Dogological

13/07/2026

Due to personal reasons, I am unable to take on new in-person clients for the foreseeable future. For those who are comfortable with online consultations, please do reach out.

For existing clients, I am still here until we have completed our packages and I will be there for ongoing support, as normal. However, once packages have completed, I will need to move to online and written support thereafter.

When I am able to restart in person sessions, I'll update social media, my website and get in touch with those of you who have requested it.

Online sessions can be just as suitable as in person. As long as you have a camera, it's possible!

Thank you for your understanding.

05/07/2026

WEATHER AND CANCELLATIONS!

To those affected clients you will be hearing from me but sessions in the early to mid part of the week are going to be cancelled. I may have to cancel those in the late part of the week too but I'll gauge this closer to the time. This is for the sake of your dog.

Temperatures are going to exceed 30dC this week and humidity may reach up to 73%. That's not just hot. That's really hot.

PLEASE think of yourself and your dogs. Not just because of the heat but the humidity. High humidity limits a dog's ability to sweat through their paws and mouth. Ensuring you keep airflow on them will help to diffuse the evaporated sweat away and help with their cooldown.

You may have seen some excellent posts on this already (see The Mutty Professor as an example) but changes in behaviour are more common than you would think. You may notice obvious changes, where your dog is more irritable but you may also notice subtle ones. Perhaps they are more restless, trying to find a comfortable spot. Maybe they need access to more drinking bowls in different areas of the house because some rooms are too hot. You might see your dog choose different surfaces. They may not want to be stroked or touched. Let me reassure you that this is normal. If you have concerns about a change in behaviour, always consult your vet.

Prepare your home to offer different opportunities for your dog to escape to. Lay down cool mats or cold wet towels next to a fan. The more options the better.

If you have a normal routine, look at your dog. Do they actually want to go out or are they a bit lethargic and want to sleep instead? If you do go out, go EARLY or LATE. Go barefoot and see if it's appropriate for them. Even if it is early/late, check the temperature beforehand. When you are out, choose a shady space and, if possible, with water where they can hydrate and you'll also find it's normally cooler near water anyway.

It is normal for your dog to eat less in this heat. Don't panic.

If your dog is hurting, they may be more irritable and express themselves more obviously. Don't be alarmed but do note down their behaviour change and if you are worried, speak to your vet.

25/06/2026

❄️Keeping cool❄️

Here’s a little excerpt of one way I’m keeping my dogs cool, encouraging hydration and keeping their calories up when they don’t want to eat much.

❄️Use your ice cube trays, freezable mugs, kongs, bowls, anything you can fill with things for your dog.

❄️Use their wet food or even a couple of bits of pre-soaked kibble!

❄️Put your water bowls in the freezer before filling them.

❄️Use your picnic freeze blocks underneath your dog’s bedding as a nice cool treat. Never let your dog lie directly on them as this can cause ice burns.

❄️If you’re lucky enough to have a garden and hose, put the hose on a sprinkler and see if your dog wants to interact. Don’t just hose your dog down if they don’t enjoy it, unless you suspect they are too hot (see my post yesterday about heatstroke).

❄️If you don’t have a hose, fill up a big bowl of water and lay a towel underneath. Drop some kibble, ice cubes, toys, fruit or vegetables in there and see how your dog interacts with it. Let them explore the bowl themselves and use their brain!

❄️Grab a tea towel, run it under the tap and lay out some small pieces of food on it. Tie it into a knot and put it in the freezer. After it’s cooled down, hand it to your dog and let them at it.

There are so many ways to keep cool although they seem few and far between in this heat!

24/06/2026

☀️ HEATSTROKE ☀️

What does it look like?

🥵Panting and heavy breathing: it can look fast and shallow
🥵 Drooling and dehydration: dry nose, reduced urination, lethargy
🥵 Increased heart rate: a fast pulse can signal overheating. You can check this by feeling their chest
🥵 Collapsing, weakness or lethargy
🥵 Confusion or disorientation
🥵 Seizures
🥵 Vomiting and diarrhoea

Tips to prevent heatstroke (more to follow tomorrow):

- Do I have to say it? Don’t walk your dog in this heat! Choose appropriate times of day and shady locations to exercise your dog. Note that you may enjoy being in your garden but if your dog is out there with you, they may overheat so consider keeping your dog inside.
- Close your curtains and windows in the morning and keep them closed through the day. Open them when the sun goes down.
- Have ice in your freezer to refill water bowls with cool additions.
- Make ice cubes with broth, vegetables or their food to encourage your dog to drink and get good nutrients
- Wet tea towels and put them in the freezer to wrap around your dog’s body/neck. Be sure to replace this often.
- Use a dehumidifier to reduce humidity and help make panting more efficient.
- Groom your dog! Don’t forget how much fur our dogs have and remember that they can only sweat through their paws and mouth.
- Always allow access to water.
- Always allow access to a shaded space.
- Always allow your dog choice to move where they are comfortable.
- DON'T WAIT UNTIL YOUR DOG GETS TOO HOT; Act first to prevent it.

🚨 Treatment if you suspect heatstroke => COOL FIRST, TRANSPORT SECOND! 🚨

- Cool them down!
- Move them to a shaded space.
- Immerse them in cold water.
- Wet your dog and put a fan on them to help the evaporated water move away.
- Call your vet!
- Transport to your vet as soon as you can.

📚 For more advice, you can visit: Royal Veterinary College, Battersea Dog’s Home or contact your local vet for more information on prevention and treatment.

For ideas on how to entertain your dog on restricted exercise, see tomorrow's post!

22/03/2026

ALL DOGS! THIS IS FOR YOU!

Is your dog happy, worried, excited, angry or even just coping with existence?! SENSORY DOGS IS THE PLACE TO GO!

Don’t get me wrong, dog fields are brilliant but they won’t offer you what sensory dogs can. A way to boost your dog’s confidence while exploring their senses; using all parts of the brain!

I’ve already booked in and I cannot wait to share a review once I’ve been.

Get your space booked asap!

19/03/2026

LEGISLATION CHANGE! KNOW YOUR FACTS! 🧑‍⚖️✅🦮🐕‍🦺🌾🐄🐮🐑🐏

Protect your dog, their life, their safety and their welfare. A life with a dog happy on lead is better than no dog at all.

As of today, legislation clearly states:
“On Open Access land and at the coast, you must put your dog on a lead around livestock. Between 1 March and 31 July, you must have your dog on a lead on Open Access land, even if there is no livestock on the land. These are legal requirements.”

Not only is it illegal to have your dog off lead on open access areas of Dartmoor, your dog could be shot, removed from your family and/or you could receive an unlimited fine.

Scary right?

It should be. Dogs can cause significant harm to livestock and wildlife if out of control.

If you’re not sure whether you are on open access land, have your dog on lead!

Be safe out there 🦮🐕‍🦺❤️

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-law-comes-into-force-to-protect-farm-animals-from-dog-attacks?fbclid=IwdGRleAQpE2hleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEekPypp5ogomjSp7Nf9OmWXxh6fMGpX708k_0Xu53NqLKENiWp_7dHLWp39-4_aem_dbAJdhL_lAOH2RWtijQ8Kg

10/02/2026

Merlin is clearly a dog who is comfortable with the uncomfortable. He has some very comfy beds but he wants to be on the chair with awkward pillows…

I am also having to be comfortable with the uncomfortable. Having had surgery last week, it is taking longer for me to recover than I had anticipated. I will get back to in person visits as soon as I can but for now I’m still having to rest. If you would like a short online session, I may be able to accommodate that so do get in touch.

Thank you all for your patience and I will get back to you as soon as I can ❤️🐾

09/01/2026

If you have a spare few minutes, please do sign the petition to limit the sale of fireworks to local authority events. Even if you feel this may to get further, please give it a chance to cause more conversations at parliament about fireworks and the impact on the public, wildlife and pets

Ban the sale of fireworks to the general public to minimise the harm caused to vulnerable people and animals. Defenceless animals can die from the distress caused by fireworks. I believe that permitting unregulated use of fireworks is an act of wide-scale cruelty to animals.

04/01/2026

Guilt.

Yours? Your dog's?

Well I hate to break it to you, but you're the only one feeling guilty. Dogs showing "guilt" are expressing emotions more similar to anxiety and fear, perhaps even after reading your body language as opposed to feeling anxiety over an action they did a moment ago.

Could they be having accidents, chewing furniture or worried about other dogs?

Fancy learning more about your dog's behaviour and what can be done to prevent their worry?

CONTACT ME! Www.dogological.co.uk

Note that I did not cause Ash to look so concerned, he was responding to fireworks...❤️

03/01/2026

January goals!
............................Forget them. January is hard enough as it is. 🤣

The best way to make change is to focus on small incremental behaviour adjustments.

You know what I'm going to say next, right?

IT'S THE SAME FOR YOUR DOG!!!!

Fancy knowing how to do that?

1. Go to www.dogological.co.uk
2. Take a look at who I am and what I stand for
3. Go to the Training Services page
4. Book directly on the page!

Dogological offers expert, reward based, professional dog training services. Recall, loose lead walking, barking, jumping or something else for all dog ages.