Calming Canines

01/05/2026

I was just about to post a vaguely sun/heat related post, but looked at the weather forecast for the weekend. Maybe I'd better think of an umbrella related post instead!

Never mind, that was probably all the summer we're going to get!

01/05/2026

Wren says "no thank you" to the sun this morning!

24/04/2026

Most people pick a dog the same way they pick a jumper. “Oh that one’s nice.” “That one’s fluffy.” “That one looks calm.” And then a few months later you’re standing in your house, slightly sleep deprived, holding something that used to be furniture, wondering how this escalated so quickly.

Because here’s the bit people don’t realise. Dog breeds are not just aesthetics. They are genetics. Genetics that have been refined over generations.

Take a Border Collie. Stunning. Intelligent, athletic, impressive. Also running a full time operations department in their head. They are watching you, analysing you, and wondering why you are making such poor life choices. You don’t own a Border Collie, you are being supervised by one. If nothing is happening, they will create something to manage. Possibly involving your children.

Then there’s the Labrador. Friendly, easy going, everyone’s favourite. Also powered entirely by food and optimism. A Labrador will eat their dinner, your dinner, the concept of dinner and still sell you for a sandwich. They’re not being greedy, they just genuinely believe all food is a shared resource.

Dachshunds are where things get really confusing. Tiny, adorable, looks like they should come with a handbag. Historically bred to go underground and confront badgers. Badgers. So what you actually have is a small, determined, slightly suspicious individual who is absolutely convinced they could take on anything if needed. They don’t care that they’re small. That’s your concern, not theirs.

And then you have sighthounds. Calm, gentle, spend most of their time asleep, your smug self thinks you’ve made a sensible decision. And then suddenly, something moves in the distance and your sleepy dog turns into a missile. No warning, just gone. They’ll come back...eventually.

The problem is, people choose the dog for how they look, and then are surprised by how they behave. But the behaviour is the breed. They come with built in preferences and instincts, about how the world should work. Because you’re not just picking a dog. You’re picking a lifestyle.

23/04/2026

There is so much more to helping a reactive dog than just rewarding calm behaviour and correcting unwanted behaviours.

I see this method being used all the time, but if it were that simple there'd be no need for professionals.

This "method" ignores the emotions and motivations behind the behaviour and can result in the behaviour escalating.

Where was the last place I saw this magical method being showcased (other than the local park where I see it far too often)? By our favourite fake trainer on British TV, Mr Graeme Hall.

If you hire someone to help with your dog's reactivity and this is the method they suggest you use, please walk away and find someone more qualified

22/04/2026

Down in the South of England, we're in for some nice weather over the next few days (yay!) but because this is England and nice weather is not the norm, we haven't had chance to acclimate to the rise in temperature yet. Thermoregulation has become an issue for me over the last few years, and Wren reminded me this afternoon that some dogs are the same.

Ever since she was a puppy, she has struggled with hot weather much more than any of my other dogs; seeking shade much sooner than them and at a much lower temperature when the sun comes out. Every dog is an individual and some can tolerate a sudden rise in temperature better than others.

They typical categories of dog who are at a higher risk of heat related illness (HRI) are:

Brachycephalic or flat-faced breeds such as Pugs and French Bulldogs
Older dogs
Puppies
Overweight dogs or those with low fitness levels
Dogs with underlying health conditions or respiratory or heart diseases
Larger breeds
Dogs not used to warm weather (such as UK dogs in spring).

Though, as Wren shows us, any dog of any breed can find it tough when the temperatures suddenly rise. Heat tolerance isn't a one-size-fits-all thing; what is safe and comfortable for one dog is unpleasantly hot for another.

Sudden warm weather like we're due to get this week is a timely reminder to reacquaint ourselves with the early signs of HRI:

Panting (your dog might appear to be ‘smiling’ due to pulling up the corners of their mouth to pant harder, this might progress to more distressed breathing)
Low energy or tiredness
Shade seeking
Drooling
Foaming at the mouth
Bright red gums (or sometimes they can appear very pale)
Vomiting or diarrhoea (possibly containing blood).

This isn't intended as a scare-mongering post, enjoy the sunny weather with your dogs, just don't forget that they might be less able to tolerate it than you are, especially if they're exercising! If they're playing and having fun in the sun just be sensible, know what to look out for, take precautions (water and accessible shade) and know when to stop them and let them cool down as they don't always know when to do that themselves!

21/04/2026

Exciting news!

In the not too distant future, Calming Canines will be reopening for a limited number of new clients!

I will be working exclusively with fearful, anxious or worried dogs, whether they show their fear by noisy reactions or hiding away.

My health condition is not going to go away and I have reached a point where I accept that, and the limitations it brings. This means I will be only working with a single client at any one time, so that all my energy will go into that dog/human partnership.

I'm very much looking forward to helping more dogs to feel safe in their world!

12/04/2026

“Socialising” your adult dog when they’re afraid of other dogs...

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard or read on social media that a dog who is afraid of, or worried by, other dogs just needs to “be socialised more” to get over it. There are so many things wrong with this idea that I almost don’t know where to begin!

First off, what is socialisation? Spoiler: it’s not chucking your adult dog into a field full of playful and friendly (read rude and overaroused) dogs who you don’t know well and hoping your dog somehow magically realises that dogs aren’t scary after all. The “socialisation window” is a specific period in PUPPYHOOD where the brain is in the right developmental stage to learn what is safe and what isn’t safe. They then carry through what they’ve learnt during this period into adult life and is usually over by around 16 weeks of age. You simply can’t “socialise” an adult dog.

Secondly, how is being around more scary things going to change how your dog feels about other dogs? It’s not. It’s simply going to leave your dog in a state of chronic stress due to being constantly exposed to them.

What happens if one of these dogs isn’t quite as friendly as they appeared? That worry your dog had about other dogs? That’s just become solidified in your dog’s already stressed brain. Fear is one of the most important strategies mammals have for survival. Being afraid of and therefore avoiding things that might harm us (or even worse) is a pretty good way of staying alive! Anything that makes an already worried dog think “yep, I was right to be worried” will stick solidly in their brain and can be pretty hard to shift.

Some dogs can appear to become calmer around other dogs following this kind of “socialisation”. In reality, all that’s happened is that the dog has concluded that it’s safer to keep quiet and hope they survive. If you’re alone in a room full of armed ninjas, fighting your way out isn’t necessarily the best option – staying quiet and hoping you aren’t spotted may just save your life.

In a nutshell, your worried or fearful dog does NOT need to be socialised more. What they need is to feel safe and learn, preferably under guidance from a professional, that seeing another dog doesn’t mean their life is in jeopardy.

10/04/2026

What's best for the dog?

Since Ash's operation, I've been thinking about what truly constitutes "being in the dog's best interest" when it comes to choices over whether to operate or not. What follows are my own personal thoughts on this, I'm not saying they're right or someone else's choices are wrong, each situation is individual, with different considerations to take into account.

When Ash's lump was first diagnosed as cancer, I was given several options by my vet, all with different chances of success (and obviously different prices; Ash is insured so this wasn't as big a consideration as it might be for others). These boiled down to 3 options; a large operation to remove the mass with definitely good margins, a smaller operation with smaller margins so more chance of cancerous cells being left behind, and do nothing. Each had the added option of chemotherapy.

I considered the bigger operation with a better chance of success, but the aftercare would include weeks of crate rest due to the size and position of the wounds. Ash would really struggle with this. Not out of boredom, but panic. He would be unable to access his safe spaces, he would lose all agency and choice over where to rest or sleep and, most importantly, he is not happy in a crate.
This is why I chose the second option. As much as I wanted to give him the best chances I could, I couldn't bring myself to expose him to the trauma of weeks of being crated. I don't believe it would be in his best interests.
After seeing his reaction to the smaller operation, I'm happy I made the right choice.

What happens if he has another tumour? Would it be in his best interests to put him through this again? I'm not convinced it would be. He's needed extra medication and support just to cope with the cone and seeing his reaction, I'm sure he has experienced the last two weeks as trauma. Would it be fair to re-traumatise him if he needed another tumour removed? My belief is no, it wouldn't be fair.

For dogs that are more sensitive, fearful or anxious the choices we have to make are based on more than chances of physical recovery. I believe we have to take into account the effect on their mental health, too. Is it fair to operate and save a life only to cause mental suffering instead? I'm not convinced it is.

04/04/2026

I've been a little quiet on here since Ash had his operation as he has most definitely not been a model patient, leaving me no energy for social media.
He has never had an operation before so I wasn't sure how he would react psychologically, and it hasn't been good. Due to the situation of his stitches, he cannot wear an inflatable cone or a medsuit so we had to opt for the buster collar. That caused him a lot of anxiety, including breaking the collar in an effort to get to his stitches! He's now got some extra meds on board which are helping him cope, but the emotional stress of seeing him struggle has sent me into a flare.

On the plus side, I do have few things in the pipeline which I'll continue with once feeling better, including a free guide and an more comprehensive guide to reducing reactions in dogs before they start.

In the mean time, you'll find me mostly horizontal unless I'm out with the dogs!

Here's a lovely picture of Wren pretending to be a pointer (you can just make out her paw lift!)

26/03/2026

Yesterday Ash was in the vet to have a mast cell tumour removed and to be neutered at the same time (more on this at a later date!).

I'd just like to say a huge thank you to The Hampshire Vet for the accommodations made for him due to his anxiety. Having a practise who understand how traumatic some dogs find being handled by strangers and being in unfamiliar surroundings makes a big difference to a dog's overall wellbeing, particularly for those dogs who don't show it in overt ways.

Ash simply looks like a nice, compliant dog to many people, so having a vet who understands that this doesn't mean he is comfortable is worth it's weight in gold as keeping his stress levels as low as we can will not only make him feel better, but it will also help the healing process.

Thank you!

25/03/2026