Unleashed Behavior and Training Services

05/29/2026

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What if your dog is already trying to communicate?
Just not in a way most people recognise.

Heard of whale eye before?
Excellent if you have.

But we need to be careful that it isn't misread simply because a dog is looking sideways.
Same, same, but different.

Whale eye tends to involve more than just the visible white. There’s often tension too.

Tighter skin.
Tighter muscles.
Wider looking eyes.

Dilated pupils are another tricky one.

Not all dilated pupils are negative.

Have you ever played a game your dog loved or watched them lock onto a ball you're about to throw?

Those glossy dark circles can literally expand in front of your eyes.
Pretty cool to see.

On the other hand, if you've ever been faced with a dog that is about to tell someone to "back off", you may recognise that exact same change.

Context matters.

Then there’s blinking.

It doesn't need to be dramatically increased, although sometimes it is.

Even a subtle increase can be worth noting.

A cue to pause.
Look around.
Look at your dog.
Check out the situation.

Eyes are a gift.

Both in the sight they give.
And most definitely the insight.

05/28/2026

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05/27/2026

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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.

05/26/2026

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So I ignore?
No, but you’re ignoring exactly what you DO want.

Excitement gets a lot of attention sometimes.
Insistent behaviour gets responses from us.
Barking?
That usually gets an immediate response because it’s louder.

Over time, some dogs start learning “Bigger behaviour works better.”
Because to them, it can.

This is where ignoring comes into it.

Have you been ignoring the best bits your dog shows you?

We focus so much on what we well and truly know we don’t want, and yet when they show us what we want?
We ignore it.
We don’t even notice it.
We don’t mean to but it’s a habit we are now cycling around in.

We’re focused SO much on stopping the behaviour we don’t want, that we let those tiny slivers of stillness, position, or engagement just slip away.

They are THE moments.

We need to open our eyes more.
They will be showing you what you actually want more of.

It may not be in the context we need it to be in yet, but it will be there.

Mark it.

Reward it.

But above all else, don’t ignore those precious wee moments when they DO show you exactly what you want.

05/22/2026

Congratulations on your graduation!! You are all SO amazing and I loved having you in class!! Such fun pups... ❤️

05/22/2026

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The opportunity to carry out natural behaviours, those innate and instinctive things that trace all the way back to the very first dogs and beyond, is one of the most important things we can give our dogs.

It is a major part of the foundations of welfare, stated in the Five Freedoms that were first published 45 years ago and created from an animal welfare report in the UK 14 years before that. These freedoms are part of law in the UK through the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

The truth is that some of these natural behaviours can be inconvenient for us. Nobody really wants their flowerbeds dug up or their furniture chewed, for example.

This is why working out ways to let them do those natural dog things is so important and so useful for us – because we can set the situation up so they can do their thing in a much less inconvenient way.

Your dog wants to dig? Give him a patch of garden where he can dig, or something like a child’s hard paddling pool with sand in so he can dig there. Hide fun stuff in the ‘legal’ digging spot and, if you catch him digging elsewhere, redirect him to the assigned area.

Your dog is shredding your belongings? Make sure she has plenty of safe and suitable chewing material available and, again, redirect her to one of those when she starts to chew something you’d rather she didn’t. Keep things you don’t want chewed out of reach or put away.

Sniffing is one of the easiest natural opportunities to let our dogs carry out. In most cases, we are going out for a walk with them every day, so it’s simple to build in a little time to let them sniff and explore their world in the best way for a dog.

If your dog is not currently able to go out for walks, perhaps recovering from an injury/surgery, or recovering from a stressful experience out in the world, we can bring the world of scent to them. When out, gather some items you find to being home. Leaves, bits of wool or animal hair caught on fences, for example – anything that your dog might encounter on a walk naturally – and bring them home. You can then put them in a box or spread them around an area and let your dog investigate them.

We can also combine sniffing with food to offer the dog a chance to go foraging. Scatter some food or treats around, either in the home or garden and let the dog search them all out. (Sadly, in some areas people will leave harmful items like poisoned food out to harm dogs, so some people will teach their dogs a cue to let them know it’s safe to forage).

These are some simple ways to let our dogs be dogs and do those natural dog things. Simple but they have a massive impact on the dog’s mental wellbeing and welfare.

05/20/2026

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This week's challenge: find your pet's reset.

For some pets it is a long sniff walk. For others, a food puzzle. Some decompress through chewing. Others need complete quiet. Some want closeness with you.

Spend this week paying attention to what consistently brings your pet's arousal down after something stressful. Write it down.

When you can identify what reliably helps your pet regulate, you have a tool your behavior team can build into their plan with you.

05/19/2026

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DID YOU KNOW?

The average dog has around two hundred and twenty million olfactory receptors in their nose, although it can be as many as three hundred million in dogs bred specifically for scentwork. Those tend to have longer ears which help to capture the scent and move it towards the nose.
In comparison, the human has an average of only six million scent receptors.

According to Dr Michael T. Nappier DVM, DABVP of the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, their excellent sense of smell enables a dog to detect the equivalent of half a teaspoon of sugar in an Olympic-sized swimming pool!

The canine frontal cortex is smaller than ours, therefore it has different emotional capabilities; it is this part of the brain which is responsible for conscious scent perception. When it comes to canine scenting ability, their brains are forty times more capable than our own, which equates to a sense of smell 10,000 to 100,000 times more powerful!

To help this to compute fully, James Walker, former director of the Sensory Research Institute at Florida State University, describes this in terms of sight: “If you make the analogy of vision, what you and I can see at a third of a mile, a dog could see more than 3,000 miles away and still see as well.” Phenomenal stuff!

The wind musicians amongst you will be thoroughly impressed that dogs can circular breathe. They draw in and process scent at the same time as they breathe in and out, creating a constant stream of air, effortlessly. They can also use their nostrils independently, creating a 3D scent picture that allows them to pinpoint exactly where a smell originates from. Mind-blowing, really!

For more fascinating facts, why not check out my blog post: https://www.trailiepawsforthought.com/post/the-science-of-scent-part-one

©️ Trailie Paws For Thought
www.trailiepawsforthought.com

I'm very happy for all of my content to be shared, but please do so via the share button, and do not copy and paste to avoid sharing from source. Thank you! 🐾🐾

Image shows a close-up of my scenthound Max's nose and face. Taking a nap, as usual!

05/18/2026

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It's Exercise Month at CAM! To keep your dog moving safely without triggering a painful flare-up, stick to our four golden rules of exercise:

1️⃣ Pace over Race: Slow down and let them enjoy a 'Sniffari'.
2️⃣ Ditch the Ball: Say no to high-impact twists and sudden braking.
3️⃣ Watch the Terrain: Stick to flat, even, and grippy surfaces.
4️⃣ Gear Up Safely: Protect their body with the right equipment.

The Ultimate Tool: A collar puts dangerous pressure on a sore neck and spine. A high-quality, well-fitted harness distributes weight safely, doesn't restrict their shoulders, and gives you gentle control to help them if they stumble.

🛍️ Protect their joints on every walk. Visit the CAM Shop to view CAM approved walking equipment:
https://www.camonlineshop.com/accessories/harnesses-leads-slings