Canine Behaviour and Physio Clinic

19/10/2025

I had such a brilliant day on Friday at the Conference 2025! 🐾✨

It was inspiring to hear from so many knowledgeable speakers: from splinting in veterinary rehab (Melanie Bruder) and pain management in small animals (Drew Tootal), to the latest on canine hydrotherapy (Dr Alison Wills).

The afternoon sessions covered everything from thinking outside the enclosure (Matthew Shackleton) and managing owner expectations (Gwen Covey-Crump) to first aid in practice (Rachel Bean).

As a qualified veterinary physiotherapist, it’s so important to keep learning and developing and this event was the perfect opportunity to do just that! 🐶

animals

16/07/2025

There are still a few tickets left!

I will be giving a talk soon on Friday 18th July at 6pm. It is £15.00 per person and will be held at Grangeway Community Centre. If you would like to join, please message me.

Recognising Pain in our Dogs
In this informative talk, we will explore how to better understand and identify pain in our canine companions. We'll begin by defining what pain is and how it can present. The session will cover key behavioural signs and changes in posture or gait that may indicate discomfort or pain.
Additionally, we'll discuss practical strategies to minimise wear and tear on dogs’ bodies, aiming to support their long-term comfort and mobility. This talk is ideal for pet owners, veterinary professionals, and anyone passionate about animal welfare.

10/07/2025

🌡️ With temperatures soaring in the UK at the moment, it's a good time to reflect on the importance of choice—especially when it comes to our dogs.

At home, my dogs typically sleep on my bed at night. However, during this hot weather, Luna has been choosing to sleep on the cool hall floor—not the bed or even the soft rug, but the floor itself. Her choice highlights something important: dogs instinctively seek out cooler, more comfortable spots when they need them.

This brings up an important consideration for dogs that are crated or kept in pens. Ask yourself:

Is the crate located in a cool, well-ventilated area?

Is it large enough for your dog to fully stretch out and move around?

Does your dog always have access to water inside the crate? (This is a legal requirement.)

I’m not against crating—when done thoughtfully, it can be a safe and useful management tool. But especially during hot weather, it's essential to ensure that dogs have the ability to regulate their own comfort. Wherever possible, allow them the freedom to choose cooler resting spots.

Let’s prioritise their wellbeing, especially when the heat rises. ☀️🐾

02/07/2025

I am honoured to have been asked to speak to the National Association of Veterinary Physiotherapists (NAVP).

Treating anxious dogs is my passion and I can't wait to share strategies with other professionals.

https://www.facebook.com/share/1CVDPfg7B6/

13/06/2025

We have some workshops/courses coming up soon.

🐾Loose Lead Walking Workshop . Saturday 28th June at 10:45am and it is 90-minutes long. We will cover lots of fun games to teach your dog to walk nicely on lead. Limited to 4 dogs, you will receive a handout after with the exercises in. £35.00.

🐾1-hour talk on 'Recognising Pain in our Dogs'. The talk will take place on 18 July 6pm Grangeway Community Centre & will cost £15 per person. The talk will begin by defining what pain is and how it can present. The session will cover key behavioural signs and changes in posture or gait that may indicate discomfort or pain. Additionally, we'll discuss practical strategies to minimise wear and tear on dogs’ bodies, aiming to support their long-term comfort and mobility.

🐾3-week Rapid Recall Course . Starting on Saturday 26th July at 10:30am. Each lesson is 55 minutes long and you will receive handouts after the lessons. We will cover lots of fun games to teach your dog to come back when called. Limited to 4 dogs £45.00.

Why should you train with us?
✅Small groups
✅Learn through fun games
✅Accredited with Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT, membership number 01481)
✅Handouts after every lesson
✅Private Facebook group to join for additional support

To book onto a course or workshop, please email [email protected]

05/06/2025

If you let your dog offlead, then you have to be able to call them back. It is actually a legal requirement to have your dog under control at all times!

A whistle can be a great recall cue, as it is a novel sound that is consistent. To start with you need to build a positive association between your dog's recall cue and good things. For example, blow the whistle and give your dog a tasty treat, blow the whistle and play a game. You need to use whatever your dog enjoys.

Once your dog understands the recall cue=good things and comes to you when cued, then you can start to add in distractions.

This video shows me throwing out a toy and whistling Luna back before she reaches it. Her recall is immediate, as soon as she hears the whistle and I then reward her with her favourite toy.

Do you want a better recall with your dog? Come along to our Rapid Recall Course.

It started on Saturday 26th July at 10:30am. Each lesson is 55 minutes and the course is 3 weeks long. There are maximum 4 dogs on the course, it is held at Paws in Runcorn and is £45.00.

Why should you train with us?
✅ Small groups
✅Learn through fun games
✅Accredited with Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT, membership number 01481)
✅Handouts after every lesson
✅ Private Facebook group to join for additional support

To book on, or find out more details, please email [email protected]

04/06/2025

When working on any behaviour, you need to consider the three D’s.
1. The level of Distraction
2. The Duration of the behaviour
3. The Distance (either the distance away from the dog that you can ask for a behaviour or the distance you can move away from the dog when they are doing the behaviour)

To teach a new behaviour, you need to be in an area of low distraction and reward as soon as the dog does the behaviour. Gradually you will increase the duration that the dog does the behaviour for.

When you then go out into the real-world, the level of distraction will increase. Therefore, you need to reduce the duration initially and build it back up slowly; as you increase the difficulty of 1 D, you need to decrease the difficulty of the other two. For example, if your dog can do an amazing 2 minutes of loose lead walking in the garden, then when you go outside, you may reward them after 5 seconds and slowly work your way back up to 2 minutes.

Finally, on the topic of loose lead walking, here is a video by That Dog Geek that shows how to train dogs who love to sniff by using sniffing as the reward. 🐾🐕

https://youtu.be/aEDsJEQz2YA

If you would like help with your dog’s lead work, then sign up to the Loose Lead Walking Workshop that I am running on Saturday 28th June at 10:45am. It is 90-minutes long, held at Early Paws in Runcorn, limited to 4 dogs and is £35.00. You can sign up or ask for more details by emailing [email protected]

Train your dog to automatically check in with you when there’s something they want to investigate in the environment, rather than dragging you towards it!Thi...

03/06/2025

There are some walks where I have to be back by a certain time and my dogs do need to walk nicely next to me. However, I am very aware that dogs see the world differently from us, as their primary sense is their sense of smell. When I have time, I love going on “sniffari’s” with Luna and Loken. A sniffari is a walk where they get to pick where to go, and they can also spend as long as they want sniffing.

When they are sniffing, I make sure that I stay behind them. Otherwise, they will not sniff for as long, as they want to stay near me. I only move on when they do.

The first time I did a sniffari, I was surprised by how long the dogs chose to sniff for. Sniffing is great as it can bring your dog's heart rate down and help them calm down. This nice study showed the benefits of sniffing: https://www.dogfieldstudy.com/en/study/pulse-study-at-the-heart-of-the-walk

Give it a go with your dog, you might not get that far but you will have a very tired and happy dog afterwards!

If you would like help with your dog’s lead work, then sign up to the Loose Lead Walking Workshop that I am running on Saturday 28th June at 10:45am. It is 90-minutes long, held at Early Paws in Runcorn, limited to 4 dogs and is £35.00. You can sign up or ask for more details by emailing [email protected]

02/06/2025

Before we start to look at how to train your dog to walk nicely on lead, we need to consider why we walk our dogs. Try to think of your dog’s walk as a way for them to check their social media. They are going to sniff and find out who has been in the area, what their relationship status is and what their health status is. Dogs see the world through their nose, and it is really important that we remember this and allow them to sniff. To allow this, my aim for lead work is that I can walk along with a ‘smile’ in the lead and no tension. I do not mind if my dogs are in front of me, as long as they are not pulling.

To teach any behaviour, we need consistency and I find that is not always possible to be consistent with lead work as you might have a walk where you have to be back by a certain time. Therefore, you need a way to signal to your dog when they have to walk nicely and when they do not. I call these two different modes:

1. Leisure mode
2. Working mode

To differentiate between the two, I use verbal cues. ‘Ready’ means we are in working mode and the lead has to be lovely and loose. ‘Finished’ means we are now in leisure mode and you can go and sniff and be ahead of me. This will enable you to be consistent and you just gradually build up how long your dog is in working mode for.

This video shows how I teach the concept of leisure mode and working mode to dogs.
https://youtu.be/jAzDZRWFcBM

If you would like help with your dog’s lead work, then sign up to the Loose Lead Walking Workshop that I am running on Saturday 28th June at 10:45am. It is 90-minutes long, held at Early Paws in Runcorn, limited to 4 dogs and is £35.00. You can sign up or ask for more details by emailing [email protected]

Loose Lead Walking is a behaviour that a lot of people struggle with. This is because training takes time and consistency and it is not possible to always be...

01/06/2025

When we walk our dogs, it is really important that their neck is protected. This article by Dogmantics and the infographic by Dog Games show why it is not recommended to just walk your dog on a collar.
https://dogmantics.com/is-it-harmful-to-attach-a-leash-to-your-dogs-neck-2/

However, please be aware that it is a legal requirement for your dog to be wearing a collar and tag in public. The tag must have your surname and address on it; I strongly recommend that you also put your phone number on it. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1992/901/article/2/made

There are so many different types of harness available on the market and it can be overwhelming to know which one to pick. There is very limited research into how different harness types impact your dog’s gait, but the current opinion of professionals is that you should use a Y-Shaped harness like the one Luna is wearing in the picture. It is believed that these types of harness restrict shoulder movement less than harnesses that go across the chest.

The harness should be well fitted, should not tighten if your dog pulls and you should be able to fit 2 fingers in all the way round. Brands that I regularly see that fit this criteria are: Dog Copenhagen, Xtra Dog and Cosy Dog (There are many others available out there).

If your dog is very strong then it is recommended that you buy a harness with a D-ring on the front as well as the back. You will also need to buy a double ended lead. BUT and this is a big BUT, the harness must be well fitted. If the chest piece is not snug and your dog pulls, then the lead attached to the front of the harness will come round and pull your dog's leg back which is an absolute no no. You will also need to be shown how to use a front attaching harness or it will not be effective. Some of the front attaching harnesses I have seen in the past are not well designed, because to be snug enough at the front, you have to make the head piece so small that it will not fit over your dog's head!

The point of the harness is to protect your dog’s neck, whilst you train your dog not to pull on the lead.

If you would like help with your dog’s lead work, then sign up to the Loose Lead Walking Workshop that I am running on Saturday 28th June at 10:45am. It is 90-minutes long, held at Early Paws in Runcorn, limited to 4 dogs and is £35.00. You can sign up or ask for more details by emailing [email protected]

31/05/2025

Over the next few days, we are going to look at a problem that many owners face with their dogs; pulling on lead.

Let's look at some of the statements that I commonly hear:

❌ Harnesses cause pulling

❌ Collars will stop a dog from pulling

❌ My dog should walk on the left-hand side of me

❌ My dog should not walk in front of me

❌ Slip leads/choke chains etc. do not cause pain

It might surprise you that none of these statements are true!

Some people will say that harnesses cause pulling and that is why sled dogs wear them, but this is not true. No piece of walking equipment causes a dog to pull. I have seen dogs pull in collars, harnesses, slip leads, choke chains, head collars, front attaching harnesses etc.

Dogs naturally walk faster than us and they are often allowed to pull and then greet another dog or sniff a lamp post, so they learn that pulling works. Pulling is caused by motivation, this might be motivation to move towards something such as an interesting smell or another dog. Or the motivation might be to move away from something such as a scary noise.

To train your dog not to pull, you need to work out why they are pulling in the first place.

‘My dog should walk on the left-hand side of me’. Traditionally, dogs used to walk on the left-hand side but there is actually no need for this. I like to train dogs to walk on both sides, as you might need them to walk on your right-hand side if you are on a narrow pavement and do not want them next to the road.

'My dog should not walk in front of me' comes from the dominance theory. This suggested that if the dog walked in front of you, they were trying to dominate you and be pack leader. I can completely assure you that if Luna or Loken walk in front of me, they are not trying to take over the world! The dominance theory has been completely debunked.

'Slip leads/choke chains etc. do not cause pain'- I might upset some people by saying this is not true but it is important to know the science behind training. Dogs learn by consequences and if pulling in a slip lead was not aversive to your dog, then they would not stop pulling. It works by causing your dog discomfort and they stop pulling to alleviate the aversive feeling. However, be aware that for some dogs the motivation to pull is greater than the need to avoid the aversive so even though the slip lead is aversive, they will still pull. The other major concern with using any equipment that goes around your dog’s neck when they pull can cause damage. Pulling with equipment that goes around the neck has been linked to:
• Laryngeal Paralysis
• Tracheal Collapse
• Ocular Problems

30/05/2025

How do you know what to look for in a professional? The dog behaviour/training and hydrotherapy world is not regulated so anyone can call themselves a trainer, behaviourist or hydrotherapist with no qualifications.

Please make sure whoever you pick is accredited and has qualifications. Anyone calling themselves a dog behaviourist should have a minimum of a Level 6 qualification, which is the equivalent of a BSc. There are certain organisations that ensure the professional is at the correct standard and carries out an appropriate amount of CPD every year.

These are the organisations to look at (this list is not comprehensive, there are alternative organisations available):

Veterinary Behaviourists: https://abtc.org.uk/abtc_roles/veterinary-behaviourist/

Clinical Animal Behaviourists (CABs): https://abtc.org.uk/abtc_roles/clinical-animal-behaviourist/

Behaviourists: https://www.apbc.org.uk/

Dog trainer: APDT: https://apdt.co.uk/find-a-trainer/

You can also find a qualified physio on the below links.

Veterinary Physiotherapy accredited bodies:

https://www.irvap.org.uk/
http://www.rampregister.org/
https://www.navp.co.uk/
https://www.acpat.org/

Hydrotherapy accredited bodies:

http://www.canine-hydrotherapy.org/
http://www.narch.org.uk/Home/index
https://www.irvap.org.uk/institute-of-canine-hydrotherapists/