Pure canine services

02/11/2026

Stop walking your reactive dog.
A ridiculous statement, right?

Maybe not…

Sensitisation is when repeated exposure to a stimulus leads to an increased response over time.
For example - your dog reacts to another dog on a walk, You carry on walking as normal, perhaps hoping they’ll get used to it or grow out of it. But over time, your dog may become more reactive…
reacting sooner & more intensely, pulling harder, scanning their surroundings & becoming increasingly hypervigilant.

Repeatedly facing something they find threatening or overwhelming, without enough chance to recover, can keep a dog’s nervous system on high alert. They may then become more watchful & quicker to respond, with less distance or change needed to trigger a reaction.

There’s also the added risk of generalisation.
- A dog that was once reactive to small dogs may begin reacting to all dogs, then to the area where they first encountered one & eventually to other places too.

These patterns can be difficult to overcome & if the problem continues, it may gradually get worse.

If you need help or guidance, look for a qualified behaviourist with experience in behaviour modification for help.

30/10/2026

Child protection measures from November 1st, an XL Bully owner in England or Wales must not leave a child under 12 in close contact with the dog at home or in a garden without appropriate adult supervision. This is now a condition of the dog’s Certificate of Exemption. The £5,000 is described as a possible maximum fine for breaching the new exemption conditions.

‼️Child protection measure 1st November‼️

From the 1st November a new legal requirement will come into force, you must not allow a child under 12 to be left in close proximity to a banned breed type dog in a home or any other private setting without adult supervision.

•Understanding - ‘appropriate adult supervision’

Appropriate adult supervision means an adult aged 18 or over is present & able to take steps to keep children safe around dogs.

The supervising adult should:

remain nearby & keep both the child & dog under observation, pay attention to their interactions & be able to intervene, if needed
be able to separate the child & dog immediately if necessary.

Supervision should be in person.
- Cameras, baby monitors, video doorbells or other devices are not a substitute for an adult being physically present & able to intervene.

Dog owners & carers of children should plan ahead for times when supervision may be difficult, for example, when an adult is:

•cooking
•answering the door
•using the bathroom
•taking a telephone call
•caring for another child
•moving between different areas of the home

Gov Link 🔗 👇🏼

https://share.google/ed7FNeNKdCYOYVXxk

27/10/2026

Food rewards.

Positive reinforcement & lure training are the gold standard for training puppies, but food rewards should never become a permanent crutch.
- The goal is to gradually fade treats as the puppy learns, creating real leverage for the owner rather than dependence on food. That leverage becomes essential during adolescence, when hormonal changes & natural pushback begin.
By this stage, treats should already have been appropriately phased out so they retain their high value & can be used strategically when they’re needed most, rather than being weakened through constant use.

I’m seeing an increasing number of owners relying on continuous reinforcement schedules & it’s creating unnecessary frustration between dogs & their owners. It reduces reliability, weakens the value of food rewards & ultimately isn’t fair on either the dog or the owner. Rather than setting them up for long term success, it’s setting them up for failure.

Continuous reinforcement schedules weaken the reward, create situational compliance, reduce reliability & can lead to frustration building between the owner & the dog when the dog begins to ignore the food rewards.
In the beginning, it often creates the illusion that the dog is really enjoying the training & is highly engaged with the owner. This can produce rapid improvements in behaviour, but those improvements are often short lived rather than lasting.

A common pattern is an initial appearance of quick learning, followed by progress slowing down. Behaviours that once seemed reliable become increasingly inconsistent & the dog becomes more dependent on seeing food before responding.
Over time, the dog learns that the cue alone has little value unless food is visible, & eventually begins to ignore the owner when the reward isn’t immediately available or simply becomes bored of the food. The decline in reliability is then often attributed solely to adolescence, when in reality the reinforcement strategy may have played a significant role.

Anyone can feed a dog. The skill lies in knowing how & when to use food & just as importantly - when to fade it.

24/10/2026

A very wet walk & train session. Circle back in & public access with Lucy (followed by a pit stop for a treat at Pets & Friends Grantham of course)

24/10/2026

We know the dog walking industry is unregulated, so it’s important to ask questions & find out what happens when your dog is out with a walker…

This viral video is shocking. far too many dogs, no recall or control, the white dog being dropped from a height, bark collars beeping & frightened & reactive dogs… list goes on….

If you’re choosing a dog walker, ask questions.
Check their insurance & how many dogs they’re allowed to walk. Policies vary, mine for eg has a four dog limit. Local councils may also set limits too.

Ask whether they have an up to date DBS check & canine firstaid training. Find out about their emergency procedures & risk assessments.

If they use a vehicle, ask to see the crating or restraint system they use, I’ve seen dogs put loose in the back of vans with no crates or restraints, which is shocking. Household crates aren’t designed or crash tested as vehicle restraints, they collapse far too easy & will not protect a dog in an accident.

Finally, ask about any formal qualifications or certification in canine body language & predatory behaviour. If a walker doesn’t know what to look for, situations can easily contribute to behavioural problems, something no owner wants…

22/10/2026

22/10/2026

Blue's family told me that his aggression had begun in the evenings only, crept into the daytime as time went on and become unmanageable by October, which is no great surprise to me, since melatonin is made from serotonin to send a dog off to sleep as the sun goes down, and a dog with only a tiny reserve of serotonin has to sacrifice some of it each evening just to switch off, leaving even less to keep his mood balanced at the very time we are asking him to settle down. It is no small coincidence that dominance aggression and idiopathic aggression are both described as more problematic at night, and with the evenings drawing in, it is a good moment to look at what is going into the bowl.

21/10/2026

Starting to wonder if I am a bull breed person? 🫠 the collies are taking over! ❤️ more collies tomorrow too!

21/10/2026

Our consultation is an initial conversation to understand your dog’s needs & discuss what support may be suitable. This could include Walk & Train sessions, 1-1 training, a professional second opinion, behaviour modification or something else.
You can ask questions & get guidance on the best next steps for you & your dog.

Get in touch & book a free consultation with Pure Canine Services.

21/10/2026

👍🏻

Owners who feed an expensive, high protein kibble tend to do so with some confidence, as though the price and the protein percentage settled the matter, but from a behaviour perspective the brain makes its own serotonin from an amino acid called tryptophan, and tryptophan has to queue for entry alongside the other large amino acids that a high protein diet delivers in quantity, so it can be shoved aside in the crush. Plenty of dogs cope perfectly well on these diets, though in those already anxious, reactive or impulsive a very high protein, heavily processed food may contribute to dysregulation, and the question worth asking is less how much protein is in the bowl than what that protein is doing to neurotransmitter balance once it has been absorbed.