Willo's Doggy Sitting

06/09/2026

Beautiful sunny evening walk with Lola, Chico & Rufus

06/09/2026

To all the Dog Dad's,
HAPPY PAWTHER'S DAY.

06/09/2026

All our client's dogs are my best friends

03/09/2026

➡️ Why Puppies Go Wild at Night

There’s a point in the evening when your adorable puppy seems to suddenly forget every lesson they’ve ever learned.

The zoomies begin. Teeth appear. Toys are thrown around. Feet become fascinating. They race around the room, bark, grab at clothing and generally behave as though someone has pressed the “chaos” button.

And you’re left wondering …

“What happened to my lovely puppy?”

Probably nothing.

What you’re seeing is often the result of a puppy reaching the end of their ability to cope with the stimulation of the day.

🧠 A puppy’s day is exhausting in ways we sometimes overlook.

Every new person, sound, smell, surface, training session, car trip, game, visitor and experience requires their developing brain to process information.

They are also growing rapidly and need a huge amount of sleep.

As the day progresses, fatigue can make it harder for a young puppy to regulate arousal and control their impulses. Instead of quietly thinking, “I’m tired, I’ll go to bed,” they may become MORE active.

That can look like zooming, biting, barking, jumping, grabbing and generally going a little wild.

It doesn’t necessarily mean your puppy needs more exercise.

Sometimes they need less.

➡️ What can you do?

🌙 Start winding down before the chaos begins.

If you know your puppy usually becomes unsettled at a particular time, don't wait until they are already racing around the house. Begin reducing stimulation beforehand.

🧸 Choose calming activities.

A safe chew, stuffed food toy, licking activity or gentle sniffing game can provide an appropriate outlet without adding lots of excitement.

😴 Make sleep easier.

Create a predictable environment where your puppy can rest without constant interaction. Puppies don't always choose sleep when they need it, particularly when there is still something interesting happening around them.

🔇 Reduce the input.

Lower the noise, put away exciting toys, limit boisterous play and give your puppy some downtime.

And perhaps most importantly …

🚫 Don't assume the answer is to “tire them out”.

Adding more exercise or exciting play to an already over-aroused puppy can simply keep the nervous system switched on for longer.

Instead, think about the balance between activity and recovery throughout the entire day.

Has your puppy had enough sleep?

Have they had periods of quiet?

Have they experienced a lot of novelty?

Have there been visitors, outings, training, play and other stimulating experiences?

All of these things add to the puppy's overall arousal load.

💚 Learning to recognise this pattern is an important part of raising a puppy.

Your puppy isn't being naughty. They aren't deliberately ignoring you. And they aren't trying to make your evening difficult.

They're a young animal with a rapidly developing brain who is still learning how to regulate arousal, cope with stimulation and transition from activity to rest.

Sometimes the most helpful thing you can give an overexcited puppy isn't another activity.

It's permission to switch off.

And that is a skill we can help them learn.

Donna Williams,
Emerald Park Border Collies.
www.emeraldparkbc.com

03/09/2026

03/09/2026

Fursday's fun day with Lola, Chico & Rufus welcoming Rodie and Benji for the Pawsitive Playdates.
Luckily the rain held off for a romp at the park.
Puppacinos for morning tea and some ball, sand patch digging play. Wandering the yard areas.
Lola love the Hobbit like sandpit.
Next few days are quieter.

03/09/2026

Mental Health Is Part of Dog First Aid Too

An emergency can affect more than the body. Fear, pain, noise and unfamiliar handling can overwhelm a dog—while panic, guilt and helplessness can overwhelm the person trying to help.

During an emergency:
• Make the area safe and reduce unnecessary noise
• Approach calmly and avoid crowding the dog
• Speak softly and move slowly
• Avoid unnecessary handling or restraint
• Give the dog space unless immediate first aid is required
• Contact a veterinarian for guidance and professional care

Afterwards, watch for changes in your dog’s behaviour, appetite, sleep or willingness to interact. Significant or ongoing changes deserve veterinary attention.

And remember to check on yourself too. A frightening incident involving a beloved dog can leave owners and responders feeling shaken. Talk about what happened, accept support and seek professional help if those feelings are not settling.

Your calm does not need to be perfect—it only needs to help you take the next safe step.

First aid is not just what we do with our hands. It is also the safety, patience and reassurance we bring to the moment. 💙💛

Learn practical dog first aid skills at www.dogfirstaid.com.au

03/09/2026

🧠🦠 Epilepsy, the Gut & the Brain: An Unexpected Connection

When we think about epilepsy, we naturally think about the brain.

After all, an epileptic seizure is caused by abnormal, excessive and synchronised electrical activity within the brain.

But increasingly, researchers are asking a fascinating question:

Could the gut also play a role in neurological health and seizure susceptibility?

The answer isn't as simple as saying that epilepsy "starts in the gut". It doesn't.

But emerging research suggests that there is a complex two way communication system between the gastrointestinal tract and the brain known as the microbiota gut brain axis.

And our gut microbes may be one of the important pieces of that puzzle.

The intestinal microbiome isn't simply a collection of bacteria helping us digest food. These microorganisms produce metabolites and other signalling molecules that can interact with the immune system, nervous system and metabolism.

Some of these compounds can influence brain function.

Among them are short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), neurotransmitter related compounds and metabolites involved in pathways such as tryptophan and serotonin metabolism.

There are also neural and immune pathways connecting the gut and brain, including communication involving the vagus nerve and inflammatory signalling.

So what does this have to do with epilepsy?

Several studies in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy have found differences in their gut microbiota compared with healthy dogs.

A 2025 study of drug naive dogs with idiopathic epilepsy found reduced bacterial richness and reductions in several bacteria associated with short chain fatty acid production, including Faecalibacterium, Prevotella and Blautia. It also found increases in organisms including Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens.

Another study published in 2025 looked beyond which bacteria were present and examined the metabolites being produced. In dogs with drug resistant epilepsy, researchers found alterations including increased faecal histamine and Escherichia-Shigella, which were associated with a more pro inflammatory metabolic profile. Interestingly, dogs with a milder epilepsy phenotype showed a different pattern, including increases in serotonin and Blautia hominis.

Earlier research has also identified reductions in bacterial groups associated with the production of SCFAs and GABA, an important inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain.

But here's where we need to be careful.

Association does not prove causation.

We don't yet know whether changes in the gut microbiome contribute to epilepsy, whether epilepsy itself alters the gut microbiome, or whether both are influenced by other factors.

And the newest research makes this uncertainty particularly important.

A 2026 study involving 98 dogs found a statistically significant but relatively modest difference in gut microbial communities between dogs with idiopathic epilepsy and healthy controls. The researchers found that household had a much larger influence on microbiome composition than epilepsy, accounting for approximately 69% of the variation. Their conclusion was that a relationship exists, but the underlying mechanism still needs to be established.

That's actually what makes this field so interesting.

Researchers aren't simply asking whether epileptic dogs have different bacteria.

They're beginning to investigate what those bacteria are doing.

What are they producing?

How might those metabolites influence inflammation?

Could they affect neurotransmitter pathways?

Could changes in intestinal signalling influence neuronal excitability?

And could modifying the microbiome eventually become one component of epilepsy management?

We're not there yet.

A 2025 clinical study investigating canine derived Lactobacillus supplementation reported reductions in seizure frequency and seizure days in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy. However, the improvement could not simply be explained by an increase in Lactobacillus or plasma GABA, demonstrating just how complex these interactions are. The researchers described the approach as promising rather than an established treatment.

So, should we start giving epileptic dogs probiotics?

Not on the basis of these studies alone.

Should we be interested in gut health as part of the bigger picture of canine health?

Absolutely.

The emerging science doesn't tell us that epilepsy is a "gut disease".

It tells us something much more interesting.

The brain doesn't operate in isolation.

The gut, its microbial inhabitants, the immune system, metabolism and the nervous system are all communicating with one another.

We're only beginning to understand what those conversations mean.

And perhaps one day, understanding the microbiota gut brain axis will help researchers develop additional ways of supporting dogs living with epilepsy.

For now, the most scientifically honest position is also the most exciting one:

We don't have all the answers yet. But we're beginning to uncover another piece of the puzzle. 🧠🦠

Donna Williams,
Emerald Park Border Collies.
www.emeraldparkbc.com

My mission is to improve the life of at least one dog today!

02/09/2026

You're trying but getting nowhere fast.
Reactivity. It gets attention.

Everything else?
Not so much.

Does that matter?
Absolutely it does.

You can be fighting a losing battle day in, day out if the "whole" isn't looked at.

Whether we want to see that bigger picture, that's another thing altogether.
Because it can be deeply uncomfortable to audit their life and our life with them.

And often we can't see that bigger picture because we're simply too close to it.

We think something doesn't matter.
That it has nothing to do with "the issue".
But it can absolutely fuel it.

Sometimes the things we dismiss are the very things that need to be addressed.

Training?
That's one part of working with a reactive dog.

Everything else?
Everything plays a part in a dog's life.

How can it not?

If the children are so active in your home that they're constantly turning your dog's "on switch"?
That matters.

If there is arguing and tension inside the home?
That matters.

If your dog spends every afternoon highly alert, watching the world go past the window?
That matters.

If there's tension between the dogs in the home that never quite becomes a fight, so it's dismissed as nothing?
It absolutely matters.
It all matters.

None of these things means we've suddenly found "the cause".
There won't necessarily be a "eureka" moment here.

But imagine trying to teach a dog to cope better with one difficult part of their life while ignoring all the other things making that life harder.

Maybe, just maybe, we are looking in all the wrong places for a solution.

02/09/2026

Cute little Monty came for a Pawsitive Playdate for the morning sporting a new hair cut, looking very handsome.
A gentle group today enjoyed sniffing around and the boys were busy marking anything they could. Miss Lola played in the sand box whilst Chico, Rufus and Monty roamed the jungle walk also the yard finding something to aim on 🤣.
Look at the 4 cutie-talooties.