Equinine Behavioural Practice

29/10/2025

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27/10/2025

Your dog’s not being a menace - they’re just bored with vibes 🐶💥 Give that energy a legal outlet or your furniture’s gonna pay the price 🛋️😬

25/10/2025

23/10/2025

How many reasons?
Countless may be a stretch (see what I did there😃) but yawning is not a simple subject.
So when does your dog show this?
Just before a walk?
That could be for a few reasons. Perhaps anticipating the good walk they will have with you, or maybe feeling frustrated that the leash is about to be attached and they can't move as freely as they would like.

Did you just yawn?
Dogs can mirror our yawns.
Not all dogs will do this, but some certainly do.

Feeling unsure or conflicted? That stress and anxiety creeping up?
It can be a calming signal when they're uncertain what is happening or perhaps they are in a situation they don't feel comfortable in.

Of course, just like us, they can be tired.

What we have to be cautious of is reading a yawn as just that, tiredness.
That limits all other reasons for this powerful communication signal and if you really want to start to understand your dog some more, a yawn is a great signal to decipher.

23/10/2025

DON’T FORCE ME TO BE SOCIAL!

It may be really disappointing or frustrating when our dogs are not the social beings we expected them to be.

Many people assume dogs should just naturally get along with other dogs, after all they’re the same species.

Some believe the “unsociable” dog has a behaviour problem that needs to be “fixed”.

Early, appropriately timed and proper socialisation is really important, but sometimes despite all of this, some dogs are just not that sociable or socially selective to varying degrees.

Sometimes this can be improved, especially if the cause is from a negative experience, but genetics, breed tendencies, individual personalities, health and age all contribute to tolerance and sociability, which also change throughout a dog’s lifetime.

If we, as a human species, don’t get along with everyone we meet, how can we expect our dogs to?

Do we label or try to fix every person that has an argument; doesn’t make friends with everyone they meet, dislikes some people, or just prefers not to be social as having a problem that needs to be fixed?

Why is it so easy to accept that every individual person is different than to accept that every individual dog is different?

When we have done what we can to improve our dogs’ social skills, we need to accept and acknowledge our dogs for the individuals they are, allow and respect their choice of whether to be sociable or not and never force interactions that dogs are not comfortable with.

23/10/2025

Baie geluk Le Roux. Amptelik gegradueer van puppy klas. Always fun at school......🐶

21/10/2025

BRAIN UNDER CONSTRUCTION
The challenges of the teenage dog.

There’s a saying that most parents of teenagers can relate to - "Parents of teenagers understand why some animals eat their young!"

The changes that happen in the brain of a teenage dog are not that different to a human teenager.

The brain undergoes a period of "pruning" and "re-wiring". This process can cause some parts not to work, work sporadically or work too much.

To describe it in the simplest of terms -the prefrontal cortex of a teenage brain is at the “back of the queue” in this process. It’s still “under construction” and still developing. This area of the brain is responsible for making “logical” decisions, controlling impulses, learning, remembering, problem solving and social interaction.

Because the prefrontal cortex is being reconstructed, the brain relies more on a part called the amygdala to make choices and react.
The amygdala is involved in the “big feelings” we may see - emotional responses like fight or flight, anxiety, excitement, reactivity, impulse control and instinctive behaviour.

Being aware of the physical changes the teenage brain is going through in the process of maturing, helps us to be more understanding and accepting.

Statistics show that many dogs are surrendered or re homed during the teenage stage as their owners no longer “like” the way their dog behaves, can’t handle them or just give up on them.

Please don’t give up on your teenage dog. We need to manage our expectations and frustrations during this phase.

Understand and acknowledge what is happening in their brain. Help them through this stage with patience, consistency, love and acceptance.

20/10/2025

🐾 𝗘𝗹𝗯𝗼𝘄 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗮 𝗶𝗻 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀🐾

Elbow dysplasia is a multifactorial condition influenced by genetics, injury, and developmental factors—responsible breeders consider all of these when making pairing decisions.

Elbow dysplasia (ED) is a complex orthopedic condition affecting the elbow joint, commonly seen in medium to large dog breeds. It encompasses several developmental abnormalities, including fragmented medial coronoid process (FCP), osteochondritis dissecans (OCD), and ununited anconeal process (UAP), which can lead to pain, lameness, and long-term osteoarthritis.

🧬 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀: 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗣𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝘂𝘇𝘇𝗹𝗲
- Genetic predisposition plays a role in ED, but heritability varies significantly across breeds—from as low as 0.01 to as high as 0.36.
- Studies show that both sire and dam contribute equally to elbow health outcomes, but the risk increases when one or both parents are affected.
- Importantly, genetic correlation between left and right elbows is high, suggesting symmetrical disease is more likely to be inherited, while unilateral cases may be less genetically driven.

🐾 𝗜𝗻𝗷𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀
- Not all elbow abnormalities are inherited. Trauma, overexertion during growth, or poor nutrition can contribute to joint damage.
- Unilateral elbow dysplasia, especially when not mirrored in the opposite limb, may indicate an injury-related cause rather than a genetic one.
- This nuance is critical when interpreting elbow grading results—especially in dogs with active lifestyles or those exposed to uneven physical stress.

🧠 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀
Reputable breeders do not rely solely on elbow scores. They assess:
--- Line history: patterns of joint health across generations.
--- Pedigree depth: looking beyond parents to siblings, offspring, and extended relatives.
--- Pairing strategy: avoiding doubling up on risk factors and balancing strengths and weaknesses.
--- Contextual grading interpretation: considering whether a mild or unilateral grade could stem from injury rather than inherited disease.

✅ 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀
- Breeders committed to long-term health use phenotypic screening, estimated breeding values (EBVs), and breed-specific data to guide decisions.
- They also educate puppy buyers about joint care, appropriate exercise, and nutrition, which can significantly influence outcomes even in genetically sound dogs.

20/10/2025

👀Often the first sign.
This subtle "no" is easy to miss but important to understand.
Reading the "small stuff" helps us all.

Looking away is part of a dogs language and it can be a polite way to diffuse tension or show they mean no harm. It’s part of how they may communicate peace and avoid conflict.

Some common reasons they do this include

They’re uncomfortable or unsure about a situation or another dog.

They’re trying to calm themselves or the other dog down.

They want to avoid confrontation or pressure.

They’re overstimulated and need a moment to process.

They may need more time to assess.

This "tiny" gaze shift needs respected.
If it's not, then that's when they may feel they have to escalate.
If you notice this around you, try to give them more space and perhaps avert your eyes too.
Let them process what they need to while you do the same.

15/10/2025