Bark and Ride Veterinary Physiotherapy

Bark and Ride Veterinary Physiotherapy ACPAT & RAMP registered Chartered Physiotherapist - Kamil
IRVAP registered Veterinary Physiotherapist- Flo

📍 South Devon
🐴🐶🐈🐑

Gorgeous Vera taking her rest break and showing off her proprioceptive track! 🥰
03/12/2025

Gorgeous Vera taking her rest break and showing off her proprioceptive track! 🥰

06/11/2025

Gorgeous grey Milly enjoying her release 🥰 now is a great time to get on top of any areas of tightness picked up over the Summer!

29/10/2025

🎾🎾🎾 Don’t want to be a party pooper but think about what you are doing with that ball !!

Repetitive ball throwing can be extremely detrimental to the mental wellbeing of some dogs. I see this issue regularly.. the dogs become like drug addicts, completely hooked on the thrill of the chase. Their entire focus narrows to the ball, and they struggle to think about anything else. As a result, other types of training become very difficult, because they are constantly filled with adrenaline and anticipation of the next throw. When the ball is not present, they can become restless and frustrated as though they are missing their “fix.” Over time, this cycle creates a dog that is mentally unbalanced, unable to relax, and far less able to engage calmly with the world around them… you might get away with it with some dogs who don’t have that addictive nature (the majority of working line Gundogs do) but for some it can be a real problem !!

Dogs that have balls thrown repetitively for them often struggle to perform calm behaviours such as walking to heel. Because they become so conditioned to high-arousal activity every time they leave the house, their brains switch into ‘go mode’ the moment they step outside. Instead of settling and focusing on their handler, they’re pumped full of anticipation and ready for action, making calm, controlled behaviour extremely difficult.

Dogs are not biologically designed to engage in endless, repetitive chasing. In nature, the act of chasing would serve a very specific purpose…the pursuit and capture of prey. This process would happen occasionally, often with long periods of rest and recovery in between. A successful hunt would end with the animal either catching the prey or giving up after a short, intense burst of energy. What would never occur in the natural world is a dog chasing again and again, dozens of times within the space of 30 minutes, as often happens when a ball is repeatedly thrown. This kind of artificial repetition places strain on both the body and the mind.

I do use balls with my dogs, however for hunting and retrieving..chasing is very limited and used only now and again and specifically as a reward.

If you want to use a ball, use it in a breed-specific way for hunting and retrieving, or to teach them how not to chase.. not for endless chasing.. you will find you have a much calmer and more fulfilled dog !

How cool is this?!
24/10/2025

How cool is this?!

Rehab.. not for the faint of heart! 😂 Nice to see our dogs are so relaxed in our clinic environment as well as their own...
23/10/2025

Rehab.. not for the faint of heart! 😂 Nice to see our dogs are so relaxed in our clinic environment as well as their own homes!

Sniffing opportunities are fantastic for dogs for mental health, but also for their physical health! Sometimes I use the...
21/10/2025

Sniffing opportunities are fantastic for dogs for mental health, but also for their physical health! Sometimes I use them as part of our exercise prescription, because it also encourages them to shift their weightbearing between each of their legs!

It's exhausting this physio lark isn't it Benson?! 😅🤣
21/10/2025

It's exhausting this physio lark isn't it Benson?! 😅🤣

08/10/2025

Animals can tell us they are in pain if we choose to listen

27/09/2025

Want to know how to get to our clinic via the safest and fastest routes whilst we await completion of the roadworks? We are right next door to Plants Galore, so they've done the heavy lifting for us here! 💪🏾

Gorgeous Rocko putting his best foot forward this week, showing off a looser trot post-treatment!
18/09/2025

Gorgeous Rocko putting his best foot forward this week, showing off a looser trot post-treatment!

It's World Physiotherapy Day! This awareness day - on 8 September each year – aims to unite physios all over the world a...
08/09/2025

It's World Physiotherapy Day! This awareness day - on 8 September each year – aims to unite physios all over the world and provides a focus for recognising the work they are doing for patients and the community. Why not use this day to share your stories of how physiotherapy has helped you or your pet?

There's just something so soulful about Yoshi's eyes 🥹
30/08/2025

There's just something so soulful about Yoshi's eyes 🥹

Address

Bristol

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 7pm
Tuesday 9am - 7pm
Wednesday 9am - 7pm
Thursday 9am - 7pm
Friday 9am - 7pm

Telephone

+447843834140

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Bark and Ride Veterinary Physiotherapy posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category