Rebecca Elliott Dog Behaviour & Training

02/06/2026

This is a really helpful reminder of simple ways in which we can all help our dogs at home - whether you have a senior dog struggling to navigate stairs or elevated items, or you have a young dog that struggles on hard, slippery floors. There’s something for all of us to learn from.

Thank you Win Clinic!

We often get asked what owners can do at home for their dogs. There is plenty you can do to make the home environment safe and comfortable.

26/05/2026

I’m currently supporting a pup that went to their new home at just 7 weeks. The ‘breeder’ was not sufficiently meeting the litter’s welfare needs and we are already seeing the fallout from that failing on behalf of the breeder.

Thankfully the pup’s new family are putting the pup’s welfare first and are tirelessly supporting them.

That’s why I’m sharing this important post from Dogs Disclosed on the potential impact of separating pups from their mum too early.

I STILL NEEDED MY MOM

The early weeks of a puppy’s life play a crucial part in laying a foundation for a well-adjusted adult dog.

This foundation influences future behaviour and how well they go on to cope and interact with the world.

Unfortunately, there are still breeders who allow puppies to leave their moms and littermates at only 6 weeks old, often with no regard for the long-term impact this can have on development.

Many new owners blindly trust that breeders must know best and never question this. But while a puppy may no longer rely on mom for food at this age, they are still deeply dependent on their family unit for learning vital life skills, social skills, building emotional security and resilience.

Between 6 and 8 weeks, puppies are in the process of learning:

• Bite inhibition
• Appropriate play behaviour
• Frustration tolerance
• Impulse control
• Communication and social skills
• Confidence and emotional resilience

These are skills that we as people, can never fully replicate in the same way that a pups family unit can.

While 8 weeks is generally considered the minimum age for puppies to leave, many ethical breeders prefer to keep puppies until 10 to 12 weeks, while also providing positive, age-appropriate socialisation and habituation experiences.

Habituation means gently introducing puppies to the world around them in positive, developmentally appropriate ways — different sounds, surfaces, objects, environments, people, smells, and everyday experiences — so they learn that new things are safe rather than frightening.

However, we don’t live an in ideal world and having to care for or rescue pups much younger than 8 weeks is often unavoidable due to different circumstances.

This post is not aimed at those situations - it’s about education, awareness and encouraging people not to support irresponsible breeding practices that place profit and convenience above the wellbeing and healthy development of puppies.

23/05/2026

There is still some very outdated information circulating about how to support a dog with heat stroke.

So I’m sharing the below in the hope that you never need to use it. Remember that flat faced breeds have a much higher risk of heat stroke.

Hot Forecast Due 🌅

Is it true that if we use cold water on heat stroke pets they will go into shock?

One of the most common things we still hear is that we can only use tepid water on a pet with heat stroke, incase they get some complications like hypothermic overshoot, peripheral vasoconstriction hindering a cooling response, and cardiogenic shock...

We have heard not to use cold water in case it causes shock... this rarely happens!

But guess what? In a recent study over 26% of dogs presented with heat stroke died, with flat faced breeds making up nearly half of heat stroke cases seen in the study.

You should:

💧Get someone to call the local veterinary practice and tell them you're going to travel down with a heat stroke patient
💧Pour, hose or if possible immerse the pet in very cold water (this should obviously be done under constant supervision, ensuring the head is fully above water and immersion should not be attempted if the animal is too large, at risk, or you are unable to do so without hurting yourself)
💧Note: If using a hose pipe, make sure it has run through until cold, as they can often contain water that is extremely hot in the tubing initially
💧Do not drape in towels and leave them in situ. Keep the cold water flowing.
💧Move to a cool, shaded area
💧Prepare to transport to vets in a cold, air conditioned car

In studies they found that:

🌅International consensus from sports medicine organisations supports treating EHS with early rapid cooling by immersing the casualty in cold water.
🌅Ice-water immersion has been shown to be highly effective in exertional heat stroke, with a zero fatality rate in large case series of younger, fit patients.
🌅Hyperthermic individuals were cooled twice as fast by Cold Water Immersion as by passive recovery.
🌅No complications occurred during the treatment of three older patients with severe heat stroke were treated with cold‐water immersion.
🌅Cold water immersion (CWI) is the preferred cooling modality in EHS guidelines and the optimal method applicable to UK Service Personnel
🌅Studies suggest using either ice-water or cold-water immersion

The best intervention is PREVENTION, but if you find yourself with an animal with heat stroke, using cold water either by pouring, hosing or ideally (if safe) immersion then this may help reduce their temperature to safe levels while you transport to a veterinary practice.

Read more below:

https://www.vetvoices.co.uk/post/cool-icy-cold-or-tepid

And listen to our podcasts on Vet Voices On Air

Too Hot to Handle: The Truth About Canine Heatstroke

Heatstroke is one of the most lethal yet most misunderstood emergencies in veterinary medicine—and it doesn’t only happen on scorching summer days.

In this in-depth episode Robyn from Vet Voices on Air is joined by two leading voices in the field: Dr Emily Hall, primary care vet, educator, and researcher whose PhD focused on the epidemiology of heatstroke in UK dogs, and Emily Cockerill, referral RVN and Lowland Rescue search dog volunteer with extensive real-world experience managing dogs working in extreme conditions.

Together, they unpack what heatstroke actually is, why it’s so dangerous, and why time and temperature matter more than almost anything else. Using clear, evidence-based explanations, they explore what happens inside the body when temperatures rise—how proteins “cook,” organs fail, and why once a critical threshold is crossed, the damage is irreversible.

The conversation tackles long-standing myths head-on, including:
The belief that cold or ice water causes “shock”

➡Why wet towels can worsen overheating
➡The dangers of lemon juice in brachycephalic dogs
➡Misconceptions around double-coated breeds and clipping
➡Why ice cubes might not meaningfully cool dogs but can be used for indoor and cool enrichment

Crucially, the episode highlights that exertional heatstroke is the most common cause, not hot cars—and that heatstroke can occur in winter, during travel, stress, anaesthesia recovery, or even inside veterinary practices. Certain breeds and health conditions increase risk, but any dog (or cat, rabbit, or other small animal) can be affected if heat production exceeds the body’s ability to lose it.

Listeners will come away with clear, practical guidance on:

➡Recognising early and late signs of heatstroke
➡What owners should do immediately at home or in the field
➡Why pre-cooling before transport dramatically improves survival
➡Current best-practice protocols for active cooling in clinic
➡When to start and stop cooling based on body temperature
➡How prevention, timing, and informed decision-making save lives

If you’ve ever wondered when it’s too hot to walk your dog, how heatstroke presents beyond “just panting,” or what the evidence really says about cooling, this episode is essential listening—for veterinary professionals and pet owners alike.
Because when it comes to heatstroke, minutes matter—and myths can kill.

Listen Here on Vet Voices On Air

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5MMO1STWzFzyhYiExBp9gN?si=achtyAFISSSt8bwmykDHqg

20/05/2026

This is a lovely article by the talented Rebecca O’Hanlon about the use of head collars. She makes so many excellent points about the implications for the dog that I’m sure many of us just don’t think about.

Head halters are often recommended as a “gentle” option for dogs who pull, and I understand why people reach for them. When walks feel stressful, anything that promises control feels like a lifeline. But head halters don’t sit comfortably within a welfare‑first or fear‑free approach, and it’s important we talk about why.

Dogs communicate with their whole body, especially their face. When we cover or restrict that area, we change how they look, how they move, and how other dogs read them. We’re already seeing more misunderstandings between dogs, and altering facial expression or posture only adds to that.

Emotionally, many of us remember how it felt wearing masks during COVID. Some were fine; others felt anxious, restricted, or overwhelmed. The difference is that we understood why we were wearing them, and we could take them off. Dogs don’t get that choice. They simply feel something on one of the most sensitive, expressive parts of their body.

When we teach loose‑lead walking, we’re really helping dogs regulate themselves in the world. That requires comfort and safety. Controlling the head interrupts that process. A dog who is anxious, in pain, overstimulated, or struggling emotionally will pull because their body is dysregulated. A head halter doesn’t resolve that; it suppresses it.

There’s also the physical risk. The neck and face contain delicate muscles, nerves, and vessels. A single lunge, a squirrel, a sudden bark, a moment of excitement, can create significant force through the cervical spine. Many canine movement specialists now warn against head halters for this reason. And “they’re fine if used properly” doesn’t help when real life happens and a dog reacts faster than we do.

If a dog is pulling so hard that we feel out of control, that’s usually a sign to look deeper: pain, anxiety, over‑arousal, poor socialisation, or biomechanical imbalance. These are the things that need attention, not the head.

This isn’t about shaming anyone. People use head halters because they’re trying to cope. But they don’t align with welfare‑first handling. Good walking comes from comfort, understanding, and supporting the dog in front of us, not from controlling their face.

A 2025 training and movement review reports that sudden leash pressure on a head halter can cause whiplash‑like injuries, with around 20% of dogs showing neck discomfort. It also notes that nearly 30% of owners observed increased resistance or anxiety when their dogs wore head halters.

Added due to people being upset: I never write posts for click bait. I think the idea of upsetting people to get reactions is abhorent. I always write my posts with empathy for both human and dog. If I ever feel defensive over an action I take I ask myself why. Is it because I think what that person is saying is ridiclous or am I not entirely comfortable with my action. As soon as we use a tool as a professional we are spreading the idea that this tool is safe to use. We all have a resonsibility about the education we put out into the world. I am not judging anyone for using them. I get it. But I also know that professionals taking extremly difficult cases on dont use them. There are other ways and other ideas. And most of the dogs I see with them on could be easily taught in a kinder way

15/05/2026

Pain/discomfort/disease can be really tricky to detect in many dogs, but there are so many subtle signs to look out for.

The first thing any behaviourist should do when starting to work with a new customer, is to work with the dog’s guardian, vet and wider medical team to rule out pain and discomfort as far as is possible. Vet physiotherapists are a key part of this team in many cases, because often dogs will hide any pain at the vet surgery.

We often discuss pain with our clients because pain in animals doesn’t just present with limping or yelping.
See the below information that may indicate pain in your dog.

10/05/2026

I wanted to share this important information as we tend to see a lot of incorrect social media posts at this time of year. However, as a rule, I try to keep out of fields with crops in them as I’ve seen the damage that can be caused by trampling.

At this time of year, we start to notice lots of posts circulating social media regarding rapeseed; these posts are shared extensively and can understandably worry many dog owners. The posts usually state that rapeseed is highly poisonous to dogs, and can cause signs including haemolytic anaemia, blindness, damaged nervous system, digestive disorders and breathing problems.

The signs mentioned are typically only seen in grazing animals, and most dogs actually remain asymptomatic after exposure to rapeseed. Dogs can develop gastrointestinal upset if they have ingested some of the plant, and there have been reports of skin reactions which resemble burns, but this is extremely rare and does not happen to every dog which comes into contact with it.

01/05/2026

It’s fascinating how much information a dog can collect about another dog from a bottom sniff (an entirely normal dog behaviour - it’s not ‘rude’ or ‘cheeky’).

This is a wonderful post from ABC Dogs NZ that’s worth a read 😊

It’s never “just a sniff”.
It looks quick and meaningless to us. Not to them.

That moment gives them information you can’t see.
Who this dog is.
If they’ve met before.
How old they are.
What state they’re in right now.
Whether something feels a little bit “off”

Even health and hormones come into it.

Now the bit that’s missed, not every dog allows that information to be shared.

Tail position, posture, movement.
That can decide whether access is given or “denied” and only some will do this or allow it to be done.
I’m not a fan of turning a dog around to “present the rear” either. If they do it naturally, great, if they don’t, no biggie.
Some dogs just do not get their noses in that position at all.

For the ones that do?
It’s not about letting every dog sniff every dog.
But it is about understanding what’s actually happening in that moment.

And that’s a lot!

29/03/2026

Here in Sidmouth, a windy day is fairly normal, and this winter we’ve experienced some hefty storms too. I often find that our dogs can behave very differently on these days so this lovely post by ABC Dogs NZ really resonated with me. Let’s be patient and understanding 😌

20/03/2026

You may have heard about a new report on some crossbreed dogs (including cockerpoos) over the last day or so. I work with a lot of cockerpoos (no surprise really as they have become a really popular breed over the last few years) and the below commentary by ABC Dogs NZ is spot on.

In a few years time, it’ll be a different cross breed or breed …

19/02/2026

If dogs could write their own LinkedIn posts…🤣

(This soooooo reminds me of my previous corporate work life …. Every day I am grateful that I’m no longer in that world) 😊🐾