Murph & Me Force-Free Dog Training + Behaviour

28/07/2026

Great read - The socialisation window, such an important period of a dog’s life!

I wonder if people will ever understand the importance of early socialisation?

I've been running my own puppy classes for 16 years and was a puppy class instructor for 10 years prior to that.

Puppy classes used to be the "fun" part of being a behaviourist. We'd get to work with puppies in the socialisation period, where introducing them to new things would be pretty easy. Puppy classes were fun for the puppies and their families. Lots of smiles, lots of laughter, lots of cute moments and the joy of watching pups happily interacting and playing with their own kind.

I'm not saying that every puppy was easy, that there weren't some pups who were shyer and took a while to feel comfortable with new things and others who needed careful management to prevent them being too much for other pups and learning bad habits.

We have always carefully managed interactions and carefully matched puppies for the best outcome. We have always ensured that play was only one aspect of class and plenty of time was spent on building a strong bond between pups and their human parents and developing other skills for healthy emotional and social development. But we have nearly always been able to integrate puppies into some enjoyable play time to develop their canine social skills and meet the very real need for conspecific play which most young dogs have.

Yet this is sadly changing. This year for the first time, I can count on one hand the number of lessons where we have been able to let puppies interact at all off lead. It's not because we don't want to or because the puppies' guardians don't want this - it is because a very large proportion of the puppies we are getting in our classes are unable to interact with their own kind even remotely competently. Instead of outgoing puppies with a natural affinity for their own species, we see:

❗️Fearfulness
❗️Reactivity
❗️Over-arousal
❗️Complete lack of communication skills
❗️Approach-avoidance conflict
❗️Confused body language
❗️Inappropriate behaviours

The average age of puppies when they began classes used to be 9-12 weeks. Sadly, we are now lucky if we get them by the age of 16 weeks. And even then the socialisation period is largely OVER. If these puppies have been out and about with their families, then they are still okay. Unfortunately many have not been anywhere.

Do you know what the most common answer to the question on our enrolment form "how often do you walk your puppy" is?
Sadly, it's "We don't yet - too young" or "Not fully vaccinated". Literally people are still being told by certain vets, breeders and even some rescue organisations that their puppies cannot leave home until they have had not 1, 2 or even 3 vaccinations, but 4 or 5 of them🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️ This means that most puppies will not leave home before they are 5 months of age.

I saw an old clip of Dr Ian Dunbar earlier today where he spoke of the leading cause of death in dogs. It's not Parvo. As he said, viruses like parvo kill a fraction of the amount of dogs that die as a result of behaviour issues.

Why have we gone backwards in this regard? Why are we sabotaging a puppy's only chance at an emotionally and socially healthy life for unrealistic safetyist nonsense? It's not scientific. It's not logical. It's not reasonable.

While we do have a cut-off age for puppy class, I'm getting to a point where I want to insist that all pups begin before 12 weeks . And if you wake up too late, tough. It's not our problem. Because for the one or two pups whose guardians did start early enough, it's not fair for them to be subjected to what ends up being a socially frought environment with the best we can hope for being desensitisation and counter conditioning, as opposed to genuine socialisation.

Puppy classes should not need to be remedial classes. Puppy classes should not be stressful for puppies or people.

I get that many people are adopting puppies these days and they can't help the age the puppy was upon adoption. But in most cases, people have puppies for a month or more before they bother to do anything. And if puppies do end up not being homed timeously, then the rescue organisations need to be actively providing for their socialisation in the meantime. Homing an unsocialised puppy is as bad as homing a puppy they didn't bother to vaccinate. Socialisation is emotional vaccination. And it's even more important for a healthy long life.

This post may seem blunt, but I won't apologise for that. What is happening right now is absolutely catastrophic for so many dogs and their human families. Things need to change.

18/06/2026

NOT ALL LICKS = LOVE

It’s understandable to assume that when a dog licks a person or gives them “kisses”, that it’s an obvious sign of affection.

While licking is certainly associated with affection, social bonding, investigation, excitement, or a positive interaction, it can also serve a very different purpose.

There is a term called "Kiss to Dismiss" - credited to Jennifer Shryock of Family Paws®, who developed it to educate families about dog-child interactions.

She uses it to describe situations where a dog's licking is not affectionate, but is an attempt to create distance, reduce social pressure, or attempt to end an interaction.

It's about a dog trying to navigate an uncomfortable social situation in a polite way without having to resort to stronger forms of communication.

Context matters, the situation matters, body language matters!

A relaxed dog with soft eyes, loose muscles, a wiggly body, and voluntary engagement is sending a very different message to a dog that is showing the body language of stress when feeling trapped or restrained by an interaction.

It’s so important to notice and respond to a dog’s subtle communication to prevent a situation from escalating.

Not all licks mean love, some licks mean - please leave me alone.

24/05/2026

My Murph 2014–2026 🌈🤍🕊️

Yesterday I had to say goodbye to my best friend, my soul dog, my sweet boy and it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.

Murph was truly the gentlest soul with the kindest heart. No matter what life put in front of him he faced it with quiet strength and grace.🤍

My heart is broken overwhelmed with sadness but underneath all of the pain I feel so grateful. Grateful that I got to love a dog like Murph. Grateful that he chose me to be his person and best friend. Some people spend their whole lives searching for a love this pure and I was lucky enough to hold it every single day.🤍

He was never just a dog to me. He was family. He was home. He was my son.

My old boy would have turned 12 in two months and I truly believe he may even have been older. We had been managing a few medical conditions together for some time and from the bottom of my heart I know I did everything I possibly could for him. I fought for my boy every single day because he deserved that kind of love. But sometimes the greatest act of love is letting them rest and that’s what I did. He didn’t have to fight anymore. 🌈🕊️

Yesterday I held my Murph closely in my arms, two hearts beating in synchronicity as he took his last breath. He was at home wrapped in his favourite blanket surrounded by love and family. There was no fear. No stress. Just warmth peace and comfort. 🤍 As painful as it was I gave him the honour he deserved.

Murph will always be my rock and my greatest teacher. He showed me what unconditional love looks like and I know a part of my soul will always belong to him.

Murph was and is my inspiration for Murph & Me, he’s the reason I get to do what I love. I promise to carry your love & legacy with me in everything I do and to continue helping dogs in your honour my beautiful boy. 🤍

Thank you for loving me the way you did. Thank you for being my safe place my home and my best friend.

You are free now my Mooz. Chase the stars and sunshine forever knowing you will always have my whole heart. Mom loves you so much.

I love you endlessly my Murphy, our souls will find one another again. I’m sure of it. 🤍🌈🕊️

15/05/2026

What does your dog enjoy doing? 😊🤍

What’s your dog’s “thing”?
Because it might not be the $70 enrichment toy sitting untouched in the corner.

Enrichment has become a massive buzz word lately.
Every second product promises mental stimulation, calmness and fulfilment.

But real enrichment?
It’s much simpler .

Some dogs would choose shredding cardboard over a puzzle toy every single time.
Some want to sniff every blade of grass.
Some thrive on running, jumping and movement.
Some love chewing and licking.
Some enjoy solving problems.
Some just want to quietly watch the world go by.

That’s the bit we can miss.

We start choosing enrichment based on trends, marketing or what other dogs enjoy instead of observing our own dogs and what brings them joy.

A dog walking away from a puzzle toy is not “failing enrichment”.
They may simply be telling you
“This isn’t my thing.”

So what is?💭

06/05/2026

05/05/2026

If you take it away, what have you got?

We have this weird relationship with “sit”.
It’s become an “everything” request and if we have to rely on it so much, we’re missing the point.

What if, instead of a sit when they’re frustrated, we worked on the frustration? Actually work on the issue rather than repeatedly asking for a sit when clearly they are struggling in that moment.

Can we please just have a dog standing beside us or having a sniff on the grass when we stop to chat to someone, rather than insist on sitting?

This next one may sting a bit, but do we need to constantly insist on a sit to prove we have some sort of “control” over our dogs?

Sit is just a position. Not a solution
It’s often the first thing taught and relatively easy to do.
So we use it and boy do we over use it.

I often see rehoming posts for young dogs, in that difficult “teenage” phase. Heavy commissure grin in the photos and then the description.
“He loves running in his yard, comes with his bed and bowl and knows sit”.

What if we concentrated on engagement before we taught a sit.
Could we work on settling skills first?
Maybe checking in?

Imagine the possibilities if we delegated it to be taught further down the road.

Imagine if sit wasn’t first.

04/05/2026

This Predatory Motor Patterns infographic is in my book and I've received several requests to make this chart available as a download/poster.

NOTES here: https://doggiedrawings.net/blogs/whats-new/new-free-download-predatory-motor-patterns

DOWNLOAD for free here: https://doggiedrawings.net/products/predatory-motor-patterns

Edit to add: What was the [breed] traditionally bred to do? Buy my book :) http://doggiedrawings.net/pages/dogs-of-the-world-book

23/04/2026

⚡️DOGS IN PAIN STILL RUN, PLAY, AND KEEP GOING⚡️

Not a week goes by without a client saying:

“But my dog can’t be in pain—they still…”
• Play ball
• Go for walks
• Do agility
• Run and play with the grandchildren
• Compete in sports
• Jump on the sofa
• Chase squirrels
• Act ‘normally’

…and this is one of the biggest misconceptions we see in canine rehabilitation.

🐾 Dogs in chronic pain often continue to perform normal activities

Unlike humans, dogs are incredibly stoic. Pain behaviours are often subtle, gradual, and easily dismissed as “just getting older” or “slowing down.”

Many dogs with musculoskeletal pain, osteoarthritis, compensatory strain, or soft tissue dysfunction will still run, play, and remain active—because movement is instinctive, routine, and often driven by adrenaline, excitement, or habit.

They do not always cry, whimper, or limp.

In fact, by the time obvious lameness appears, pain may have been present for weeks, months, or even years.

🔬 Common subtle signs of pain include:
• Slower to rise after rest
• Reluctance to jump into the car
• Hesitation on stairs
• Reduced stamina on walks
• Behavioural changes or irritability
• Changes in posture or weight shifting
• Licking joints or limbs
• Difficulty settling comfortably
• Reduced performance in sport or exercise
• “Good days and bad days”

Pain is not always loud. Often, it is silent compensation.

Early recognition matters—because chronic pain changes movement patterns, increases compensatory strain, and can significantly affect long-term mobility and quality of life.

As therapists, our job is not just to treat pain—but to help owners recognise it.

Because “they’re still playing” does not always mean “they’re pain free.”