Mekuti Behaviour and Training Solutions

12/07/2025

Sound advice about how the heat can affect people and dogs, but dogs in particular.

Worth a read while you’re sipping your ice-cold drinks...

HOT WEATHER & AN INCREASE IN BITE RISK 🥵

We've had some very hot weather recently in the UK, and for many parts of the UK- the next three days are going to be scorchio!

It's important to be aware that being too hot can lower thresholds for tolerance and overt reactions- and not just in 'reactive' dogs.

And not just in dogs!

There's a correlation between human riots and an increase in crime during a significant rise in temperature (27 to 32 degrees).
It is well established that in people, heat stress causes irritability and an increased likelihood of aggressive behaviour.

Being hot and bothered is a physical stressor - the body works hard to return to homeostasis.

Cognitive processes can be negatively affected. So if your dog is not responding to as they would normally, consider the effects of heat.

Furthermore- being too hot can interfere with a dog's ability to rest and sleep. During rest and sleep, stress is lowered, and subsequently compromised rest and sleep affects behaviour.

This can affect (lower) the dog's threshold for emotional stress.


🐕 Two unfamiliar dogs meeting while both are hot and bothered is less likely going to result in a healthy interaction. Now is the time to largely keep yourselves to yourselves on walks, or monitor the body language of both dogs very carefully.

🏡 Extra caution should be taken in situations that your dog may struggle with, such as around visitors to the home.

🧒 But the greatest caution of all should be taken around up-close interactions in ALL dogs, especially those who live children.

Remember these basic safeguarding rules;

1. No faces near faces.

2. Let sleeping dogs lie.

3. Do not forcefully take resources (toys, food or anything the dog has found/picked up) off a dog.
Children should never take things off a dog.

4. Do not 'box dogs in' with your interaction.

- Always ensure they can easily move away by not blocking a dog's ability to move forward/away (for example, wrapping your arms around to hug a dog front on makes it near impossible for them to easily disengage).

- The safest way to interact is to invite a dog to come to you.
Alternatively, if you do approach then do so when they are awake and instead of swooping straight in with strokes- wait for them to signal to you they are keen for an interaction.

- Stop stroking after 2-3 seconds, and see if your dog communicates to you they would like more, or if they are done.
This is called the consent test, and it's something all children (and adults) should be aware of.


Most people who get bitten by a dog know the dog well, didn't think their dog would ever bite someone and didn't see the bite coming.

Most dog bites are on faces and hands of someone close to the dog, and this tells us a lot about what the person was LIKELY doing (Note, there are always exceptions).


As I always say to my clients ......

🗣️ Never take your dog's current level of tolerance for granted.

21/06/2025

It's probably not the best day for zoomies because it's just too flipping hot (not here in Wales though because we have sea to cool us), but isn't it fun when they suddenly hightail it off and wiggle and waggle in all directions with big grins on their faces!

It'e even better when they come back...😳

19/06/2025

It's World Sauntering Day!!

Who thinks these things up? It doesn't matter as it's actually a good thing to be reminded to slow down sometimes.

A couple of years ago Floss' hind leg broke and it was a seriously scary time having an operation to plate the leg and through her recovery (thank heavens for TTouch). The op was less than straighforward as there wasn't enough bone for the bottom screw to attach securely.

It was always a risk that it would come loose or fall out altogether.

It seems to have happened and although she's appears to be pain free, she does hop on it periodically. Back to the vet to see what can be done to sort it out.

The consequence of this is that every day is currently World Sauntering Day and we are actually enjoying our little strolls when we can watch the wildlife, listen to the birds and actually feel the ground beneath our feet.

Go on, have a saunter.

I'm trying to avoid the sell here about dogs who can't saunter...

https://store.mekuti.co.uk/products/mekuti-balance-harness--lead-set

12/06/2025

Some years ago I worked with a Staffie whose sound sensitivity was beyond anything I'd ever witnessed.

The family showed me walls where the plasterboard had been chewed out, a door that was scratched and had holes chewed out of it. There was blood on the walls and door from the dog and his claws, well, I'll leave that one to your imagination.

The family were desperate as the future was looking bleak for their beloved companion, especially as it was rapidly approaching firework season and a big storm had been forecast.

We had a couple of TTouch sessions together and I showed them how to use the body wrap along with the Calming Band. The family felt hopeful that they were in a position to help their boy when the storm came.

They'd built him a safe space behind the sofa with a blanket over the top, lots of cushions inside, a Kong stuffed with who knows what, and they put on his Body Wrap and Calming Band.

He found his way in,snuggled down and was quietly self-contained during the worst of the storm, but then peeked his head out of his den to see what was happening with the family. As instructed, they remained neutral and observed him out of the corner of their eyes to watch him discreetly clamber up onto the sofa where he settled down to sleep.

Not once did he attack the walls, scratch or chew the doors, or try to tear the skirting off. His eyes didn't become bloodshot or bulging. He had found a way to cope with previously distressing situations around noise.

He had a new normal. His world changed, along with that of his family.

With a big storm approaching I can recommend building a safe space that is tucked away from the family; maybe betweeen the back of the sofa and a wall, with cushions and/or a bed underneath with thick blankets over the top.

This is only part of the recipe as it will possibly be too late to order body wraps and calming bands, but it may help.

Let me know how your dogs get on tomorrow. If you need extra support I will help where I can.

🌩️ STORM CHASE UPDATE - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY

Hey everyone, Sam here again!

We’ve just wrapped up our final team briefing and tomorrow is shaping up to be absolutely insane based on the latest model runs! We’re looking at the potential for prolific disco lightning, damaging winds, large hail, and we’re not ruling out the risk of tornadoes either. This could be a very active and dynamic setup. 🔥⚡🌪️

We’ll be departing HQ here in early and making the 200+ mile journey east across the UK towards our primary target zone currently focusing from Brighton to Kent. That said, models are constantly evolving, so we’re staying flexible and ready to adapt if conditions shift. Stay tuned for live location updates throughout the day!

The whole team is fully dialed in with individual tasks assigned and ready to execute. The multicam LIVE stream setup is also being prepped, so you won’t miss any of the action as we bring the storm directly to your screens in real time. 💪🏻

We’re hoping to provide plenty of live coverage, and if time allows, we might even be able to squeeze in a quick meet and greet but that will be confirmed tomorrow once we know how the day is unfoldin in terms of where and time.

It’s going to be a long haul, we’re looking at over 500 miles of driving in total so if you enjoy our streams and would like to support the team, any help towards fuel, food and keeping the gear running is massively appreciated. Every bit helps us continue to bring you the highest quality live coverage possible. 🙏 (See comments for PayPal details if you’d like to support.)

Stay weather aware if you’re in the south, this has the potential to be a very big day!

We’ll see you all tomorrow and you won’t want to miss it. ⚡🌩️🌪️

12/03/2025

He explains the need to put the dog’s lead on very well.

Please share.

19/06/2024

Many of you will know that I'm a passionate advocate of the Five Minute Rule for puppies.

Pups need around 5 minutes exercise a day for each month that they grow, so at 3 months they need 15 minutes a day, and 6 months 30 minutes exercise a day. This continues until they reach maturity, or they start to show signs of what they are getting is enough.

My Meg could only cope with 20 minutes a day. She showed me that she couldn't cope with any more when her behaviour took a rapid nosedive when I gave her too much.

Tweaks need to be made when you take your pup to training classes by giving them a day of rest the following day.

It's not only their bones that need to mature but also their brain and chemistry.

15/01/2024

When Floss first landed as a very shut down hound we created a safe space at the end of a sofa for her away from us where she could get used to the sights, sounds, smells and rhythms of our home. I decided against a crate as I wanted her to know that she had the option to move away if needed rather than being enclosed on 3 sides with no real escape route.

Do you know what she did?

She slept almost solidly for 3 months.

3 months of decompressing, of only stirring to go out (thank goodness she was good about having her lead put on), to eat and to go nose-to-nose with Mutley.

It was only then that I saw a change in her when she started to engage with her surroundings and to trust that her space truly was her space.

Seeing the effect of uninterrupted rest and sleep I started to advocate that anyone introducing a rescue to their home allows them time and space to decompress, especially if they've been in kennels. You know when they are ready for further work and therapy.

Rest is a great healer.

29/12/2023

I've been re-thinking my already gentle approach to working with animals.

You see, back in August Floss' leg broke badly (lurcher, made of sticks and paper). It had to be plated but it was very unstable for a number of reasons. Thus a 6 month recovery time was the aim.

It's been a challenge, not so much on her ability to move and all of the rehab, but the constant danger of her re-breaking the tibia.

She's been fabulous throughout and we have become so much closer than we already were, and she trusts me to make good decisions. But, I realised that over the years that we've been together I've made more decisions for her than were absolutely necessary because of her anxiety levels.

With her having spent so much time recovering she had mislaid her confidence outside and her hard earned ability to cope with people had diminished leaving her reversing into the road if she saw anyone approaching (don't panic, we live in a small village on a quiet road).

I was reminded by a friend and the person who had fostered Floss before we found each other, that she is a whole lot more resilient than I give her credit for.

What a brilliantly timed and appropriate reminder.

I have changed how I handle her. I've always been respectful and light with her and helped her to find escape routes (on lead) then get her away from the source of anxiety quickly, but now once she's started to show signs of anxiety (I can see her head turning slightly from side to side) and if it's safe to do so, I will lengthen her lead to give her thinking space and place a couple of fingers very lightly on her back.

I will ask to lead her to a safe place, but the touch on her back keeps a little of her focus on me and she's able to follow more calmly.

It's all incredibly subtle, but after a couple of weeks of doing this she is more responsive to the situation, less reactive to the trigger, and is able to look to me to help find solutions.

Essentially, I'm no longer making decisions for her.

She has incredible strength in her complete gentleness, and seeing her grow in each challenge she is presented with fills me with such joy.

To use the full length of the lead with no tension in it (holding tightly on one end just in case she does bolt) which gives her thinking space and keeps her balanced on the ground, and a very light touch somewhere on her back (often over the hips to help her move her balance back if she's on the fore) has got her to the point where she is clearly making decisions about how to tackle different situations.

A few days ago she walked into a friend's house and found a place to settle much closer to people than she'd ever been before.

These are all foundations that can be built upon, and that is what makes working with animals such a joy. What we learn from them can be applied to how we approach people too.

(Picture is Floss on my local beach where she was off-lead for the first time in four and a half months).