Project Dog Bristol

27/11/2024

Having dogs can feel isolating sometimes. It's a lifelong commitment and as they age, you can experience not only anticipatory grief but also carer's fatigue. Not everyone thrives when they're caring for someone and you shouldn't feel guilty when you're tired and need a break. Take a break.

My heart is split into two because I left my parents back home in Slovakia and having a sensitive and senior dog doesn't go well with travelling.

My parents are not young anymore and neither is my dog. And now I've learnt to feel grateful for what I have it's harder living away from one or the other.

We had a great time away and did lots and lots of walking, some of which Fly would still enjoy might I add, so I was still thinking about him a lot of the time.

And then he decided to become unwell and I thought we would be coming back to book the visit to let him go. Well done to me to decide, at 15 years old, to leave him for the longest time he's ever been without me.

Even though he was with people he loves he still found it hard to be away from me. So was it severe anxiety 😳 or was he genuinely unwell with norovirus perhaps ? He didn't need the vet in the end and they wouldn't have been able to answer this for sure so now I'm just happy that he's better than he's been for a while and was very grateful to be home. I'm glad he realised what he has and how lucky he is 😂😂😂.

I'm still worried about his health and every cough and momentary limp sends me into a frenzy of over analysing every symptom. (I'm still me and still deep in anticipatory grief) But I can manage it better and can stay present in the good days.

So I guess my point is, you're entitled to feel all of your feelings. They make you, you! You're still your dog's best friend, their treasure and you can still have adventures together. ( Or apart. You need to meet your needs, too.) New experiences keep their brain functioning well and all the supplements you give them are still worth it.

Your old dog will have more bad days but that doesn't make the good days less meaningful.

Spend time doing what you love so you can cherish your dog despite how tiring caring for a senior can be.

06/09/2024

You could just say "no".

But does it usually work for you ? How does your dog respond ?

Dogs do understand words. They learn by simply recognising which word pairs with which action or event and if it is repeated enough times, they will understand English in the way you imagine. As if they spoke it.

*word* means --> *action/event* will happen

In the case of a "NO" your dog normally makes the connection to your negative emotions like anger or frustration so when you say it, they will understand that what they've just done has made you upset.

The happier, more resilient dogs, will probably just ignore it and if they enjoy the thing you are saying no to, they will carry on as just as they are. So the more resilient the dog is, the more unpleasant your response would have to be to make your dog stop what they're doing in the moment. So if your golden retriever loves raiding the kitchen worktops for food, he will carry on happily even if you say no a million times.

Sensitive dogs will respond to a harsh voice because they dislike your negative emotions. They will make themselves small and lower down their body to try to appease you and communicate "please don't be angry, I mean no harm, I want peace and I would like to move away now" or worst case scenario your worried whippet will shoot off to get away from you just to avoid conflict as quickly as possible. At the cost of damaging your relationship. The more this happens the less likely your dog will want to be near you. So you would be reinforcing your dog wanting to run away from you into safety and punishing being close to you at the same time because you get angry often. Next time you need to call them away from a dog running in the distance they will think twice about coming back.

So how do you actually teach your dog to stop counter surfing and lie down and wait instead ?

Dogs do what brings them joy, food and makes them feel safe.

So as long as you make food available and give your dog plenty of opportunities to steal it, he will do it more and more because it's ace. What's for lunch today??

Have you found my explanation useful so far? I hope you have! Comment YES and I'll post part 2 😀

04/08/2024

Finally, we’re at a turning point in veterinary nutrition. ✨ Vets are the last group of formally trained medical professionals to still actively (and sometimes aggressively) promote the exclusive feeding of ultra-processed, pelleted food for a lifetime (birth to death), as a means to achieve longterm health. 🥺❓
This incongruent and unorthodox recommendation is a result of our nutrition education during veterinary medical school. As of now, every vet school around the world is endowed by a Big Pet Food brand, so their nutrition curriculum is funded, prepared and executed (taught) by the top (ultra-processed) pet food manufacturers (or faculty funded by them), so our future vets don’t have access to unbiased nutrition information. But our Next Generation vet students are asking more questions 💥; aren’t less processed, fresher foods healthier for all mammals? How does heat and extended, unregulated, storage temps affect added nutrients, flavorings, palatants and additives 🌡️? Where are all the synthetic nutrients coming from, and is anyone regulating safety? In the U.S., there’s no limit on the amount of copper and other minerals in pet food… and what happens when we feed excessive amounts in perpetuity?
While some vet med students may not feel nutrition is relevant to their future (see link in graphic), and some (correctly) feel they aren’t adequately prepared for the job ahead of them, we have a whole new generation of intelligent, inspired, and empowered veterinary students who actually understand all of these issues, and are moving forward with a clear sense of what needs to happen in veterinary hospitals around the world, but also what has to happen in the industry ☄️. The next generation of present-knowledge vets is here… let’s support the heck out of them❣️

29/07/2024

🚨 Senior dog owners 🚨Well owners of any dogs over 7 years old really! This summit is full of great speakers covering the whole dog from nutrition to pain.

Go and watch interviews that spark your interest. Because it's never too late to make changes to your dog's lifestyle. Choose one change to help them live a longer life.

Because we all wish our dogs could live happy and active as long as possible. Age is not a death sentence 🙌

Daily schedule for the summit

23/07/2024

It's good to get back to basics every once in a while and a small change can make you feel so much better.

Like adding some fresh food to your dog's diet.

Play less with balls if your dog is ball obsessed.

Go out for a walk and just sit and people(dog) watch once a week whilst feeding a portion of your dog's food there.

Do you know what benefits these changes could have on your dog?

Let me know in the comments.

( Heloooooooo! If anyone is reading these, let me n knoooooow 🤔 ... [Hear this as an echoing voice in the void] )

23/06/2024

Get in touch and I'll help you choose some suitable breeds. This service is FREE. (At least for now)

I want you to go into this big decision with healthy expectations. Please stay curious because once the pup is in your house it's too late for regrets. It's really not the dogs' fault 😞

I know, I know, this one might be a hard pill to swallow but someone has gotta say it. How an earth do we stop this cycle? How do we stop quite so many dogs ending up in rescue or being PTS for doing normal dog things. It is SO important to speak to a dog trainer (or ten) about the breed of dog you are considering getting before you purchase it. Genetics are a thing, a BIG thing, especially in the working breeds. You can't wave a magic wand, you have to have the guts to call a spade a spade. I know so many dog trainers getting serious burnout from this cycle of never ending bad decisions. Maybe its time we licensed certain breeds again? Should we have specially selected "pet" breeds? Who knows...comments down below.

23/06/2024

Find out who the Project Dog trainer is. 🙂

24/05/2024

There are too many good books 😅

Nothing like a rainy day to dive into Jennifer Holland’s new book, Dog Smart. Everyone else is napping here, but I’m loving this book.

She reminds me a bit of Sy Montgomery’s writing, throwing herself into stinky smells, science laboratories, and just about anything related to dog intelligence to understand dogs as dogs, not human constructions. Holland is a great story teller, and even if you think you know this subject backward and forwards, she’ll keep you reading into the night. Sy herself, (perhaps the best writer on animal behavior today), says “This book … will knock your socks off.”
I agree wholeheartedly!



Jenny Holland

23/04/2024

This looks great!

https://www.facebook.com/Biome9

The next generation, AI-powered gut health test to transform your dog’s health and happiness.