Vicki Burton - Professional Dog Behavioural Trainer

Vicki Burton - Professional Dog Behavioural Trainer Do No Harm. Nationally Accredited KPA-CTP. Delta IV. VN Certified. Fleurieu Peninsula South Australia

01/09/2025

A polite conversation between approaching dogs often starts before we even notice.

Running head on towards every dog is about as inappropriate as someone running round trying to hug everyone. We need to ask first and respect the response.

Sometimes our dogs need a little help with interactions and what might be socially acceptable. That way we set our dogs up for success as well as practicing respectful dog guardianship.

30/08/2025

What?...Isn't their name enough?
It depends on how you use it, the circumstances and the emotions you have when you use it.
There is nothing better than having a recall that works.
Fantastic!
There is nothing that irks some people more than it not working.

So why would you stop using their name?

Look at how you use their name.

Have we fallen into the trap of expecting them to figure out what we mean....just by saying their name, "differently"?
How many times do you say their name in a day or even an hour.
Are you using their name as a negative....often.
Is it paired with punishment.
Do we have lengthy conversations that has their name sprinkled throughout?
Do we say their name when we are frustrated with them?

The answer to why they are not responding to their name is often clearer than we think.

28/08/2025

I know lots of reactive dogs but many more reactive people.

28/08/2025

They’ve flashed their tum…now what?
Well, that depends.

On a consult, when a dog flops in front of me, pulls their paws in tight, and stares intently....it’s rarely an invite for belly rubs. Quite the opposite for many dogs.

Rolling onto their back exposes their stomach, chest, and throat...areas with no real protection. In dog language, that’s one of the most vulnerable positions they can be in, which is why context and consent matter.

It’s easy to misread, I absolutely appreciate it is.....but we should be sure it’s an invitation before we approach.

When we dismiss a dog’s body language, we make it harder for them to communicate clearly in the future and that’s when misreads start to snowball.
A very slippery slope.

26/08/2025

✅Saying this one loud and clear.
Newly adopted, anxious, struggling in social environments or reactive?
It is absolutely fine to separate them to a less stressful area of the home when your house is crazy busy.
Believe me...they know the home is still chaotic, but the world feels quieter and safer when they’re not thrust into it.

This is not about segregating them and not letting them experience life.
It's about recognising that these socially struggling dogs can't handle this right now.
They need us to place limits on exposure for them.

"But I have a busy household already!"
You probably do, especially if you have children....but right now your dog isn't coping.
We can't just expect them to "get over it" when we don't provide opportunities to reset their nervous system.

If we don't....we really can let our dogs down when they need us the most.

Happy International Dogs Day to all our beautiful canine buddies.Please share a picture of your awesome dogs who share y...
26/08/2025

Happy International Dogs Day to all our beautiful canine buddies.

Please share a picture of your awesome dogs who share your life & also those who are no longer with you, but have been a big part of your life over the years.

Love Vicki and Reuben 🐾🌏🖤

Great bone advice 👌 By Dr Nicole Rous 🐾🍽
25/08/2025

Great bone advice 👌
By Dr Nicole Rous 🐾🍽

25/08/2025

Do you feel the pressure ?
Allowing interactions because others insist it will make your dog "more social"?
It isn't socialisation and it won't make them "friendlier", in fact it can be a very short hop, skip and jump into a whole new world of reactive behaviour.
We can't force interactions.

True social skills come from safe and positive experiences.
Allowing them to read other dogs is a skill they need to develop and that's something we can encourage by allowing them the comfort of watching and observing.

When we let dogs choose if and when to interact, we’re giving them control over their own comfort.
That choice.....it reduces stress, builds confidence, and makes every future interaction more likely to succeed.

Social skills can't and should never be rushed.

Fun Saturday at the Dogs SA Herding State Championship Trial at Murray Bridge 🐑🐑🐑🐕Reuben and I had a great time and we p...
25/08/2025

Fun Saturday at the Dogs SA Herding State Championship Trial at Murray Bridge 🐑🐑🐑🐕

Reuben and I had a great time and we placed 🎉2nd🎉 in both our trials 🐾👌🖤

Many thanks to my #1 favourite boy Reuben 🐾 my #1 fan Matt, the fit trial sheep, everyone involved in running such an awesome State Herding Trial 👌

Congratulations 🎉 to all the Championship winners, your dedication and commitment to your dogs and herding is an inspiration to so many of us 🏆

Vicki & Reuben 🐑🐑🐑🐾🖤

23/08/2025

It happens!….

22/08/2025

Argh 😠 My dog is always barking/chewing/digging in the house!!

Lots of owners complain about dogs doing certain behaviours at home like barking, digging or chewing (and others). But these are all perfectly normal doggy behaviours.

These behaviours are not done out of being deliberately naughty, but are actually due to the dog being bored at home and not having their innate needs met. So many dogs are expected to deal with being home all day without any form of entertainment apart from a single walk, when we, in contrast, can barely go a minute without entertaining ourselves on our phones.

This resorts in what I call going 'self employed’. Because the dog doesn’t have a job or hobby given to them, they find one that is a normal behaviour for dogs, but their human doesn’t like. And, some of these behaviours may be more common in certain breeds, like a terrier digging.

So what can we do about it? 🤔

We can start with having empathy with for dogs. We can switch on the TV, go out, go on our phone, read a book etc. when we are bored, but our dogs rely on us for all forms of entertainment. So, understand they aren’t being naughty and they simply need us to offer them more appropriate stimulation.

What this more appropriate stimulation is will depend on your situation and your dog. For instance, if they are chewing, finding safe appropriate chews for them to have instead. If your dog is bred to do something specific, find an appropriate outlet for that behaviour you can get on board with, like a digging pit for your terrier so they don’t tear up the whole garden. You can also look at other activities you can do together outside the home such as agility, scentwork or trick training.

There may still sometimes be more to your dog’s behaviour, so it is always worth getting a qualified trainer in to ensure we aren’t missing anything more severe. However, there is never any harm in adding more interest and appropriate outlets into your dogs day as a starting point! And you never know, it may solve the issue entirely! 🤩

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Team Kuta & Java to Team Reuben

Since leaving school Vicki has spent her entire working life in the dog world.

Working 8 years in dog boarding kennels caring for young exuberant holiday dogs, which also included a beautiful geriatric ward in the sun room of the business home, especially designed for elderly & anxious boarders.

Studied to become a Certified Veterinary Nurse and enjoyed the next 8 years working at Northfield Veterinary Clinic & Tea Tree Gully Veterinary Hospital. Such an exciting time in my career, working with emergency & critical care patients, assisting in surgery, wound care, infection control, diagnostic testing, administering medications, monitoring anaesthesia alongside a great Veterinarian & Nursing team

Then she took a break to start a family whilst continuing her education whilst pregnant. Always having a special interest in dog behaviour Vicki enrolled with Delta Society Australia & studied to become a Professional Dog Behavioural Trainer Cert IV.