to his people, has chase drive for days, is highly food motivated, and shows a level of protectiveness that is classic Aussie. He’s not just a pretty face — he’s got the heart and soul of a working dog.

And here’s where it gets interesting: the very traits that make him who he is are also what people would label “reactivity.” He’s hyper-aware of his personal space, and if someone barges in uninvited, he lets them know. He’s alert, he’s responsive, and he takes his role seriously. To the untrained eye, he might look like a “problem dog.” To me? He’s exactly what he was bred to be.

It’s also worth saying that Aslan’s owners have gone above and beyond to understand this dog. They’ve worked tirelessly to meet his needs, to provide training, outlets, and structure. They’ve even gone to great lengths to investigate underlying health issues — things that could have been adding fuel to the fire of his reactivity. This isn’t a case of a neglected or misunderstood dog. This is a dog whose humans are doing the work — and he’s still a dog with big feelings, big instincts, and big needs.

The reality is, we’ve deliberately selected dogs over generations to show us very different traits. Anyone who has owned both a working-bred dog and a conformation- or pet-bred dog will tell you they think, behave, and operate differently. And sometimes, the lines blur — you get a show-bred dog who carries all the intensity and drive of a working-bred one, or a working-bred dog who has a softer, more easygoing temperament you might expect in a show line. These “outliers” can be challenging for owners because they don’t fit the expectations that usually come with their type — but that’s exactly why understanding the individual dog in front of you matters more than anything.

We have to stop acting like barking, lunging, and growling are moral failings or behavioural disorders. Generations of breeding have shaped dogs into what they are today. And we — humans — did that. We decided what traits mattered: appearance for the show ring, drive for the field, guarding instinct for our property or our homes. Then we get mad when those traits show up in a way that’s inconvenient for us.

A high-drive, working-bred dog stuck in a city flat, under-exercised and under-stimulated, is going to “react.” A show-bred dog pushed into endless social situations they find overwhelming is going to “react.” This isn’t broken behaviour — it’s predictable behaviour.

Instead of slapping the label “reactive” on every dog that expresses a big emotion, we need to ask ourselves:
🔍 What did we breed this dog for?
🔍 Are we giving them a job or outlet for their drives?
🔍 How are we contributing to this situation?

Aslan isn’t a teddy bear. He’s a dog with purpose, and when you meet him where he’s at, he shines. The problem isn’t him — it’s the expectation that he should ignore his genetics, suppress his instincts, and behave like a robot.

“Reactivity” isn’t a disease to cure. It’s feedback. It’s communication. It’s information about the dog in front of you. And it’s time we stopped blaming dogs for doing exactly what we bred them to do.

17/09/2025

04/09/2025

Love this! The same applies to dogs 🐾

🤷‍♀️ Every time I see the phrase “pain has been ruled out” in reference to a horse and their behaviour, it really makes me stop and think!

As someone who lives with chronic pain myself, I honestly know first hand that even after endless tests, scans and investigations through the NHS, my aches, inflammation and those silent pains often remain unexplained. Just because nothing shows up on a scan doesn’t mean I’m pain free.

So why should it be any different for our horses? 🐎

Pain doesn’t always fit neatly into a diagnostic box. It shifts, it hides, it changes day to day. One moment it’s tolerable, the next it’s overwhelming. Our horses, just like us, can carry discomfort that isn’t always obvious or easily “ruled out.”

Every day is a new day. Every day brings a new feeling. And sometimes, the kindest thing we can do is to acknowledge that, rather than assuming pain is off the table 🙏

Picture: My ex-racehorse Minty who I have to listen to daily! His needs change sometimes on a weekly or even daily basis, I am learning to hear what he tells me more each day ❤️
www.woldsequinemassage.co.uk

01/09/2025

Strength and proprioception training today. As my boys get older it’s even more important to look after their physical health and keep them in the best shape possible