Calming Canines

31/10/2026

This family of crows often join us on our walks, as well as in the back garden when we do treat scatters!
Crows can distinguish individual faces and these certainly remember who feeds them (not just me!) so I don't worry that they'll think all dogs are safe just because they're safe around mine.

29/10/2026

Some great tips for Halloween

HAPPY HOWLOWEEN!

A few last minute tips to help keep everyone feeling safe:

🎃 Door Safety

If your dog is worried by strangers or likely to be spooked by costumes or any unusual behaviour, make sure that he is in his safe space and out of ear-shot before opening the door. Use tv or radio, white, pink or brown noise, household appliances etc to mask sounds, and draw curtains and blinds to block any visual triggers.

For the more happy-go-lucky, sociable dogs, being on a lead or behind a safety gate/room divider before opening the door is an extra layer of safety.

🎃 The Doorbell or Door Knocking

If your dog is triggered by the doorbell, tape over it or disable it, or you can download or make a poster to put up, asking people not to knock or ring. To help with this, you could either put out some goodies so that children can help themselves without having to knock, or you could hang out at the front of your property with some treats, ready to head them off.

If you prefer people not to approach your property at all, switching the outside lights off and drawing the curtains/blinds should do the trick, and perhaps a polite "do not disturb" sign or a "nervous pets live here" poster at the boundary.

🎃 Treats

Be careful to place treats out of the reach of howloween hounds - many halloween goodies could pose a risk, such as chocolate, and any products containing xylitol.

🎃 Avoiding Ghoulies and Ghosties

Time walks carefully to avoid any unpleasant encounters, or give walks a miss and enjoy some enrichment and a bit of fun training together at home.

🎃 Consider Any Dressing Up Choices Carefully

Many dogs will find wearing costumes stressful, restrictive, or hot. Please be considerate if you do intend for your dog to join in the dressing up, and perhaps opt for something like a simple lightweight, non-restrictive themed bandana.

Enjoy, and have a safe one!

©️ Trailie Paws For Thought
www.trailiepawsforthought.com

Fab cartoon from the wonderful Scott Metzger Cartoons

29/10/2026

Predation is part of being a dog.

Although our dogs in the Western world no longer have to hunt to survive, it's something that they find intrinsically reinforcing.

Allowing our dogs to complete certain parts of the predatory motor sequence is, in many ways, necessary for allowing them to thrive in a modern world which is so far removed from the one they were "designed" to live in.

The predatory motor sequence (PMS) starts with scanning and continues through orient > eye > stalk > chase > grab-bite > kill-bite > dissect > consume. Although this is the PMS for the Grey Wolf, it is also used as a template for the modern dog.

Reinforcing these early stages of predation (scan, eye, orient, stalk) can help dogs "hunt" whilst keeping wildlife safe.

Some dogs (such as my now departed Lurcher) are likely to need much more than this, however, for our dogs who were not bred to chase, it can be really helpful!

28/10/2026

Now we're in Autumn, it's easy to forget the awful heat we had this summer.

If, like me, you realised you really didn't have enough shade in your garden, now is the time to think about changing that by planting a tree.

Trees don't just cast shade, they actively cool the air around them which is why they are so valuable.

You don't even need a large garden for a tree. Choosing wisely, such as a fruit tree on a dwarfing rootstock such as Pixy, a Japanese Maple in an large pot or even trees which can be kept pruned or a large shrub will help bring a spot of shade into your garden for your dog to rest under when the heat rises again.

27/10/2026

Our senior dogs feel the cold much more than they did when they were younger, and don't necessarily warm themselves up due to reduced movement on walks. Arthritic pain in joints that cause that reduced activity can also be exacerbated by cold, damp weather.

She may not be freezing cold without the coat, but she's definitely warmer with it on.

I don't think she cares that it's not even her coat!

26/10/2026

My dogs' lives changed dramatically when I was diagnosed with M.E. yet they adjusted very quickly.

Because I now use a scooter to walk them and I don't have the ability to transport it, we stick to the same park every day. This could easily get boring for them if I marched them around a set route, at a set pace.

Instead, we play a little bit of fetch for Kite, some searching for the ball, treat scatters, parkour, bits of training and, most importantly, they get to do as much dog stuff as they want.

They can sniff for as long as they like, they can roll, they can hunt (kinda!) they can mooch, they can get as dirty as they like!

I'm sure they'd enjoy going to different places (except for Ash!) but they aren't having a poorer quality of life because they aren't.

Dogs don't NEED to go paddleboarding, climb Snowdon or go to new places every day. These things aren't essential for their well-being, as much as they may enjoy them.

Don't feel guilty because you can't give your dogs an "Instagram" life of wild adventures. This is an added bonus for some dogs, and for some it'd be their idea of Hell.

Ensuring their needs are met is the most important thing and that doesn't always look the way we think it should.

25/10/2026

Don't forget to give your dog a bit more leeway today.

The clocks changing coupled with the wild and windy weather may affect our dogs ability to regulate their emotions.

Yes, today Ash is FERAL 😄

24/10/2026

Sound sensitivities and noise phobias are both difficult to solve and hard to watch when your dog is too scared to leave the house.

We can't always know what the sound is that they find so frightening, and we might know they aren't in danger, but the fear is very real for them.

23/10/2026

Supplements, herbal remedies, calming chews and DAP diffusers; all these things are great for low level anxieties.

When it comes to noise phobias, particularly fireworks, they just aren't enough. Many have a long loading period, meaning you have to give them for months before the event.

Our reluctance to use pharmaceuticals for noise phobias is becoming a real welfare issue as our dogs aren't give the support they need whilst we trial over the counter remedies.

I know because I did this myself. My first dog was scared of fireworks and I tried all manner of things to help, but never spoke to my vet about medication.

Now there are multiple different medications so finding the one that's right for your dog, with the help of your vet, is easier than ever.

Please don't let your dog suffer through another season of fireworks just because you don't want to medicate them.

22/10/2026

Some people may see my videos of Ash and wonder why I haven't been able to rehabilitate him enough to be off lead.

They may think this is evidence that I don't know what I'm doing.

The truth is that Ash is probably never going to be safe off lead.

Ash has brain atrophy of unknown origin which affects his ability to make decisions. When he is gets over excited he loses the ability to make decisions based on social cues from other dogs and excitement quickly becomes aggression.

This is partly driven by fear. He is also very social but his desire to interact conflicts with his fear of unknown dogs and he can quickly find himself in situations he can't cope with.

His sound sensitivity means that he is often on high alert and reacts to sounds I can't hear, as well as those I can.

He has a small, but safe world where he has canine friends as well as human ones now, only goes out when he feels safe enough to and at 5 years old, finally discovered squirrels!

It's been a long, and at times exhausting, road but he's worth every second, every tear and every bite I've had from him!

He is who he is, and whilst I'll always do my best to help him grow, I'm also always going to love him for who he is 🥰