Dogs Decoded Simply

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Dogs Decoded Simply

🐶 Professional Dog Behaviour and Training Support
🧠 Force free and science based methods
📍Online

01/06/2026

From chasing a runaway Dalmatian in my 20s to learning about how a dog’s mind truly works, (through science and psychology), in my 40s: this is my story of how I became a professional dog trainer.

My biggest lesson? Experience alone doesn’t make you a great dog trainer. Understanding them does.

Thank you for reading my story.

30/05/2026

One year ago today, at this hour, I lost her. … in my arms, holding her, as they put the needle inside her. I saw her breathing less and less and felt her heart slowly slowing down then eventually stopping.
Second time I cried this hard in my life, even though she was only with me for the last 7 months of her life. I just really hope she felt loved and adored during that 7 months.

Rest in peace my little one, I miss you.

28/05/2026

Working as a volunteer for a breeder taught me more about puppies than any course ever could.

From the weaning process to littermate play, fights, competitions for Mum’s t**s, Mums ways of handling the bites and “arguments”c or the way she cleans them, and real-time problem solving; this is where my knowledge of puppy development was truly built.

If you’re welcoming a puppy into your home, understanding those early weeks is everything. It shapes their behaviour, their confidence, their personalities and how they settle into life with you.

Follow for honest, experience-based advice on puppy development, early learning, and setting your puppy up for the best start.

27/05/2026

This is what it looks like from your dog’s point of view.

A hand. Coming from above. Straight for the head. No warning. No consent. Just reach.

Now imagine that happening multiple times a day from strangers. Children. People in the street who mean well but don’t ask first.

I do not let strangers stroke the dogs I work with. EVER.
Not because they’re dangerous. Because they deserve the choice.

Every time you let someone rush your dog — you’re teaching them that their discomfort doesn’t matter. That they have no say. That the only option is to tolerate it.

Or snap. Because nobody listened to their smaller signals.

Start advocating for your dog. “He’d rather not be stroked thanks”. Simple.

Save this and share it with someone who needs to see it

26/05/2026

Your dog eating weird stuff off the ground is not bad behavior. It is 40,000 years of evolution.

Dogs didn’t become our companions because they were cute. The most accepted scientific theory of dog domestication is called the “self-domestication hypothesis”. Bold wolves began hanging around early human settlements, (close to the fire for its warmth), feeding on food waste and scraps. The least fearful ones survived and reproduced, passing down lower cortisol levels and a higher tolerance for human proximity.

But here’s where it gets fascinating! Scientists discovered that domestic dogs carry mutations in genes called GTF2I and GTF2IRD1 — the exact same genes associated with hypersociability in humans with Williams-Beuren syndrome. Researchers call this the “friendly gene.” Dogs didn’t just adapt to tolerate humans. They evolved, at a genetic level, to be drawn toward us.

On top of that, dogs developed extra copies of the AMY2B gene, allowing them to digest starch far more efficiently than wolves : direct evidence they co-evolved eating human food scraps over thousands of generations.

The scavenging instinct never left. It explains why your dog gets into the trash, eats grass or random things on walks, and treats every meal like it might be the last one. Understanding the science behind the behaviour is the first step to working with your dog’s instincts instead of against them.

What is the wildest thing your dog has eaten? Tell me below.

Mine has eaten a whole chicken drumstick once 🍗🤦🏻‍♀️

26/05/2026

Most people skip this step and that’s why the training is not working.

Before you can change a behaviour, you need to know why it’s happening, what’s the emotion driving it. It’s called a “reinforcement assessment”. In other words: what is the emotion that is reinforcing the behaviour: it’s one of the most important things I do with every reactive, anxious, leash-pulling, excessive barking dog or dog that just won’t listen.

Is the behaviour coming from fear? Excitement? Pain? Frustration? A leash reactive dog and an overexcited dog might look the same on the outside , but they need completely different approaches. Getting it wrong can make things worse.

This is the foundation of how I work with dogs showing aggression, reactivity, or any other problem behaviours. You can’t out-train an emotions, you need to change them.

If you are not sure how to do a reinforcement assessment, send me a DM and I’ll help you. And your dog.

25/05/2026

DOG EYES CAN TELL YOU A LOT

This is part 1 of my 4-week dog health series where I’ll be covering some of the most common — and most overlooked — signs pet owners should watch for.

This week: EYES
Next week: PAWS
Then: EARS
Then: ?

From cloudy eyes to redness, discharge, squinting, and excessive watering, small changes can sometimes point to bigger issues underneath.

I’m not a vet. This is purely educational content to help dog owners notice potential warning signs earlier and know when it may be worth getting professional advice.

Save this for later and share with another dog owner

24/05/2026

It is getting hot this weekend. 33 in Madrid, 28 in London this weekend. Pavement temperature check is crucial before you go out for a walk with your dog: do this every single time before you walk your dog in summer.

The rule is simple. If you can’t hold your hand flat on the pavement for 15-30 seconds — your dog should not be walking on it.

Dog paws are not protected from heat. Asphalt absorbs and holds temperature long after the sun moves. On a 25°C day the ground can reach over 50°C. That’s burn territory.

By the time your dog shows signs of discomfort like limping, licking paws, refusing to walk — the damage is already done.

30 seconds before every summer walk. Hand flat on the ground.

23/05/2026

Do you always like to be touched? No, dogs either!
You can actually ask for dog’s consent to see if they want to be touched or not.

Most people reach straight for a dog’s head. The dog leans away. The hand follows. That’s not a greeting — that’s a dog saying no and being ignored.

This is the consent check. Hand out, low and still. Wait for 3 seconds. Let the dog come to you. If they move toward you — they’re saying yes. If they look away, lean back, or freeze — they’re saying no. And that no deserves to be respected.

Teaching your dog that their choice matters builds trust faster than any command ever will. A dog that feels safe saying no is a dog that will always choose yes.

Try this with every dog you meet — yours included.

Save this and share it with every dog owner you know.

22/05/2026

Reactive dog training before/after videos trainer wearing the same clothes and is in the same environment…. you still believe reactivity can be resolved in 30 seconds?

Not overnight. Not after one session. Not even a few weeks.

But many weeks, sometimes even months. Weeks and months of showing up, not giving up at set-backs, going slow, and trusting the process.

Reactivity isn’t aggression. It’s a dog that’s overwhelmed by the world and hasn’t learned yet that they’re safe. That takes time.

Slow progress with a reactive dog is still progress. A dog that used to explode at 50 metres and now walks past calmly at 10 metres — that’s enormous. Even if it doesn’t look like much to anyone else.

If you’re in the middle of reactive dog training right now and need guidance, comment “NOW” and I’ll send you my FREE reactivity rescue guide.

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