Polite Paws - separation anxiety specialist

23/04/2025

New short case study on how pain can not only impact behaviour in dogs, but also how quite significant conditions can go unnoticed very easily!

This is one of my lovely separation anxiety clients Bobb - have a read about his short journey to diagnosis of 3 areas of concern.

I hope this highlights once again why it is SO important to assess dogs fully and thoroughly for pain....for context this lovely boy had still been enjoying Hoopers classes so it shows how much dogs do suffer in silence and why we need to be better at speaking their language

This is lovely little Bobb - one of my wonderful separation anxiety clients. Isn't he sweet! Bobb is a 2.5 year old rescue cross breed, who came to live with

22/04/2025

I have updated this case study of lovely Wallace - one of my fab separation anxiety clients. This highlights how pain can impact behaviour significantly, and how if there is pain the dog will, be unable to learn to feel safe home alone....but it also highlights that once pain is identified and managed, we still need to work through a separation anxiety protocol.

If Wallace's lovely humans hadn't been so amazing, taken on board my observations and got imaging done, and if their vet hadnt been so brilliant at taking action following my Dynamic Dog report and suggesting said imagine, I have no doubt that we would no further forward with his separation related behaviours than we were a few months ago.

Meet the lovely Wallace! Wallace is an approximately 2.5 year old English Show Cocker Spaniel who I have, at the time of writing, been working with for 3

07/04/2025

I met one of my more local lovely clients in person today! Meet Disco! She (along with her lovely humans!) came to see my friend Annika at to get her checked over, so I went to "help" 😁 She's super sweet and was lovely to meet the 3 of them in person!

03/04/2025

New blog post....how long does it take to work through separation anxiety

Although people refer to working through separation anxiety as "separation anxiety training", it absolutely does not fall into the remit of "training". When a

29/03/2025

None of these positions are normal for dogs......the most likely reasons for them is that dog is trying to alleviate pain.

So it makes me incredibly sad when people laugh at them because it shows just how little us humans as a rule understand dogs

Lying and sleeping with their back end raised high up on a bed or a chair is not normal

Sitting with their hind legs stretched out to the side of their body or stretched out behind them is not normal

Lying and sleeping with their hind legs on the ground and their body draped over something higher up is not normal

Sitting with a paw in their mouth is not normal

These positions should not be laughed at....if your dog positions themselves like this you need to get them thoroughly checked out. Not just a quick check over at the vets, but a thorough in depth orthopaedic assessment and assessment of their gait, posture and how they navigate daily activities etc.

Remember dogs don't show pain how we would expect but how most of these dogs in this video are positioning themselves is NOT normal.

As a Dynamic Dog Practitioner I am passionate about this as I see so many dogs suffer in silence. My job is to assess a dog for potential signs of musculoskeletal pain and discomfort so I can pass my observations onto the vet to assist with their investigations....remember that a lot of dogs will not show pain responses at the vets due to anxiety and fear, but that doesn't mean they're not in pain.

So if you see your dog position themselves on any abnormal or "funny" ways.....please consult your vet...or get in touch with me (I work on vet referral).

27/03/2025

New blog post on whether its worth investing in working with a separation anxiety specialist versus going it alone. I was motivated to write this after working with an online fitness coach for a week!

There is so much generic advice out there on the internet about separation anxiety and how to work on it, and it can't be THAT hard to teach your dog that its

22/03/2025

📢 If you were considering working with a separation anxiety specialist to help your dog, but weren't sure......what word and phrases would you type into good old Google to help you decide❓

15/03/2025

After taking a break from classes following my house fire, due to demand I am now going to be starting up a couple of classes a week!

They will be on a Saturday morning in East Horsley (outdoors on private land).

I shall be starting sometime in early May 2025 (exact date not yet confirmed) and will be running classes through the summer (possibly with a week or 2 between blocks of classes), and I will then be stopping classes for winter

So, there will be a puppy class running at about 9.30 (time subject to slight change) and I have a lot of people on my list to contact for this once a date is confirmed....
...and...
...the second class will be most likely a Puppy Post-Grad class (the second half of puppy class essentially....for those of you who have either completed puppy class with me, or elsewhere, and want to progress behaviours learnt and it is where we work on new behaviours as well which will be working on practical skills)

If you are interested in one of these classes please let me know and I'll add you to my list and keep you posted on final dates!

[email protected]

11/03/2025

I posted this blog in a local group last week and it caused a bit of a stir! While a lot of people appreciated the information, there were the usual few who piped up saying things like "if you cant throw a ball for a dog whats the point of having one" and saying how ridiculous I was, and one "man" decided to leave me a negative review on here and proceeded to post laughing emojis on a load of recent posts, then block me so I cant do anything about it 🙄 Obviously disregarding the plethora of evidence I had cited in the actual blog post 🤣

Anyway, here is the blog post again, because it IS important that people know about how damaging throwing balls over great distances repetitively can be for dogs and can cause considerable damage to their musculoskeletal system...despite what the local "I have a dog so I am now an expert" individuals say!

Also if anyone fancies leaving me a positive review (if you have worked with me obviously!) Id be grateful to get my reviews back to 100! Its been reported numerous times but good old FB wont remove it!

So have a read of the blog yourself :-

Throwing balls is one of the most common things I see people using to "exercise" their dogs, and usually it also involves the use of a long plastic ball

10/03/2025

📢 Calling all puppy owners!!

❓Are you worried about HOW to build your puppy up to feeling comfortable being home alone?

❓ Are you unsure where to start and confused about the right ways to go about it?

💡I would like to get your viewpoints on a potential NEW service relating to puppies and separation related behaviours .....
...when this new service starts you would then be offered a discount if you have helped me by being involved in some "market research" as it were 😁

✏️ if you wouldn't mind emailing me to [email protected] with your name, the name, age and breed of your puppy, and whether you're having trouble in leaving your puppy alone at the moment/ whether you'd like to have support in knowing how to build up your puppies comfort level being alone.

🐾If you are likely to get a puppy in the future as well I'd love to get your opinions too!

Thank you!

03/03/2025

You may remember I posted about one of my lovely separation anxiety clients, Wallace a few weeks back...I have now updated his case study after him being on pain meds following a hip dysplasia diagnosis almost a month ago.

If anyone ever needs convincing about the correlation between pain and behaviour, read this case study!

Meet the lovely Wallace! Wallace is an approximately 2.5 year old English Show Cocker Spaniel who I have, at the time of writing, been working with for 3

14/02/2025

I'm really proud to be a Dynamic Dog Practitioner. Since qualifying at the end of last year I've already been able to make observations during my assessments with multiple dogs, that have been communicated to the referring Vet in a thorough report, and has meant the Vet has been able to have more information in order to focus their investigations. These dogs are all now on treatment.

Before this I would refer a dog back to the vet and say I have suspicions that the dog is in pain, which is so vague....and it would be near impossible for the Vet to get anywhere as it's like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. A huge amount of dogs also won't show signs of discomfort unless doing certain activities, and will be so nervous and anxious in the Vets that any pain responses are masked.

A Dynamic Dog assessment is there to HELP the Vet, and indeed I have had several vets thank me for such a comprehensive report. Only a vet can diagnose - we are there to help give the Vet information that can assist them. We do NOT diagnose - that can ONLY be done by a vet!

A Dynamic Dog assessment and report is not something to choose instead of seeing vets and physios at all! It's there to ASSIST those professionals. We are all there to help the dogs!

What is the role of a Dynamic Dog Practitioner?

Dynamic Dog Practitioners are trained to provide detailed observations in a language and manner that can assist professionals, such as vets, in identifying potential issues that may not be immediately obvious. The purpose of the Dynamic Dog process is to speed up the pathway to appropriate care, not delay it.

The Vet should always be the first port of call!

However, In the past, there have been cases where dogs were referred to professionals with vague concerns, such as "I believe there is pain," but with no clear observations to support this. This can result in dogs being sent away without further investigation. Dynamic Dog Practitioners aim to bridge this gap by providing structured observations that can prompt a second look by vets or other professionals who can help.

It is important to emphasise that any dog showing signs of pain or experiencing a change in behaviour should go straight to a vet. The Dynamic Dog process is designed to assist in cases where signs are subtle or not immediately obvious, helping to quantify concerns so that the right professionals can take action. At no point should a Dynamic Dog Practitioner offer any form of diagnosis.

If anyone has experienced delays or inappropriate behaviour from a Dynamic Dog Practitioner, or someone claiming to be one, please let the association know at [email protected]. Maintaining high standards includes holding ourselves accountable. Dynamic Dog Practitioners are not simply trained and sent on their way; we are committed to ongoing learning and improvement.

We also recognise that there are specialist referral centres in the UK that have more time to take detailed histories and provide fantastic care. However, many vets only have 15–30 minutes per consultation. Dynamic Dog Practitioners aim to provide additional observations to support the whole team in these cases.

We actually have vets, physio’s and hydrotherapists on the Dynamic Dog Practitioner Programme 🥰

3 vets have contributed significantly to the syllabus!

If you want to FULLY understand what Dynamic Dog is all about then please do get in touch.

13/02/2025

Not exactly dog related but I went to a one day introduction to animal sculpture course at the amazing in Devon yesterday....I have wonderful friends in North Devon who I'm very lucky to be able to stay with!

The course was amazing! We made little mini fox heads! Having previously tried my hand and knitting (not my thing!), crochet (prefer to knitting but haven't kept it up!), this is definitely more enjoyable!

If you want to learn about sculpture (animal or human or both) this is the place to do it! People come from all over the place to study with them!

10/02/2025

I posted about Wallace the Cocker Spaniel last week - one of my lovely separation anxiety clients who, after I conducted a Dynamic Dog assessment as part of my initial assessment process, was discovered to have hip dysplasia.

Wallace has had a short break for a few days after the veterinary investigations and we started back up again with our live reassessment - and wow what a difference already!

I have updated the post accordingly!

Wallace has been on pain medication for 5 days (today being the 5th) and there was such a noticeable difference in his behaviour and body language during our live reassessment!

Dogs do not show pain in the way we might expect them to do so, but that does not mean there is not pain, and pain has such a HUGE impact on behaviour.

Have a little read!

Meet the lovely Wallace! Wallace is an approximately 2.5 year old English Show Cocker Spaniel who I have, at the time of writing, been working with for 3

07/02/2025

As a Dynamic Dog Practitioner, I assess every dog I work with for potential signs of pain/discomfort as I know how much pain impacts a dog's behaviour, and also that pain is not usually blindingly obvious with dogs.

Pain shows in ways we might not expect.

This is a little case study of a dog I have recently started working with for separation anxiety - Wallace the Show Cocker Spaniel (who incidentally is absolutely gorgeous!). It shows how even though Wallace was happy, bouncing around and not limping along, he ended up having underlying pain which was resulting in significant behaviours including separation anxiety

Have a little read!

Meet the lovely Wallace! Wallace is an approximately 2.5 year old English Show Cocker Spaniel who I have, at the time of writing, been working with for 3

27/01/2025

PAIN & BEHAVIOUR

Yep...this again! I speak a lot about this, because so so many dogs I work with end up having an underlying medical conditions/joint pain diagnosed which is either the main factor contributing towards their separation anxiety (or other unwanted behaviour) or is playing a big role in preventing them being able to work through it.

Pain has a HUGE impact on behaviour.

I write this lying in bed because of my back. I've had herniated and bulging discs twice previously and the pain is excruciating. Since Friday my lower back has started to "not feel good". It's not yet at the point I can't sit, but it is feeling like it's on that trajectory. So it's more comfortable to lie flat than sit up most of the time ...so I'm doing that right now (watching Tell Me Lies on Disney Plus...if you haven't seen it I recommend by the way!).

This got me thinking about dogs. Bear with me....I will get onto dogs shortly 🤣

I went to meet a friend for coffee earlier on between Zoom separation anxiety clients. My back was uncomfortable, but I'd taken painkillers & it was bearable. If I moved or sat in a certain way there was a sharp pain but I don't think anyone would have realised from looking at me. However I am also feeling low, with a shorter fuse and definitely less sociable because of the pain. So...how can we possibly tell if a dog is in pain JUST by looking at them? We cannot!

Now I also live with chronic knee pain which is there to some extent every single day, but for the extra pain due to my back has affected my mood, and my behaviour. My knee pain also varies from day to day...some days it's a strong ache, other days it's much more painful....and I can assure you my mood fluctuates with it.

Dogs are the same. The difference is, they can't tell us AND tend to hide pain until it's roughly an 8 out of 10 or so. They also don't show pain how we would often expect them to. And pain has such a massive impact on behaviour. This is exactly why I choose to do a functional assessment to check for any signs of potential discomfort in all dogs when I start working with them....because just because your dog isn't limping or yelping, it doesn't mean pain isn't impacting their behaviour...and until that is managed, your dog will simply not be able to make any progress.

If there are regular inconsistencies in your dog's behaviour or separation anxiety protocol that you can't account for, and you haven't already considered medical conditions or pain, this is vital to do so.

As a Dynamic Dog Practitioner I can help with this ...if you would like to discuss this further please get in touch.

Photo of me (rare because I hate being on social media) in my current position!

27/01/2025

A friend sent me this today.....and this was Dylan for me...plus much more. Thought a lot of you could probably relate so decided to share it.

27/01/2025

This!

SO many dogs I work with end up being diagnosed with underlying conditions which cause pain/discomfort. This is why I do a full Dynamic Dog functional assessment as part of my assessment process, and while I know it's not easy collecting certain videos and photos of your dog for me to assess, it really is a vital part of the process.

Please remember that dogs don't show pain in the ways we would expect them too.....dogs who have broken their leg have been known to still run around!