Winnie's World Dog Behaviourist

30/06/2025

🌡️ As we still see some people walking their dog in dangerous temperatures, here’s an article I recently wrote for Kinship to help you understand when it’s unsafe and why it’s unsafe 🌡️

Also how to spot early signs your dog is suffering from the heat before it turns into something potentially life-threatening.

I have zero sessions (not even home visits) over the next two days. No dog is going to feel up to learning in this heat and you probably aren’t either!

Link to the full article is here: https://www.kinship.co.uk/dog-health/when-too-hot-to-walk-dog

26/06/2025

The temperature’s soaring again this weekend so Chiddingstone Castle’s Canine Carnival has been cancelled.

That just means you’ll have to wait until October to hear me answer all your behaviour questions!

But a big well done to the events team as it’s difficult to have to postpone something you’ve worked so hard on and shows how much they care for animal welfare 🙌

🐾 IMPORTANT UPDATE - Canine Carnival Cancelled 🐾

😞 We are incredibly disappointed to make this announcement but after the increased temperature forecast (that could now see Chiddingstone reach 27 degrees) and speaking to the dog experts involved we need to postpone this event.

An email will be going out to all of those that have purchased tickets shortly.

We have spent hours discussing options to move the arena schedule around to try and move demo sessions into cooler timeslots but unfortunately we just can't make it work. The welfare of the expert’s dogs, trader’s dogs and visitor dogs all have to be considered. They don't have a voice to tell us themselves but thankfully they have plenty of advocates within our many contributors. 🐶

A huge thank you to everyone below for their understanding, comments, advice and support. The joint decision has been made to move the event to October. Sorry to everyone that was looking forward to attending this weekend.

Portland Vets
Winnie's World
The Dog Advisor
Spirited Dog Training
Solo Paws Training
Larkins
The Rock
Butternut Box
Brucie Bakes
Paw Sister Society
R&R Treats
Peggy Lou's Dog Bakery
Organic Pet Bakery
Gee Draws
Pup Suds
Raw Pet Foods
Andrea Victoria Photography
Patches Pawtique
Shampaws Nutrition and Wellness
Hawk and Miller
Ready for Walk
Madge and MAple
Mud and Mischief
Rainah Dogs
Handmade by Michela
Therapy Dogs Nationwide
FLOOF
Milo's Mats
Doggy Dinners
EasyDine

18/06/2025

Next weekend, I'll be at Chiddingstone Castle's Canine Carnival doing a Q&A on all things dog behaviour. So if you're local to the area, come along as there's plenty of fun things to do 🐶

P.S. The weather is looking like it may be very warm so please prioritise your dog's welfare. But remember: you can always attend dog events without your dog and get some goodies to surprise them with!

16/06/2025

Some great tips for keeping your dog cool during the heatwave we’re currently having 🌞

I’m off this week but you’ll be contacted as soon as possible if your consultation or follow-up session needs to be rescheduled. Your dog’s welfare will always come first!

This week is due to be very warm, with temperatures increasing across the week.

As ever, your dog's welfare is our top priority, and we will be in touch with clients individually to rearrange sessions if we are due to be working outside in particular.

Please be careful exercising your dogs. Some dogs will not slow down despite the heat (looking at you Mr Monty!), and just walking in such weather is a risk.

🐾 Early morning is best for walks- evenings are often still too warm.
🐾 Shaded woodlands work best- how about Paddock in the Pines if you need a secure space.
🐾 Don't encourage running by throwing balls.
🐾 Carry water and stop regularly to offer it- even if it feels cool enough.
🐾 Sit and 'do nothing' together rather than march round.
🐾 Keep on lead if they are going to try and do alot of running, or break up the running with slower paced movement.
🐾 Some breeds are more at risk than others- bulldogs, pugs, french bulldogs, chow chows, and shih tzus (or anything else with short noses) are all more likely to suffer with heatstroke than dogs who have normal length noses.
🐾 Heavy coated dogs will get hotter than shorter coated dogs.
🐾 Puppies, adolescent dogs and older dogs are more at risk than adult dogs.
🐾 At home, offer cooling mats and access to cooler rooms of the house, particularly when you leave them at home.
🐾 Paddling pools/hose games: Be careful with playing with water too much- if your dog ingests 'too much' water, this can lead to water intoxication. Short supervised games are fun though (if your dog likes water, not all dogs will appreciate being 'encouraged' into a paddling pool so please know your dog's preferences and respect them).

Be sensible, if you're hot, your dog probably is too, and they have a coat they can't remove...

❗If you're concerned your dog is overheating (lethargy, trouble standing, excessive panting, drooling/foaming, vomiting, disorientation, unable to stand, uncoordinated, seizure etc etc), contact your vet as an emergency.❗

29/05/2025

🎾 Are you playing too much fetch with your dog? 🎾

Swipe to see what it can do to your dog and how you can still have fun with them.

And if you want to find out more, head over to Kinship to read my article on it.

14/05/2025

Write a little something on resource guarding for Fetch & Thrive. If you want some brilliant new enrichment toys for your dog, check them out 🐶

07/05/2025

Had to write an entire article on something that's bugging me lately: the trend for everything being dog-friendly 🙈

I may adore dogs but I don't want to be around them all of the time. Nor do I think they want to be with us 24/7!

What are your thoughts?

Is it time to admit that the dog-friendly trend is getting a bit out of hand? A dog behaviourist breaks down why dog-friendly events might not be the dream for your pet that you originally thought, and what to do instead.

14/04/2025

Unpopular opinion: not everything should be dog-friendly...

And I'm writing an article on it for a pet advice site. If anyone has any stories to share on times when a dog-friendly event went a little big wrong, I'd love to include them.

And if you really disagree with me, feel free to share your thoughts too 🐶