19/02/2026
We headed straight out on Friday evening to this paradise !
Our Buddy has hip dysplasia in his back left hip, but the pain medication and joint supplements he is on mean he can enjoy one of his favourite things, the snow, just as he always has!
Did you know, one study found that pain was a factor in up to 80% of dogs referred for behavioural concerns ? (Mills et al, 2020). If you are seeing a behaviour professional, one of the first things they should ask is if your dog has had a thorough check with the vet for any potential signs of pain.
Dogs often don’t show pain in the way we humans would expect, and are VERY good at hiding it. Especially if the pain is chronic, they often don’t yelp or limp, but it might be a very subtle change in their gait or increased reactivity for example (Weir and Downing, 2025).
Here’s just a few of the ways in which your dog could be showing signs of pain (Weir and Downing, 2025):
- noise sensitivity
- touch sensitivity
- increased reactivity (eg. To dogs, people etc)
- changes in appetite
- sudden whipping round and biting/nibbling at a part of their body
- changes in coat texture/direction of fur
- restlessness
- excessive licking of their joints
- changes in walking gait (e.g. bunny hopping with hind legs)
- guarding behaviours
- stopping on walks (often misinterpreted as being stubborn)
- excessive panting
And there are many more as well, so if you notice any changes in your dog, behavioural or physical, it is always best to get them checked over by a vet. A behaviour case is rarely just one simple solution, there is often so much going on underneath the surface that our dogs are subtly communicating to us, and it’s up to us to try to understand them through a canine lens, not a human one.
